Decoding Nutrition Labels

The example shown here is from a box of whole wheat penne pasta. The first thing to notice is the definition of Serving Size since all the other information is related to 1 serving. Here we see that 1 serving of this pasta is 3/4 cup. It also tells us that there should be approximately 8 servings in this box of pasta. All the other information is based upon 1 serving, so if you eat 1 serving of this pasta, you will consume 210 calories and 15 of those calories are from fat.

For a 1200 calorie meal plan, the recommended Carbohydrate intake is approximately 150 grams.  That 3/4 cup contains a lot of complex carbohydrates, since the Dietary Fiber and Sugar components are relatively small at 5 and 2 grams respectively. For a person who has an elevated amount of triglycerides in their blood, lowering their Carbohydrate intake will also improve their triglyceride level.