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Healtheuniversity > English > Cardiac College > Eat Healthy > Reading Food Labels > Nutrition Claims

Nutrition Claims

    Registered Dietitian Margaret Brum shares tips on how to understand nutrition and health claims

    ​Nutrition claims tell you how diet can affect your health or give you information about a nutrient such as the amount of fat or sugar in a product.

    Nutrition Content Claims

    "Cholesterol free" or "No cholesterol"

    • What it means: An insignificant amount​
    • Where you might see this claim: Potato chips
    • Beware: Cholesterol only comes from animals. ​Cholesterol free products may still be high in fat.

    "Low fat"

    • What it means: Less than 3 grams of fat per serving
    • Where you might see this claim: Fruit bottom yogurt​
    • Beware: ​Low fat does not always mean low calories. Choose fat free yogurt with no sugar.

    "No sugar added"

    • What it means: Granulated sugar has not been added to the product
    • Where you might see this claim: Juice
    • Beware: Juices have natural sugar and are high in calories.

    "Light"

    • What it means: Less fat or calories (energy) than the regular version of the food
    • Where you might see this claim: Light peanut butter
    • Beware: Can also refer to color or texture such as "light" or "lite" olive oil.
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