Nutrition facts have become a part of everyday life because just about all of the consumable products purchased today from drinks to desserts have labels listing important nutrition information. Nutrition facts that can be found on any number of products will include serving size, servings per container, calories per serving, total fat, calories from fat, saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, sodium, cholesterol, potassium, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, sugars and protein amounts. Most products display nutrition facts for individuals based on either a 2,000 or 2,500 daily calorie diet. Additional nutrition facts can be located in the ingredients, which will list starting with the most abundant ingredient in the product and ending in the least. Nutrition facts are based on the scientific knowledge of foods and the nutrition they possess as well and the way they work within the body including in digestion, ingestion, absorption, metabolism, transport and excretion. A nutrition fact that is often confusing for consumers because of media attention is that the carbohydrates in food provide a good deal of fuel for the body and every cell. Carbohydrates are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and can be found in foods that contain starches, fiber and sugars. Nutrition facts on food like vegetables, fruits, milk, honey, table sugar, syrups and grains will have clear indications of the amount of carbohydrates contained in each product. Nutrition facts list proteins as an important component of any consumable product because protein is a main structural part of the body. All of a persons muscles, organs, blood, cell membranes and immune system are all made up from protein. Protein is composed of individual units that are called amino acids and can be found in foods like meats, eggs, dairy products, fish, soy and legumes (fruit or seed of any of various bean or pea plants consisting of a two-valved case that splits along both sides when ripe and having the seeds attached to one edge of the valves). Additional nutrition facts can include minerals, which are solid homogeneous inorganic substances occurring in nature having a definite chemical composition. Other nutrition facts can show a number of vitamins, which are any of a group of organic substances essential in small quantities to normal metabolism. |
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