How Do I Determine the Nutritional Value of Foods? Menu Verywell Fit Nutrition Weight Management Nutrition Facts Nutrition Basics Diets Meal Plans Meal Delivery Services View All News Fitness and Nutrition What to Buy How We Test Products Fitness Gear Nutrition Products Tools Recipe Nutrition Calculator Weight Loss Calorie Goal BMI Calculator Body Fat Percentage Calculator Calories Burned by Activity Daily Calories Burned Pace Calculator About Us Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Search Nutrition Basics Determining the Nutritional Value of Foods By Shereen Lehman, MS Shereen Lehman, MS Shereen Lehman, MS, is a healthcare journalist and fact checker. She has co-authored two books for the popular Dummies Series (as Shereen Jegtvig). Learn about our editorial process Updated on December 02, 2020 Medically reviewed Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and nutrition and exercise healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Marisa Moore, RDN, MBA Medically reviewed by Marisa Moore, RDN, MBA Marisa Moore is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a BS in nutrition science and MBA in marketing. She is also the founder of Marisa Moore Nutrition. Learn about our Medical Review Board Print Epoxydude/Getty Images It's wise to want to know the nutritional value of the foods you eat. A healthy diet is vital for feeling your best—strong, happy, and energetic. It's also a proven way to reduce the risk of disease and to help manage the symptoms of a number of health issues. Luckily, you won't have to look far to find the nutritional value of your favorite foods. Start at the grocery store. If you need the information for packaged foods, it's available on the Nutrition Facts labels. These labels are on the back, bottom, or side of the package, along with the ingredients list. Or you can view the information online. Most manufacturers' websites publish nutritional data for their products. Basics of a Healthy Diet What' s on a Nutrition Label Nutrient Facts labels are required by the government to include a wealth of information to help you make informed food decisions. For starters, they have to identify how many servings are in the package, can, or bottle. Additionally, they must include information about calories (the total calories and calories from fat), total fat, trans fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fat, sugars, and protein per serving. Nutritional labels also must provide details about two vitamins (A and C) and two minerals (calcium and iron), though food companies can voluntarily list other vitamins and minerals in the food. If you're doing more cooking these days, you'll want to learn the nutritional value of the individual ingredients used in your favorite healthy recipes. Again, the ingredients that are packaged have the nutrition information on the label. But fresh fruits and vegetables, some bakery goods, and items from the deli and meat department won't have labels. This means you'll have to do a little investigating. Daily Vegetable Servings Online Databases You can do this work online. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) maintains a nutritional value database called FoodData Central. It has nutritional information for all kinds of foods and is much more in-depth than a standard food label. Just search for your favorite foods and select the serving sizes you need. If you also want a quick tally of your food choices, the Food Calorie Calculator, which is powered by the USDA National Nutrient Database, keeps track and displays a summary. And if you want to research nutritional guidelines you can use a site such as ChooseMyPlate.gov. There are also smartphone apps and websites such as MyFitnessPal or Lose It where you can search for your favorite foods. Many calorie-counter apps allow you to scan a food's barcode to easily locate its nutrition facts label, so you can make smarter-in-the-moment decisions. 9 Portion Size Mistakes to Avoid Recipe Nutrition Calculators Recipe nutrition calculators are another option for analyzing the calorie and nutrition facts for foods you're preparing yourself. A host of these digital tools are available, including one from Verywell Fit. Simply enter the ingredients and serving size to get started. By Shereen Lehman, MS Shereen Lehman, MS, is a healthcare journalist and fact checker. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? 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