Nutrition Facts Panel, Part 3: Sodium, Potassium, and Other Vitamins and Minerals
Nutrition Facts Panel, Part 3: Sodium, Potassium, and Other Vitamins and Minerals
We are now to part 3 of this Nutrition Facts series. If this is your first article, I will reiterate what I mentioned earlier: the label’s information is related to the specified serving size listed at the top of the panel. So as you are looking at the food’s sodium or vitamin D content as the label states, that is only in the serving size listed at the top. If you consume a different amount than what is listed, it needs to be adjusted accordingly.
The series is as follows, with part 4 coming next:
- Part 1: Serving Sizes, Servings Per Container, and Calories
- Part 2: Fats, Cholesterol, Carbohydrates, and Protein
- Part 3: Sodium, Potassium, and Other Vitamins and Minerals
- Part 4: % Daily Value and Other Information
The decision to list specific vitamins and minerals is related to nutrients of concern. For example, the earlier version of the Nutrition Facts included sodium, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. These were the nutrients that many Americans were getting too much (sodium) nor not enough. Or referred to as nutrients of “public health significance.”
Your nutrients of concern for those you want to pay attention to may be different.
Today, with the updated label, the nutrients of public health significance still include sodium, calcium, and iron. But vitamin D and potassium replaced vitamin A and vitamin C. The absence of these nutrients doesn’t mean we need to blow off vitamins A and C, but they have prioritized the top vitamins and minerals.
Sodium is listed among the macronutrients in the top portion of the label, while vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium are at the bottom below protein.
Something to note for this vitamin and the minerals: their reference values are for the Nutrition Facts panel to simplify the numbers.
SODIUM
Sodium is a mineral that we as a population tends to overconsume. The Upper Limit for sodium is 2,300 mg a day. Therefore, a teaspoon of table salt (NaCl or sodium chloride) has 2,340 mg of sodium for reference.
Many foods naturally have sodium, and we don’t want to avoid it altogether—however, many processed foods have added sodium
We need to cut back. And even people who never use the saltshaker can still get more than 2,300 mg/day.
While people tend to think that chips are a big culprit, soups, ready-to-eat cereals, and other highly processed foods are up there too.
A food with 20% of the daily value for sodium (460 mg) is considered high—less than 5% of the daily value (115 mg or less).
Regular Fritos corn chips have 160 mg per serving, and Lightly Salted Fritos have 80 mg per serving.
An individual food may not seem too high, but don’t forget that it all adds up. Plus, the use of the salt-shaker.
VITAMIN D
New to the labels (as a required nutrient) is vitamin D. Many people have difficulty getting enough of it, considering many foods are not naturally rich in vitamin D.
The reference amount on the Nutrition Facts panel is 20 mcg (about 800 International Units = I.U.). Of course, depending on age, our needs differ, but this is the amount referenced on the Nutrition Facts panel.
Again, remember that we don’t expect a single food to provide all our vitamin D for the day.
For reference, 1 cup of vitamin D fortified cow’s milk has 10% of the DV for vitamin D. This is about 2 mcg or 80 I.U. (Note: by law, all cow’s milk must have vitamin D fortification. I discussed this in the article about So, Many Milks.)
IRON
Iron has a long reputation of being challenging to get enough adequate amounts. Iron deficiency is not uncommon for children, pregnant women, and women who have regular periods.
Iron has been on the Nutrition Facts panel from the beginning. While needs vary depending on the person’s age, stage of the life cycle, and sex, the reference value for iron is 18 mg.
As long as the iron comes from natural foods sources, toxicity is not usually an issue in otherwise healthy persons.
We don’t expect a single food to provide all the iron we need as with all the nutrients. Many kinds of cereal and other grains have iron fortification because of the many issues with iron deficiency.
CALCIUM
Another oldie on the list is calcium. Previously the reference value was 1000 mg, but it is not 1300 mg.
In the prior version of the Nutrition Facts panel, when the reference value was 1000 mg, if the food had 30% DV, we could quickly know that it had 300 mg of calcium. Just add the zero. It isn’t so simple with the updated value, but that is fine.
Again, for reference, 1 cup of cow’s milk has 25% of the daily value for calcium, while soy milk and almond milk have 30% of the daily value. The amount doesn’t distinguish the type of calcium (natural vs. added). That makes a difference in how much of that calcium is absorbed. Again, you can read about that in the previously referenced article, So Many Milks.)
Big picture: calcium is a nutrient of concern. And, the people who need it most (adolescents in their high growth years) tend not to get enough. They are the ones who need 1,300 mg a day.
POTASSIUM
Potassium was sometimes listed just under sodium before the potassium requirement on the label with the update in 2020. The label didn’t need it, but it was sometimes listed.
Two things about potassium.
When foods are processed, there is a loss of potassium and the addition of sodium.
Sodium and potassium work together in opposition to help with fluid balance and healthy blood pressure.
These two points come down to the fact that most Americans get way too much sodium and not enough potassium in their diet.
There reference amount for potassium is 4,700 mg. I went into more detail about potassium in the article Powerful Potassium. Hint: it is in way more foods than bananas.
Now potassium is one of the four required nutrients listed at the bottom of the label.
You may see a whole slew of other vitamins and minerals listed on some food labels. This listing is entirely optional.
And it is not suggestive that the food is somehow “better” than foods that don’t list it. For example, many foods from Pop-Tart, sugar-sweetened ready-to-eat cereals, and snack chips have lots of extras listed. And most people would not confuse these for healthy food.
Next Up Part 4: Percent Daily Value and Other Information
