These tips offer helpful strategies for getting more mindful about what you eat on the daily.

1. Understand why the food labels are there. Nutrition labels became mandatory in 1992 to give consumers the bare facts about their food purchases.
2. Here are some recent changes to the food labels. As our understanding of nutrition develops, so too has the nutrition label. The number of calories is currently front and center of food labels.
3. Here’s what to look for. The number of calories, serving size, nutrients and percent daily value are all helpful guides to help you decide what you buy and how much of it you’ll eat.
4. Here’s what those things mean. The nutrients include the fat, protein, carb and sodium content. The percent daily value is how much of these are recommended daily.
5. Keep these targets in mind. The daily recommended maximum for saturated fat is 20 grams, sodium is 2,300 mg, added sugar is between 25-36 grams, and trans fat is zero grams.
6. Remember these final tips: The total fat count isn’t as important as the types of fat listed, not all carbs are the same so pay attention to the added sugar, and cholesterol continues to be controversial