Daily Values
Daily Values have been established by the Food and Drug Administration as references to help consumers use information on food labels to plan a healthy overall diet. The Daily Values provide a reliable guide for most people. It is helpful to know that a 2,000-calorie level is about right for moderately active women, teenage girls, and sedentary men, and 2,500 calories is the target level for many men, teenage boys, and active women. Many older adults, children, and sedentary women need fewer than 2,000 calories a day and may want to select target levels based on 1,600 calories a day. Some active men and teenage boys and very active women may want to select target levels based on 2,800 calories per day. The Daily Values for sodium and cholesterol are the same for everyone, regardless of total calories consumed, so you do not have to make adjustments based on your caloric needs.
Nutrient Calories 2,000 2,500
Total fat* Less than 65 g 80 g
Saturated fat† Less than 20 g 25 g
Cholesterol Less than 300 mg 300 mg
Sodium Less than 2,400 mg 2,400 mg
Total carbohydrate 300 g 375 g
Dietary fiber 25 g 30 g
Potassium 3,500 mg 3,500 mg
.
* Total fat values are based on 30 percent of calories.
† Saturated fat values are based on 10 percent of calories.
Note. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
The Daily Values are based on expert dietary advice about how much, or how little, of some key nutrients you should eat each day, depending on whether you eat 2,000 or 2,500 calories a day.
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration (1999)
Amount of Total Fat That Provides 30 Percent of Calories and Saturated Fat That Provides 10 Percent
Several scientific groups suggest that Americans moderate the amount of fat in their diets. Some recommend that fat be limited to amounts that will provide no more than 30 percent of calories. Table 7 lists the amount of fat that provides 30 percent of calories for diets at different total daily calorie levels. For example, a woman wishing to moderate her fat intake to 30 percent of her 2,000-calorie diet is advised to select foods that total no more than 65 grams of fat per day. She can use table 9 to estimate the grams of fat in the foods she eats.
Table 7 also shows the amount of saturated fat that provides 10 percent of calories for diets at several different daily calorie levels. The amounts of saturated fat are given in upper limits because of that type of fat’s ability to raise blood cholesterol levels.
Amount of Total Fat That Provides 30 Percent of Calories and Saturated Fat That Provides 10 Percent
Total fat (g) Saturated fat (g)
Total calories (no more than 30% (no more than 10%
per day of total calories) of total calories)
1,600 53 18
2,000* 65 20
2,200 73 24
2,500* 80 25
2,800 93 31
* Percent Daily Values on Nutrition Facts Labels are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Values for 2,000 and 2,500 calories are rounded to the nearest 5 g to be consistent with the label.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services (2000).
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