Mathematics has relevant application when attempting to decipher nutrition labels. Interpreting numbers and relating them to something practical like a 2,000-calorie diet has far-reaching implications for health and vitality. The ability to properly scale caloric requirements and analyze nutrient concentrations is paramount when feeding different groups of people.
The Terminology
Three basic values will give you a summary of the nutrients in a particular food. DV, or daily value, is the nutrient standard requirement for fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and trace minerals. Labels will specify the daily value as a percentage. Food manufacturers base these numbers on a 2,000-calorie diet. If you eat more or less than this amount, your actual percentages will vary.
The RDA is the recommended daily allowance established by the Food and Nutrition Board to satisfy the requirements of 97.5% of the population. Not all nutrients have an RDA, so the Food and Drug Administration ordained the daily value percentage would be used on nutrition labels.
Finally, DI is daily intake, and like DV, it’s presented as a percentage. There’s no requirement to provide this number, so you will not see it on every label. Usually, it appears as a series of thumbnail illustrations on the front of the package. It specifies how much one serving of the food in question contributes to your total daily intake and may include calories, fats, proteins, carbohydrates, sugars, fiber, and salt.
The 2000 Calorie Recommendation
You may see the 2,000-calories standard that food labels use as rather arbitrary. The Food and Drug Administration chose this number for its mathematical simplicity in calculating daily values. But it turns out it actually satisfies the daily caloric needs of a moderately active woman who weighs around 130 pounds. Children between the ages of 1 and 4 years old need about 45 calories per pound, or 1,000 to 1,4000 total calories every day. School-age children aren’t growing quite as fast as toddlers. Between 5 and 9 years of age, they need 1,600 to 2,500 calories a day, which is roughly between 32 and 41 calories per pound.
Caloric requirements increase with activity and recovery from illness. And according to MBi Nutraceuticals, teenagers have special caloric requirements that can vary widely. For example, teenage girls need between 1,600 and 2,200 calories a day at 13 and between 1,800 and 2,400 by 18. By 13 years of age, boys need at least 1,800 calories per day. Moderately active boys will use an additional 400 calories per day. Athletes will require more. A highly active boy in sports needs up to 2,600 calories per day.
Fats and Carbohydrates
Most people have a particular interest in the fats and carbohydrates they’re eating. Dieters target these and proteins in weight loss programs. Nutrition labels break down fats and carbohydrates each into separate compounds. Carbohydrates have subcomponents, although whether dietary fiber is included as a subcomponent depends on what country you’re in, according to Glycoleap. The label specifies all three as daily values, and often the parts comprise a greater percentage than the whole. Similarly, food labels divide fats into saturated and trans fats. Again, saturated fats can have a higher daily value alone than fat.
Mathematics is vital to understanding nutrition labels. While food labels are good at spelling everything out for consumers, math comes into play for more specific calculations. You may need arithmetic to help plan meals that cater to children, teens, or athletes. Or use our handy calculator!