Gary Olsen, Higher Education

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has created a campaign to empower "tweens" (ages 9 to 13, specifically) to look for and use the Nutrition Facts on the food label. In an effort to combat childhood obesity, the FDA hopes that Spot the Block will teach kids to:

• Check out the serving size. Remember that one package isn't necessarily one serving! Use the serving size to discover the total number of calories and nutrients per package.
• Consider the calories. When looking at a food's calories, remember: 40 is low, 100 is moderate, 400 is high. Pay attention to the calories you eat throughout the day.  The Nutrition Facts label is based on a 2,000 calorie diet -- but your calorie needs might be different. To find out what your "target" calories per day are, visit www.MyPyramid.gov. Go to My Pyramid Plan.
• Choose nutrients wisely. Pick foods that are lower in certain fats, cholesterol, sodium, and sugars, when making daily food choices. Nutrients to get less of (trans fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugars): 5% Daily Value (DV) is low. Nutrients to get more of (potassium, fiber, vitamins A & C, iron, calcium): 20% Daily Value (DV) is high.

Check out Spot the Block's videos, music, games, downloads, and food label basics at www.spottheblock.com.