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Nutrient Content Tables - About

The nutrient content tables will show you how much of a particular nutrient can be found in a certain food product. In these tables, you will find the values of the macronutrients, vitamins, minerals and fatty acids.

Daily Values

The percentages you find in the nutrient content tables are the percent daily values (%DV). These Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs, your daily values may be higher or lower.

g = grams
mg = miligrams
mcg = micrograms
mg NE = milligrams of niacin equivalents
mcg DFE = micrograms of dietary folate equivalents mcg RAE = micrograms of retinol activity equivalents IU = International Unit

Source: Daily Value on the New Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.

Information last updated: July 2024.

Important Note:

The following requirements have changed, but our Nutrient Content Tables and the Good Sources pages use the old requirements since the data in our Nutrient Content Tables are based on the old units:

  • The requirement for Niacin changed from 20 mg to 16 mg NE. Our data uses 20 mg.
  • The requirement for Folate changed from 400 mcg to 400 mcg DFE. Our data uses 400 mcg.
  • The requirement for Vitamin A changed from 5000 IU to 900 mcg RAE. Our data uses 5000 IU.
  • The requirement for Vitamin E changed from 30 IU to 15 mg. Our data uses 30 IU.

The following requirements have changed and the new requirements have been integrated into our Nutrient Content Tables and our Good Sources pages:

  • The requirement for Vitamin C changed from 60 mg to 90 mg.
  • The requirement for Thiamin changed from 1.5 mg to 1.2 mg.
  • The requirement for Riboflavin changed from 1.7 mg to 1.3 mg.
  • The requirement for Pantothenic Acid changed from 10 mg to 5 mg.
  • The requirement for Vitamin B6 changed from 2 mg to 1.7 mg.
  • The requirement for Vitamin B12 changed from 6 mcg to 2.4 mcg.
  • The requirement for Vitamin K changed from 80 mcg to 120 mcg.
  • The requirement for Calcium changed from 1000 mg to 1300 mg.
  • The requirement for Magnesium changed from 400 mg to 420 mg.
  • The requirement for Phosphorus changed from 1000 mg to 1250 mg.
  • The requirement for Potassium changed from 3500 mg to 4700 mg.
  • The requirement for Sodium changed from < 2400 mg to < 2300 mg.
  • The requirement for Zinc changed from 15 mg to 11 mg.
  • The requirement for Copper changed from 2 mg to 0.9 mg.
  • The requirement for Manganese changed from 2 mg to 2.3 mg.
  • The requirement for Selenium changed from 70 mcg to 55 mcg.
  • The requirement for Dietary Fiber changed from 25 g to 28 g.
  • The requirement for Total Fat changed from < 65 g to < 78 g.

The requirements for nutrients not mentioned have not changed.

Color Coding in Tables

A food is considered a "good source" of a particular nutrient, if the food contains 10-19% of the Daily Value of the nutrient. A food is considered a "great source" if it contains more than 20% of the Daily Value of the nutrient.

Note: a food can only be considered a "good source" or "great source" if it doesn't contain too much of less desirable nutrients, like fat, saturated fat and sodium. This has not been taken into account in the nutrient content tables. However, if a nutrient contains a high or very high amount of fat, saturated fat or sodium, you will see that marked in red in the tables. If a food has a red marking, it doesn't mean you shouldn't eat it at all, just not too much of it.

Good Source: 10-19%
Great Source: ≥20%
High: 10-19%
Very High: ≥ 20

There are two types of tables: Portion Size Tables and 100 Gram Tables.

Portion Size Tables

In the Portion Size Tables, foods will have a serving size which is an approximation of one recommended portion of a food. It's a very rough approximation, because recommended portion sizes depend on many factors, including the age and size of a person, their physical activity level and the other foods he or she is consuming that day. If your personal intake of a food item is different than the serving size listed in the table, you will need to adjust the values. Please keep this in mind when you are looking at the nutrient content tables.

100 Gram Tables

In the 100 Gram Tables the serving size will always be 100 grams. These tables can be especially useful when you want to compare the nutrient contents of different foods. Do keep in mind though that you cannot compare any two types of foods with each other. It doesn't make sense to compare 100 grams of cooked rice with 100 grams of raw amaranth for instance. It also doesn't make sense to compare 100 grams of fresh parsley with 100 grams of dried parsley. For those comparisons, it's better to go to the Portion Size Tables. Also keep in mind that even though these tables have the same Color Coding as the Portion Size Tables, that doesn't necessary make a food a good or bad source of a nutrient. It all depends on the actual amount you consume. Even though 100 grams of lemon peel will provide you with a good amount of vitamin C, I definitely don't recommend you consume that much lemon peel!

Source

The data in the nutrient content tables is from the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. The last complete update of all the data in the Nutrient Content Tables was done in September 2011.

A dash '-' in the nutrient content tables means that no value for that particular nutrient was listed in the USDA National Nutrient Database.

Please note that we are not responsible for any errors or omissions in the data.

Cholesterol

Since plant-based foods contain no cholesterol at all, cholesterol has been left out of these nutrient content tables. The value is always: 0.

Sugar

Sugar (simple carbohydrates) are not highlighted in the nutrient content tables, because the tables do not differentiate between less desirable sugars (like glucose, sucrose and lactose) and more desirable sugars (like fruit sugar). To not discourage the consumption of fruit sugars, this nutrient has not been color coded. There is also no % Daily Value for sugar established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Vitamin E

The vitamin E in the nutrient content tables is alpha-tocopherol. Alpha-tocopherol is the most active form of vitamin E. The Recommended Daily Allowance for vitamin E is also based on the alpha-tocopherol form. The values of other natural tocopherols, like beta, gamma and delta are ignored and not added to the total value of vitamin E in the nutrient content tables.

Units Used In Tables

oz = ounce
fl oz = fluid ounce
tbsp = tablespoon
kcal = kilocalories = 1000 calories
g = grams
mg = milligrams
mcg = micrograms
mg NE = milligrams of niacin equivalents
mcg DFE = micrograms of dietary folate equivalents
IU = International Unit

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