I never understood the nutrition facts on food labels until now. There is great information online from the United States Food and Drug Administration as of March 11. I extracted some interesting information directly from the site, tinyurl.com/y8uzaonf.

This label shows you some key nutrients that impact your health. You can use the label to support your personal dietary needs - look for foods that contain more of the nutrients you want to get more of and less of the nutrients you may want to limit.

Nutrients to get less of include saturated fat, sodium and added sugars. Eating too much saturated fat and sodium, for example, is associated with an increased risk of developing some health conditions, like cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. Consuming too much added sugars can make it hard to meet important nutrient needs while staying within calorie limits.

Total sugars on the nutrition facts label includes sugars naturally present in many nutritious foods and beverages, such as sugar in milk and fruit as well as any added sugars that may be present in the product. Added sugars include sugars that are added during the processing of foods such as sucrose or dextrose, foods packaged as sweeteners such as table sugar, sugars from syrups and honey and sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices. Diets high in calories from added sugars can make it difficult to meet daily recommended levels of important nutrients while staying within calorie limits.

Nutrients to get more of include dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium. Eating a diet high in dietary fiber can increase the frequency of bowel movements, lower blood glucose and cholesterol levels and reduce calorie intake. Diets higher in vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium can reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis, anemia and high blood pressure.

Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative needs these food items: ramen noodles, canned pasta, individual macaroni and cheese, individual oatmeal packs, fruit snacks, individual cereal boxes or cups, juice boxes or pouches, large cereal boxes, Knorr’s sides and toilet paper.

Our community outreach program served 144 Whitehall-Coplay households - 232 adults, 65 seniors and 209 children for a total of 506 people - at the Sept. 10 distribution.

Thank you to everyone who supports us, and I extend a heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers who have put in so many hours the last six months.