Into Nutrition? Check those Labels

You're doing your body a favor if you read those nutrition labels on packaged foods. Research shows people who read the labels take in only about 30 percent of their calories from fat -- 5 percent less than people who don't read the labels.

Scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle found that 80 percent of the people they talked to read nutrition labels, often to compare fat content with other products.

But even the most health-conscious consumers admit there's confusion about the meaning of "percent daily value" (or "%DV"), which was supposed to help consumers plan their meals following the government's "Dietary Guidelines for Americans."

The researchers recommend what they call the 5-10-20 Rule: a main course dish should have a maximum of 20 percent %DV of fat, and a side dish, snack or beverage, a maximum of 10 percent %DV of fat; the healthiest choice is an overall 5 percent %DV of fat.

The study, funded by the National Cancer Institute, is the first to look at the relation between labels and diet since Congress mandated standardized "Nutrition Facts" labels in 1994.