The 5/20 rule is when a food has 5% or less of the daily value of a nutrient it is not a good food of that source. However if it has 20% or more of a daily value of a nutrient is a good source. A good example would be milk. It has 20% calcium. The bad nutrients i.e. fat, you want it to be 5% or less in the daily value. Peanut butter with 25% fat per serving would not be a good source for fat. Food labels are extremely important to helping someone gain an understanding of what they are eating. The food label can be read downward. The first thing you come to is the serving size and the servings per container. This is important in assure the rest of the label, and the math needed if you eat the entire thing. The next line you come to is the calories per serving so you know how many calories you are eating per serving. The next thing you come to is things you should limit in your diet, including fat, Trans fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. The 4th thing you come to is nutrients you need to get enough of such as vitamins, calcium and iron. The next thing you come to is a footnote that explains what the daily percentage value is according to public health experts’ advice. It can be on a 2,000 or 2,500 calorie diet. The last but not least thing you need to be concerned about with a food label is the daily value %. This is a good place to utilize the 5/20 rule and limit the bad nutrient values to less than 5% and increase all of the good or “need enough of” nutrient values to at least 20% per line. Both of these things are very important when it comes to one’s nutrition. Everyone should be aware of what they are putting into their body to ensure they can be in good health. It is also important to know what we are eating and should be aware of the 5/20 rule and live by it.

Food Table : Peanut Butter Oatmeal Ramen Noodles
Calories Per Serving 190 150 190
% of Calories from Fat 73% 16% 36%
Carborhydrates per Serving/ Carborhydrates per Container 7g/175g 27g/820g 26g/52g
Fiber per Serving/ Fiber per Container 2g/50g 4g/120g 1g/2g

Reference:
How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/ucm274593.htm