Nutrient guide

Nutrients

• Energy (calories)NutritionThe energy a food provides. Counted as about 4 kcal per gram…
• ProteinNutritionA nutrient made of amino acids linked in chains. The raw mat…
• FatNutritionAn energy source at 9 kcal per gram. The total of saturated,…
• CarbsNutritionThe total of sugars, starch and dietary fiber. On labels, ca…
• SugarsNutritionThe sum of monosaccharides and disaccharides such as glucose…
• FiberNutritionCarbohydrate that human digestive enzymes cannot break down.…
• WaterNutritionThe weight of water in 100 g of food. The higher the water c…

Minerals

• SodiumNutritionThe mineral that makes up about 40% of salt (sodium chloride…
• CalciumNutritionThe main mineral in bones and teeth. Abundant in milk, dairy…
• IronNutritionThe mineral that builds hemoglobin in red blood cells. Heme …
• PotassiumNutritionThe main electrolyte inside cells. Abundant in bananas, pota…
• PhosphorusNutritionA building block of bones, teeth, DNA and cell membranes. Fo…
• MagnesiumNutritionA mineral involved in more than 300 enzyme reactions. Abunda…
• ZincNutritionA trace mineral needed for immunity and wound healing. Abund…
• SeleniumNutritionA trace mineral that forms part of antioxidant enzymes. Abun…
• IodineNutritionThe raw material of thyroid hormones. Abundant in seaweed (w…

Fat & fatty acids

• Saturated fatNutritionFat that is solid at room temperature. Abundant in butter, p…
• Trans fatNutritionFat formed when vegetable oil is partially hydrogenated. Can…
• CholesterolNutritionA lipid found only in animal foods. Abundant in egg yolk, or…
• Unsaturated fatNutritionFat that is liquid at room temperature. Abundant in olive oi…
• Omega-3 fatty acidsNutritionPolyunsaturated fatty acids found in oily fish (EPA, DHA) an…
• Omega-6 fatty acidsNutritionPolyunsaturated fatty acids abundant in cooking oils such as…

Vitamins

• Vitamin ANutritionA fat-soluble vitamin needed for vision, immunity and skin. …
• Thiamine (vitamin B1)NutritionA cofactor in carbohydrate metabolism. Abundant in pork, who…
• Riboflavin (vitamin B2)NutritionA water-soluble vitamin involved in energy metabolism and an…
• Niacin (vitamin B3)NutritionThe raw material of the energy-metabolism coenzyme NAD. Abun…
• Vitamin B6NutritionA vitamin needed for amino acid metabolism and neurotransmit…
• FolateNutritionA vitamin needed for DNA synthesis and cell division. Abunda…
• Vitamin B12NutritionA vitamin found naturally only in animal foods. Obtained fro…
• Vitamin CNutritionA water-soluble antioxidant vitamin. Abundant in fruit and v…
• Vitamin DNutritionA fat-soluble vitamin made in sun-exposed skin and also obta…
• Vitamin ENutritionA fat-soluble antioxidant vitamin that protects cell membran…
• Vitamin KNutritionA fat-soluble vitamin needed for blood clotting. K1 is abund…

Sugars & sweeteners

• LactoseNutritionThe disaccharide in milk. Made of glucose and galactose.…
• FructoseNutritionA monosaccharide in fruit and honey. Widely used in processe…
• Sucrose (sugar)NutritionA disaccharide of glucose and fructose. Refined from sugarca…
• GlucoseNutritionThe monosaccharide every carbohydrate is finally broken down…
• Sugar alcoholsNutritionSugar substitutes such as erythritol (0.2 kcal/g), xylitol a…
• AlluloseNutritionA rare sugar present in tiny amounts in figs and raisins. Ab…

Additives

• AspartameIngredientsAn artificial sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar. …
• SucraloseIngredientsAn artificial sweetener made by swapping part of the sugar m…
• Acesulfame KIngredientsAn artificial sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar. …
• Stevia (steviol glycosides)IngredientsA naturally derived sweetener extracted from stevia leaves. …
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG)NutritionThe sodium salt of glutamic acid, the amino acid behind umam…
• Sodium nitriteIngredientsA curing agent and preservative that keeps ham, sausage and …
• Sodium benzoateIngredientsA preservative used in drinks and sauces. Blocks mold and ye…
• Potassium sorbateIngredientsA preservative widely used in cheese, fish cake, sauces and …
• CarrageenanIngredientsA thickener and stabilizer extracted from red seaweed. Sets …
• Xanthan gumIngredientsA polysaccharide thickener made by bacterial fermentation. U…
• Citric acidIngredientsAn organic acid found in citrus fruit. In food, the fermenta…

Other ingredients

• MaltodextrinIngredientsA white powder made by partly hydrolyzing starch. Used as a …
• Palm oilIngredientsOil pressed from the fruit of the oil palm. Cheap and resist…
• Casein (sodium caseinate)IngredientsThe protein that makes up about 80% of milk protein. Sodium …
• Whey proteinIngredientsProtein separated from the whey left over from cheesemaking.…
• Lactic acid bacteria (probiotics)IngredientsLive bacteria that reach the gut and act beneficially. Found…
• CaffeineIngredientsThe stimulant in coffee, tea, chocolate and energy drinks. K…
• TaurineNutritionAn amino-acid-like compound abundant in squid, octopus and c…
• GlutenIngredientsA protein complex in wheat, barley and rye. Gives dough its …
• AlcoholNutritionEthanol. Provides about 7 kcal per gram.…

19 declarable allergens

• EggAllergensEggs from chickens, ducks, quail and other birds, and ingred…
• MilkAllergensCow's milk and its products (milk powder, cream, butter, che…
• BuckwheatAllergensThe seed of a plant in the knotweed family. Used like a grai…
• PeanutAllergensThe seed of a legume. Despite the name it is not a tree nut …
• SoyAllergensSoybeans and ingredients made from them, including tofu, soy…
• WheatAllergensWheat and wheat-derived ingredients such as flour, wheat sta…
• MackerelAllergensMackerel and mackerel products. Korean labeling rules single…
• CrabAllergensCrab and crab products (crab meat, extract). A crustacean, t…
• ShrimpAllergensShrimp and shrimp products (salted shrimp, dried shrimp, ext…
• PorkAllergensPork and pig-derived ingredients (fat, skin, bone extract). …
• PeachAllergensPeaches and peach products (concentrate, puree). Among the m…
• TomatoAllergensTomatoes and tomato products (ketchup, paste, puree). A nigh…
• SulfitesAllergensA family of preservatives and bleaching agents that prevent …
• WalnutAllergensWalnuts and walnut products. Among tree nuts, Korean labelin…
• ChickenAllergensChicken and chicken-derived ingredients (broth, extract, ski…
• BeefAllergensBeef and cattle-derived ingredients (fat, bone, bone-broth e…
• SquidAllergensSquid and squid products (shredded squid, salted squid, powd…
• ShellfishAllergensBivalves and gastropods such as clams, oysters, mussels and …
• Pine nutAllergensThe seed of the pine tree. Added to Korea's allergen labelin…

• Sugar alcoholsSweet like sugar, but the body cannot really use it
• Blood sugarHow much sugar is floating in your blood
• InsulinThe hormone that lets blood sugar into your cells
• Amino acidsThe pieces protein is built from
• Fatty acidsThe long chains fat is built from
• Saturated fatFat that sets at room temperature. Too much and cholesterol rises
• FiberPlant matter that passes undigested down to the gut
• MetabolismHow the body breaks substances down or changes them
• Carcinogen classificationA grade for how certain the evidence is, not how dangerous it is
• NitrosaminesA suspected carcinogen formed when meat meets preservatives
• 4-methylimidazoleA by-product formed when brown coloring is made
• BotulinumA deadly food-poisoning bacterium that grows without oxygen
• ParabensA family of preservatives that stop mold
• CelluloseThe fiber that makes up a plant's frame. People cannot digest it
• PolysaccharidesA big lump of sugars strung together in a long chain
• EmulsifyMaking water and oil, which don't mix, mix