You often see "high in ..." or "low in ..." on packages. But do you know how high is "high" or how low is "low"?

There are government requirements that manufacturers must meet before they can use these descriptions. Some are based on the Recommended Daily Value.

1. When a product is touted as "high" in a nutrient, it must contain at least 20 percent of the daily value.

2. If a milk label reads "excellent source of calcium," it must mean that one serving has 20 percent of your daily value.

3. When a label reads "good source" of a particular nutrient, it must have 10 to 19 percent of the daily value.

4. "Light" or "lite" indicates that a product has at least one-third less calories than the regular version. Don't be fooled into thinking "light" means "half."

5. However, when it comes to sodium, when a manufacturer labels it as "lite" or "light," it has 50 percent less than the regular version.

6. "Low cholesterol" means the food has 20 milligrams or less.

7. "Calorie-free" does not necessarily mean the item has no calories per serving. "Calorie-free" can be used on items that have five calories or less per serving.

8. "Sodium-free" does not indicate that an item has no sodium at all. It means that the item has five milligrams or less of sodium per serving.

Source: "Nutrition for Dummies" by Carol Ann Rinzler (IDG Books, $19.99, 410 pages)

-- Gwen Schoen, Sacramento Bee/SHNS