asharedpalate.comHow a recipe earns its ribbons
Every ribbon on a recipe card is worked out from that recipe’s nutrition panel, one serving at a time, against a published rule. Nothing is hand-picked. The panel itself is computed from the ingredient list and checked by a second, independent reviewer before it is printed.
| Ribbon | What it means | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday healthy | One serving has no more than 460 mg sodium, 3 g saturated fat and 7.5 g sugar. These are the FDA's nutrient limits for a main dish to be called ‘healthy’. We count total sugar, which is stricter than the rule's added sugar. | 21 CFR 101.65(d)(2)(iv), main-dish row, per serving (H-1) |
| Full of fiber | One serving has at least 5.6 g fiber, 20% of a day's worth. | 21 CFR 101.54(b) (H-3) |
| Has fiber | One serving has 2.8 to 5.5 g fiber, 10 to 19% of a day's worth. | 21 CFR 101.54(c) (H-3) |
| Light on salt | One serving has 140 mg sodium or less. | 21 CFR 101.61(b)(4) (H-3) |
| Less salt than the classic | A version we rebuilt with less sodium than the usual recipe; its number is printed on the card and checked by a second agent. | house line, 2026-10-30; N-10 |
| Light on saturated fat | One serving has 1 g saturated fat or less, and saturated fat is 15% of its calories or less. | 21 CFR 101.62(c)(2) (H-3) |
What stays on the shelf
A dinner, lunch or trail meal stays on the shelf when one serving has at most 690 mg sodium and 4 g saturated fat, the FDA's limits for a meal to be called ‘healthy’. Anything else (breakfast, dessert, snack, bread) stays within 460 mg and 3 g, the main-dish limits. A recipe over its limit is not deleted: its page stays, it just leaves the shelf and the seasonal sets.
What is not here yet
“Heart Healthy” is the American Heart Association’s certified mark. Until its recipe criteria and naming terms are on file, no card says it.
Rules cited are the FDA’s food labeling regulations, 21 CFR part 101, as held in our research file with fetch dates. Sodium and fiber amounts are estimated from USDA FoodData Central.