Dietitian advises to be cautious when checking nutrition labels, especially for processed and ultra-processed foods.

Processed foods make up a considerable portion of the American diet, with some containing excessively high levels of sodium and sugar.

A dietician suggests that a food's nutrition label can reveal a lot of information in a short amount of time using the 5/20 rule.

According to Jinan Banna, a registered dietitian and professor of nutrition at the University of Hawaii, you can use the daily value.

"An easy method to determine if a food is high or low in a specific nutrient is to check its nutritional content."

Banna advises CNBC Make It that the 5/20 method involves monitoring the daily percentage values of nutrients such as saturated fat, sodium, and sugars.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Daily Value Percentage indicates the amount of a nutrient in a food serving that contributes to a daily diet's total.

Banna explains that if the food contains 5% or less of a particular nutrient, it is generally low in that nutrient. On the other hand, if the food contains 20% or more of the nutrient, it can be considered high in that nutrient.

"A quick glance at the label can reveal whether a food contains a little or a lot."

The frequency of consuming foods with high sodium or sugar levels exceeding 20% of your daily value depends on your individual diet, according to Banna.

Banna explains that there isn't a definitive rule for how much you should consume, as it depends on the context of your diet.

"Of course, it's not necessary or desirable to eliminate sugar, saturated fat, or sodium from the diet. These are all part of a healthy diet."

She advises being cautious of consuming foods with high levels of sugar, salt, or saturated fat.

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