How To Read Food Labels
Many people who try to eat a healthy diet have difficulty identifying foods that
are nutritious versus ones that aren't. Luckily, most foods in the grocery store
have a food label and an ingredient list on the packaging. Look the label called
"Nutrition Facts". At first glance, it may seem that you need a chemistry degree
to decipher all of the information, but it's pretty easy if you know what to look
for. All food labels look slightly different, but they contain the same basic information.
Serving Size
The serving size tells you how much food is contained in one serving. All of
the information on the nutrition label assumes you are eating one serving of food.
The serving size is sometimes easy to understand (1/2 candy bar, 12 pretzels), but
is often listed in grams or ounces difficult for most people to judge. A food scale
can help you determine how much food is in one serving for such labels. Servings
per container tells you how many servings of food are in the entire container. If
a package of food contains 4 servings per container and you eat the entire package,
you need to multiply all of the numbers on the label by 4. After doing this math
on a few different food labels, you will soon see the benefits of portion control
in a healthy diet.; Servings Per Container
Calories; Calories From Fat
Calories per serving is a critical number because most weight loss programs are
based on the premise of eating a low calorie, low fat diet. Most people should eat
2000-2500 calories per day to maintain their weight. If weight loss is a goal, 1500-2000
calories per day will help to attain this goal. According to the Food and Drug Administration,
40 calories per serving is considered a low calorie food, 100 calories is moderate,
and 400 calories or more per serving is a high calorie food. Calories from fat tells
you how many calories come from fat in each serving. For example, if a food has
50 calories from fat and 100 calories per serving, 50% of that food's calories are
from fat. That's way too high! Aim for about 25% or less calories from fat.
Total Fat
Total fat is a key nutrient to focus on since eating too much contributes to
obesity, heart disease, and cancer risk. The different types of fat are usually
listed below the total and include saturated, trans, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated
fats. Choose foods with a total fat "% Daily Value" less than 20% preferably less
than 5%. Also, choose foods where most fat comes from mono- and poly-unsaturated
fats steer clear of foods with a lot of saturated and trans fats these fats increase
cholesterol and contribute to hardening of the arteries.
Cholesterol
Keep cholesterol intake to under 300 milligrams per day. Look for foods with
the % Daily Value less than 20%, and preferably less than 5%.
Sodium
Keep sodium intake to under 2400 milligrams per day. Look for foods with the
% Daily Value less than 20%, and preferably less than 5%.
Total Carbohydrate
Total carbohydrate can be broken down into sugars and dietary fiber. Look for
foods with low sugar and high dietary fiber, ideally 3-5 grams per serving 25-30
grams of fiber per day is the recommended minimum.
Protein
Although there are no food label standards for protein intake, aim for 40-80
grams of protein from low-fat sources per day.
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron, and sometimes other vitamins and minerals
are listed next on the label. Choose foods with high levels (>20% of Daily Value)
fruits and vegetables rich in whole food vitamins and
phytonutrients are the best
sources.
Ingredient List
At first glance, the ingredient list may appear to be unreadable. However, if
you remember just a few items, it's easier than you think to decipher. Ingredients
are listed in order of the amount contained in that food with the first ingredient
being the most plentiful.
Stay away from foods with sugar as the first or second ingredient. Sugar can
be called several different names on the label. An ingredient ending in -ose is
sugar. Fructose, sucrose, glucose, and dextrose are all different types of sugar.
Corn syrup is also primarily sugar. If you see partially hydrogenated vegetable
oil near the top of the list, stay away. That's just a fancy word for trans fats
fats that are most harmful to arteries. Finally, chemical preservatives are used
to extend the shelf life of some foods. The most common chemical preservatives include
sulfites, sodium nitrite, propionic acid, sorbic acid, and benzoic acid. We wish
to steer clear of chemical preservatives for obvious reasons.
Other Ingredients
This is a clever way to disguise certain unmentionables such as artificial foods
dyes, artificial flavors, artificial odor enhancers and artificial texturizers.
Conclusion
The beauty of all this is, if you are choosing natural whole foods as the majority
of your diet, there is no reason to have a degree in chemistry to decipher exactly
what you are consuming. When choosing dietary supplements to augment your diet,
choose whole food supplements such as natural
aloe vera juice and the like.
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