Be A Nutrition Know It All
I admit, I’m what you would call a ‘label whore.’ Slap the words Prada into the back of any coat or handbag and I’m all there. I know this isn’t how it’s supposed to be (actually, H&M occupies the majority of my closet) but it’s in my DNA to love beautifully made…correction, ITALIAN made…things. In real life, the labels that I can afford, are chucked full of nutrients and high percent Daily Values (%DV) – but how are we supposed to decipher and read food labels and Nutrition Facts?
- The first things to look for are the serving size and number of servings per package – consider how many servings you’re consuming in one sitting (i.e. portion control).
- Most people say to check the calories next but I think the second best place to scan is the ingredients list. Everything in the food will appear in decreasing order so its important to make sure that things that you’re trying to reduce or avoid are not one of the first three ingredients.*
- Next look at the number of calories per serving (calories represent how much energy you’re getting from this specific food) – the FDA considers 40 calories to be low, 100 calories to be moderate and 400 calories or more to be high (based on a 2,000 calorie diet). Also make sure to look at the number of calories from fat.
- Do a quick scan of the percent Daily Values – a %DV of 5% or less is considered to be low and 20%+ is considered to be high. This part of the label interprets the number of milligrams and grams all into the same scale for the day.
- Make sure to also limit nutrients in the top half of the table (fats, cholesterol and sodium). Look at the number of saturated and trans fats, nutrients health experts recommend keeping as low as possible.
*If you’re trying to avoid or reduce your sugar intake, make sure to watch out for what I consider sneaky sugar aliases in the ingredients list: high fructose corn syrup, palm oil, coconut oil, fruit juice concentrate, maltose, dextrose, sucrose, honey, and maple syrup
To combine your points #2 and #5, beware of unreported trans fats. If there is less than .5 (actually .6) grams of trans fat per serving, they can round down and report 0. The tell-tale sign is “partially hydrogenated” in the ingredient list.
http://gutsandblackstuff.com/2010/01/01/trans-fat-labeling-loopholes/
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William Genovese said this on February 28, 2010 at 4:30 AM |
Thanks! This is so great to hear – I put a lot of time and thought into sharing my comments with my readers so its nice to hear that people are enjoying it! Feel free to let me know if there is anything specific you would like to read/learn about.
The Fit Post said this on March 7, 2010 at 8:46 PM |
dang nice stuff bro.
limewire said this on April 30, 2010 at 7:06 AM |