If you see me shopping, you may be puzzled by one thing I do on a regular basis...read nutrition labels prior to purchase. I've been known to spend ten minutes choosing exactly which product will do what I want in the healthiest fashion. That means I read the labels, compare the options and sometimes decide it's safer to make it myself from scratch.
I do this for two reasons. One is to make sure it's going to fit into our dietary needs. If the calorie count is too high and there isn't a good reason for that, I often put it back on the shelf. The other is to be sure it's going to fit our medical needs. Is it something we're allergic to? How about fat content? If the answer doesn't fit these needs, I don't buy it.
It took a while for me to begin to understand both the nutrition label and the ingredients list. I don't claim to know what all of those chemicals are, but if the list of chemicals is longer than the list of actual food ingredients, I'm pretty sure I don't want it. One sort of ingredient I do check for are sulfites and metabisulfites. These can cause me a severe asthma attack on the first bite.
Now for the nutrition label itself. The first two things on it are the serving size and calories per serving. You need to check these, even if it seems logical that what you are buying is one serving. Many times that is not the case. Take a 20 oz soda. The information on it is for a single serving, but there are nearly three servings in the bottle. That can cause your entire day's calorie count to be off a significant amount.
Next to the calorie count is the total calories from fat. This number refers to how many of those total calories are associated with one of the many types of dietary fat. It can be confusing, because the next set of numbers indicate how much of each type of fat in the product. Some fats are better for you than others. If it is high in mono or poly unsaturated fat, it is much better than saturate and trans fats.
Cholesterol is a type of fat also, but it is listed separately, and usually by type if there is more than one type present. HDL cholesterol is the healthy kind, while LDL is not. It's a good idea for everyone to watch these numbers, but if you have cardiovascular disease, it's imperative.
Under the fats and cholesterol is how much sodium is in the product. Sodium can be read as salt, but that isn't always the case. There are other types of sodium, and all of them can be problematic, especially if you have high blood pressure or kidney disease.
Carbohydrates can be good or bad, depending on what type they are. Simple carbs, like sugar, are likely to cause more problems than complex carbs, like those found in whole grains. To make it easier to understand, dietary fiber and the sugar content is listed next. The higher the fiber and lower the sugar, the better. Protein counts can be very important. If you have gout or kidney disease, you may be on a low protein diet.
Nutrients are mentioned last on the general nutrition label. It's done by percentage of the recommended daily allowance based on a 2000 calorie diet, so the percentages may be off slightly depending on how much you actually consume. There may also be footnotes with the percentages of the fats, etc. based on a 2000 and/or 2500 calorie diet.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4713146
I do this for two reasons. One is to make sure it's going to fit into our dietary needs. If the calorie count is too high and there isn't a good reason for that, I often put it back on the shelf. The other is to be sure it's going to fit our medical needs. Is it something we're allergic to? How about fat content? If the answer doesn't fit these needs, I don't buy it.
It took a while for me to begin to understand both the nutrition label and the ingredients list. I don't claim to know what all of those chemicals are, but if the list of chemicals is longer than the list of actual food ingredients, I'm pretty sure I don't want it. One sort of ingredient I do check for are sulfites and metabisulfites. These can cause me a severe asthma attack on the first bite.
Now for the nutrition label itself. The first two things on it are the serving size and calories per serving. You need to check these, even if it seems logical that what you are buying is one serving. Many times that is not the case. Take a 20 oz soda. The information on it is for a single serving, but there are nearly three servings in the bottle. That can cause your entire day's calorie count to be off a significant amount.
Next to the calorie count is the total calories from fat. This number refers to how many of those total calories are associated with one of the many types of dietary fat. It can be confusing, because the next set of numbers indicate how much of each type of fat in the product. Some fats are better for you than others. If it is high in mono or poly unsaturated fat, it is much better than saturate and trans fats.
Cholesterol is a type of fat also, but it is listed separately, and usually by type if there is more than one type present. HDL cholesterol is the healthy kind, while LDL is not. It's a good idea for everyone to watch these numbers, but if you have cardiovascular disease, it's imperative.
Under the fats and cholesterol is how much sodium is in the product. Sodium can be read as salt, but that isn't always the case. There are other types of sodium, and all of them can be problematic, especially if you have high blood pressure or kidney disease.
Carbohydrates can be good or bad, depending on what type they are. Simple carbs, like sugar, are likely to cause more problems than complex carbs, like those found in whole grains. To make it easier to understand, dietary fiber and the sugar content is listed next. The higher the fiber and lower the sugar, the better. Protein counts can be very important. If you have gout or kidney disease, you may be on a low protein diet.
Nutrients are mentioned last on the general nutrition label. It's done by percentage of the recommended daily allowance based on a 2000 calorie diet, so the percentages may be off slightly depending on how much you actually consume. There may also be footnotes with the percentages of the fats, etc. based on a 2000 and/or 2500 calorie diet.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4713146
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