How often do you go to the grocery store? How long do you spend in there? Are you the type to browse every aisle – like me – or do you like to get in and get out because you know exactly what you want? Do you read the nutrition label and ingredients to see what is actually in the foods you eat?
March is National Nutrition Month, and our theme is “Go Further with Food.” These next few weeks, I will be showing you how to get the most out of the foods that you eat. To start, let’s look at nutrition labels. The nutrition, or food, label will tell you how many of the six major nutrients are in that particular food – this will tell you where your calories are coming from. The ingredients are broken down by the source of each nutrient – for example, nuts = fat/protein, and high fructose corn syrup = total carbohydrates.
Here are some simple steps to follow when it comes to reading the nutrition label:
- Start by looking at the serving size. The information on the label is based on this number so pay close attention. Compare the portion size to what you are planning to consume – if you are eating more than the serving size, you are getting more nutrients than what the label shows.
- Look at the number of calories provided. This is based on the serving size printed on the label. You want to monitor your total calories, and portion size, if you are trying to gain or lose weight.
- Use the Percent Daily Values (%DV). This percentage tells us how that particular food will fit into your diet. The percentages are based on the consumer eating 2000 calories per day. Depending on your calorie intake, these numbers may change.
- Know what you want out of the food. Are you trying to lose weight? Control blood sugars? Lower cholesterol? Eat a balanced diet? Do you have a food sensitivity? Depending on your goals your requirements may change.
- Limit saturated fat, added sugars, and sodium. These are major contributors to weight gain and stem from unhealthy eating habits, and they are the three major components of food. Be careful when eating something that is lacking one of these (e.g. low-fat, sugar-free, low-sodium, etc.). Food manufacturers often increase the amount of whichever is still present to compensate for what has been decreased.
- Pay attention to the micronutrients. The newer nutrition labels are required to show the amount of Potassium and Vitamin D instead of Vitamin C and Iron.
- Don’t forget the Fiber. Fiber is a very important component of any diet. It is recommended to get at least 25 grams per day. A food with 5 grams or more is considered a high fiber food.
- Read the ingredients. This is the source of the nutrients and they are listed in descending order – whatever there is the most of is listed first, what there is least of is last.
When you are looking for a food that is healthy and nutritious, make sure that you read the nutrition label. Healthy foods will have a good balance of everything while the unhealthy foods will have high amounts of fat and sugar and minimal amounts of vitamins and minerals.
If you get stuck, or are having trouble figuring out if a food is full of nutrition, email me and we can explore the nutrition label together!
*Visit http://www.eatright.org/nnm to learn more about National Nutrition Month and our 2018 theme.
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