April 12, 2010

In an attempt to help us know what we are buying, the FDA mandated food producers to label all packaged foods with a Nutrition Facts label. This is a wonderful idea, but is only helpful if you know how to make sense of the information it provides. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the numbers, but by learning a few basics, you can arm yourself with the knowledge to make better choices as you shop.

Start by looking at the serving size and # servings per contianer. Decide how much you will likely eat at one time. (When was the last time you really stopped at 1/2 cup of cooked pasta?) If you eat more than one serving, multiply the rest of the numbers accordingly. If a bag of chips has two servings and you eat the whole bag, multiply the number of calories, fat grams, etc. by two.

Consider the calories. I believe that most of us do not do well living strictly by calorie counts, but as you become accustomed to making healthier choices or explore foods unfamiliar to you, it is important to be aware of the calories. For weight loss, the average teen or young adult should aim for <150>avoid all trans fats. Trans fats are hidden in foods that contain "partially-hydrogenated" oils in the ingredients list. Small amounts of saturated fats are okay and more and more studies suggest that polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are beneficial. (We will discuss healthy fats in more detail in a future post.)
You will be surprised at the level of sodium in some foods. (Bagels and Cheerios, for example.) If your doctor recommends a low-sodium diet, aim for no more than 300-400 mgs. per meal.

Look for carbohydrates with more fiber and less sugar when comparing products. Aim for 30 gms of fiber daily. This is much more than most of us are used to getting, so increase your totals gradually and remember to drink lots of water to move that fiber through your system. Be aware of sugar alcohols in sugar-free foods. They cause stomach discomfort, gas and diarrhea in some peoople.

Try to balance carbs and protein. Some foods will be mostly carb or mostly protein. Try to get some of both at each meal and snack.

Does the food include other important nutrients? Foods are required to list their relative amounts of vitamins A and C, calcium and iron.

Check the footnotes. At the bottom of the label is a guide to recommended daily totals, based on the number of calories eaten each day. (Usually assumed to be 2000 calories for a "typical" American woman.) Most of us will need a multivitamin to reach the recommended daily totals for vitamins and minerals.

This is a lot of information to absorb. Start by comparing calories, fat gms and sugars and become more discerning as you get used to reading food labels. You will feel like an expert in no time!

For a detailed review and explanation of food labels, the FDA has a helpful brochure you can download for free. See the link at right.

Because Nutrition Facts are such an important part of navigating the supermarket, this guide will be listed permanently under my Pages. (See the links at the upper right side of this blog.)