Studies show that just 21% of people regularly check food labels before making a purchase. Most only look at the calories and total fat grams but that doesn't tell you if a food is really healthy or not. Get to know what you are putting into your body. Keeping yourself educated is the first step to a life-long habit of health and wellness!
- Serving Size/Servings Per Container. If you are like me, sometimes you are surprised at how LITTLE a serving size can be! Be sure to keep this in mind because the calories can really add up if you go back for more and more servings.
-Total Fat: Your fat intake over the course of a day should be about 30% of your total calories.
-Specific Fats: Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are heart-healthier than saturated or trans fats. The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fat to 10% of your total calories. Be sure to totally avoid trans fats if possible.
-Sodium: Limit yourself to 1500 miligrams to reduce your risk of hypertension. If you currently have blood pressure issues, this number might be smaller.
- Dietary Fiber: You need 25-35 g of fiber daily to stay healthy. Fiber may also help you lose weight by making you feel full. A product containing less than 1 g of fiber probably isn't worth the calories. Try to find foods with 2.5g per serving to keep you full.
- Sugars: The USDA recommends limiting your sugar intake to no more than 40g daily. Most of this should be naturally occuring (fruit, milk) and not refined. Unfortunately labels don't differentiate them; they're lumped together in one number. This is where reading the ingredient list will be to your advantage. Look for items such as high-fructose corn syrup, cane syrup, evaporated cane juice or chemical sugars (sucralose, aspartame etc)
- Protein: The American Dietetic Association recommends .8g protein for every kilogram of body weight. (Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms then multiply that number by .8) I like to remind people who are working out, especially strength training, to put full emphasis on protein. It is the building blocks of our muscles!!
-Ingredients: This section is extremely important if you or someone in your home is allergic to milk or milk by products, eggs, nuts or wheat. Hidden sources of fat can be spotted here, as can major sources of trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils) The rule of thumb--keep to "clean" eating. The things in this section should be items natural and necessary for our bodies to function!
For more information about reading food labels and daily recommended allowances of vitamins and nutrients, visit http://www.mypyramid.gov/
FUN FACT: People who do cardio and strength training consume an average of 517 fewer calories daily than those who do just one or the other. Source: Journal of Sports Science and Medicine
