What Does It Mean

Labels: What Does It Mean?

We each have one body that must last a lifetime. If we feed our bodies with nutritious food, it will stay healthy. The first step to healthy eating is thinking about the foods we bring into our homes. Reading labels is an easy way to look at what is in our food and can be very eye opening once we know what we are looking for. 

What to Look for

  • The most important items to look for are sugar, salt, fat, and added chemicals listed on the label.
  • Read labels on boxed, bagged, canned, and frozen products.
  • If you cannot pronounce it, you don’t want it. Be sure you are familiar with the ingredients listed.

Serving Size

All ingredients listed are PER SERVING. Most packages contain more than one serving and many up to 3 servings per container.

Packaging

Canned Products: BPA free or Non BPA Lining. (1)

BPA:  bisphenol A, a synthetic estrogen, has been linked to many health problems.

Look for label stating free of BPA

Organic vs Natural

Organic

Organic is certified free of pesticides, synthetic herbicides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics and hormones.

Organic is the most heavily regulated food system.

Natural

In the United States neither the FDA nor the USDA has rules or regulations for products labeled “natural.”

Food manufacturers often place a “natural” label on foods containing heavily processed ingredients.

  • GMO: genetically modified organism (3)
    • Look for Non-GMO products
    • Health consequences of GMO products are unknown
    • Reduces genetic diversity.
    • GMO products require massive amounts of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.

Sugar

According to Women’s Health Magazine, manufacturers use over 56 different names for sugar.

Recommended daily allowance of sugar is 24 grams for women and 36 grams for men.

Recommend buying products with less than 5 grams of sugar per serving.

A container of sweetened yogurt can contain up to 24 grams of sugar per serving.

A container of unsweetened yogurt can contain >1 gram of sugar.

Read the cereal box label for sugar content and portion size.

  • The serving size listed on the cereal box may be  ½ cup.
  • Most of us pour about 1.5 cups of cereal into a bowl and call it a serving.
  • One large serving of 1.5 cups is triple the sugar content listed. 
  •  

Salt

Recommended daily allowance of salt is 500 mg per day.

  • Reducing salt intake can benefit many areas of our bodies from our heart to our kidneys to our brains.
  • A can of chicken noodle soup can contain 890 mg of salt per serving.
  • There are 2.5 servings in one can.
  • That equals 2,225 mg of salt in one can before adding saltine crackers!

Fats

Good Fats. Bad Fats. Sometimes it is difficult to remember which is which. Below are some guidelines on FATS on the labels.

Unsaturated Fat

  • Unsaturated Fats are liquid at room temperature and are considered beneficial fats.
  • There are monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.
  • Daily recommended allowance is 10 to 15% of daily calories or 20 to 30 grams per day on a 2,000 calorie a day diet. 
  • 1 oz of walnuts (approximately 14 halves) = calories 170, saturated fat 1.5 grams, monounsaturated fats 6 grams, polyunsaturated fats 8 grams. 
  • Unsaturated fats are predominantly found in foods from plants, such as vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds.
  • Monounsaturated fats found in olive oil, avocados, almonds, pecans, pumpkin and sesame seeds.
  • Polyunsaturated fats found in sunflower and flaxseed oil, walnuts, flaxseeds, and fish.
  • Omega 3 fats are found in fish, flax seeds, and walnuts and added to other foods.

Saturated Fat

  • The average person on a 2,000 calorie diet should consume <14 grams of saturated fat per day. 
  • A serving of bacon contains 35 to 45 grams of saturated fat.
  • Dairy is high in saturated fats.
  • One pad of butter contains 36 calories and approximately 4 grams of fat.
  • A single slice of cheese contains approximately 5 grams of saturated fat.
  • Saturated fats are found in Pizza, cheese, whole and reduced fat milk, butter, dairy, meat products, cookies, deserts and fast food dishes

Trans Fat

  • Trans Fat is the fat we want to stay away from. 
  • Trans Fat helps food stay fresh longer and taste better. 
  • Daily recommendation of Trans Fat is about 20 calories. There are about 9 calories in a gram of fat, so about 2 grams of Trans Fat per day. 
  • Trans Fats are found in shortening, margarine, crackers, cookies, snack foods, many fried foods, potato/corn/tortilla chips, microwave and packaged popcorn, and refrigerator dough.
  • Trans Fats increase the risk for heart attacks, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
  • Trans Fats increase LDL (bad) cholesterol and decrease HDL (good) cholesterol. 

 

Good Fats. Bad Fats. Sometimes it is difficult to remember which is which. Below are some guidelines on FATS on the labels.

Unsaturated Fats

Unsaturated Fats are liquid at room temperature and are considered beneficial fats.

There are monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.

Daily recommended allowance is 10 to 15% of daily calories or 20 to 30 grams per day on a 2,000 calorie a day diet. 

1 oz of walnuts (approximately 14 halves) = calories 170, saturated fat 1.5 grams, monounsaturated fats 6 grams, polyunsaturated fats 8 grams. 

Unsaturated fats are predominantly found in foods from plants, such as vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds.

Monounsaturated fats found in olive oil, avocados, almonds, pecans, pumpkin and sesame seeds.

Polyunsaturated fats found in sunflower and flaxseed oil, walnuts, flaxseeds, and fish.

Omega 3 fats are found in fish, flax seeds, and walnuts and added to other foods.

Saturated Fat

  • The average person on a 2,000 calorie diet should consume <14 grams of saturated fat per day. 
  • A serving of bacon contains 35 to 45 grams of saturated fat.
  • Dairy is high in saturated fats.
  • One pad of butter contains 36 calories and approximately 4 grams of fat.
  • A single slice of cheese contains approximately 5 grams of saturated fat.
  • Saturated fats are found in Pizza, cheese, whole and reduced fat milk, butter, dairy, meat products, cookies, deserts and fast food dishes

Trans Fat

  • Trans Fat is the fat we want to stay away from. 
  • Trans Fat helps food stay fresh longer and taste better. 
  • Daily recommendation of Trans Fat is about 20 calories. There are about 9 calories in a gram of fat, so about 2 grams of Trans Fat per day. 
  • Trans Fats are found in shortening, margarine, crackers, cookies, snack foods, many fried foods, potato/corn/tortilla chips, microwave and packaged popcorn, and refrigerator dough.
  • Trans Fats increase the risk for heart attacks, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
  • Trans Fats increase LDL (bad) cholesterol and decrease HDL (good) cholesterol. 

Good Fats. Bad Fats. Sometimes it is difficult to remember which is which. Below are some guidelines on FATS on the labels.

Unsaturated Fats

Unsaturated Fats are liquid at room temperature and are considered beneficial fats.

There are monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.

Daily recommended allowance is 10 to 15% of daily calories or 20 to 30 grams per day on a 2,000 calorie a day diet. 

1 oz of walnuts (approximately 14 halves) = calories 170, saturated fat 1.5 grams, monounsaturated fats 6 grams, polyunsaturated fats 8 grams. 

Unsaturated fats are predominantly found in foods from plants, such as vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds.

Monounsaturated fats found in olive oil, avocados, almonds, pecans, pumpkin and sesame seeds.

Polyunsaturated fats found in sunflower and flaxseed oil, walnuts, flaxseeds, and fish.

Omega 3 fats are found in fish, flax seeds, and walnuts and added to other foods.

Saturated Fat

  • The average person on a 2,000 calorie diet should consume <14 grams of saturated fat per day. 
  • A serving of bacon contains 35 to 45 grams of saturated fat.
  • Dairy is high in saturated fats.
  • One pad of butter contains 36 calories and approximately 4 grams of fat.
  • A single slice of cheese contains approximately 5 grams of saturated fat.
  • Saturated fats are found in Pizza, cheese, whole and reduced fat milk, butter, dairy, meat products, cookies, deserts and fast food dishes

Trans Fat

  • Trans Fat is the fat we want to stay away from. 
  • Trans Fat helps food stay fresh longer and taste better. 
  • Daily recommendation of Trans Fat is about 20 calories. There are about 9 calories in a gram of fat, so about 2 grams of Trans Fat per day. 
  • Trans Fats are found in shortening, margarine, crackers, cookies, snack foods, many fried foods, potato/corn/tortilla chips, microwave and packaged popcorn, and refrigerator dough.
  • Trans Fats increase the risk for heart attacks, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
  • Trans Fats increase LDL (bad) cholesterol and decrease HDL (good) cholesterol. 

 

%d bloggers like this: