Knowing Your Food

Ever wonder what's in the food we eat...or better yet, how to read those "Nutrition Facts" labels? Here's a helpful website and information to stay healthy and live longer by making wise food choices =)

How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label Website.

Guide to Decoding Food Labels
from: Real Simple magazine

• 100% Natural. When a label boasts this claim, that means the product doesn’t contain artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, and has no synthetic ingredients. However, there’s no research that proves these natural products are better for you. Most food additives haven’t been shown to be bad. In fact, even if something says it’s natural, it can still have loads of sugar, fat and calories. The soda 7-UP, for example, was once marketed as “100% natural.” The label now says it has “100% natural flavors”. What you need to do is check the ingredient list and nutrition information to see what’s really in the product. A healthy choice will be fairly low in sugar and saturated fat, and you won’t need a chemistry degree to decipher the rest.
• Claim #2: “Light.” Most often, light foods have a third fewer calories than the full-calorie version. When it refers to sodium or fat, light means the item has up to 50% less! If you’re watching calories, these foods can help, but be careful! Sugar levels in these foods may be high, so check the labels. When eaten in moderation, light foods can be good dieting tools.
• “Fat free.” This means the product contains less than .5 grams of fat per serving. Trimming fat from your diet can help lower your overall calorie intake. Don’t BANISH fat altogether! Aim to get 25 to 35 percent of your total calories from fat – from sources like canola and olive oils, nuts, seeds, avocados and salmon. Keep this in mind, though: when removing fat, manufactures often add extra sugar or starch to make the products taste good. Also, fat-free foods may cause you to OVEReat, because they tend to be less satisfying. A better bet is to SKIP the fat-free foods and choose LOW-fat instead. They only have three grams of fat or less per serving, but are more filling.