Now that people are more health-conscious, most would not even consider eating a food that did not have the nutritional information available. This video talks about reading a nutritional label – deciphering what is important so that you can make good food choices for you and your family.
The first thing discussed is serving size. Portions in the U.S. are pretty large. When you look at the label, you’ll want to note the serving size. That information might not always be terribly helpful, unless you’re really good at measuring exactly one ounce of something into your hand. So, look at how many servings are in the container. If there are two servings in the container, you know you can eat half of what is in the container and you’ll be getting one serving size.
That’s great for when you’re eating something, but when you’re shopping it is even more important to look at serving size and the amount of servings per container. You might buy something that you think has good nutritional value, only to find out that the container actually hold twelve servings of something and that each tiny serving is simply “not too bad for you” but to eat enough to satisfy your hunger would be actually very unhealthy.
The next thing discussed is the way the label is broken down. The most important thing to look at is serving size/amount of servings, but the calorie count is important as well. It’s also very important to look at the fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol content. Too much saturated fat and cholesterol is unhealthy for everyone, even little children. It is important to start good eating habits early.
It’s also important to pay attention to how many grams of carbohydrates are in the food. This is especially important for diabetics, as the carbohydrate count will inform how the food is processed in the body and how much sugar and insulin are produced.
Sodium is also something to look at. Many, many foods have simply too much sodium. The average person is only supposed to have a certain amount of each category on the nutrition label per day. The average daily percentage is based on a 2000 calorie diet. No matter how many total calories you plan to consume per day, you’ll want the fat and sodium percentages of the total to be low, and for the vitamin and mineral content to be high.
If you are eating in a restaurant, use your best common sense to stay away from foods that are bad for you. Stay away from smoked or cured meats – they have more sodium. Stay away from cream or cheese-based sauces and dressings – they have more fat. Choose fresh vegetables and fruits, and lean protein like fish or chicken.
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