Article Advise

submitted: Sep 3rd 2008 | by: GailM.Davis | Total views: 1 | Word Count: 601 | |

To achieve and maintain good health, educate yourself about nutrition fact labels and use them regularly when shopping. They provide valuable information that will help you make wise food choices. When guessing and estimating just aren't getting the job done, let the facts speak for themselves. Arm yourselves with the valuable information you need to stay on track and make good health a priority in your home.

Serving size and the number of servings per container are the two most important pieces of information that you will find on the nutrition fact label. Everything else depends on this information being accurate! Looks can be deceiving and it is essential to know how much you consume.

Another essential piece of information found on your label is the total calories and the number of calories from fat. In order to reach and maintain your ideal weight, you must expend more calories than you consume. A calorie is a unit of measure that tells you how much energy is provided per serving of that food. If your package provides two servings, and you eat both, you must double the information.

Next on the food labels are the nutrition numbers. Some of these are required and others are optional for manufacturers to include. Required ones consist of total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, sugars, protein, cholesterol, and sodium. Optional items include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, potassium, vitamins, and minerals.

The food label is designed to make it easy to understand. Notice that the first several nutrients are the ones that you want to limit in your diet. Eating too much of these may increase your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and certain cancers. So go easy on foods high in fats, cholesterol, and sodium. Get plenty of the nutrients listed next. Fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron can all help improve your general health and reduce the risk of some conditions.

Some Nutrition Fact Labels list a footnote at the bottom of each label. Some footnotes are complete and some are not, depending on the size of the label. The footnote simply lists, based on the 2,000-calorie diet, the recommended dietary amounts for all Americans. This information is standard and does not change from label to label.

The Percent Daily Value, or %DV, makes it very easy for us to make sure we consume 100% of our total nutrients. This percentage computes how much of each nutrient one serving provides. You don't have to eat 2,000 calories each day to benefit from this calculation.

Protein, sugar, and trans fat do not require a % DV. Protein only has to be listed if the food product is for children under the age of four, or if the product claims to be "high in protein." Trans fat should be avoided at all costs as it is associated with high LDL cholesterol levels. Sugar and it's many synonyms such as sucrose, fructose, maltose, lactose, honey, syrup, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, molasses, and fruit juice should be limited for a healthy diet.

If used correctly, nutrition fact labels are an extremely valuable resource, but unfortunately, they are not always available. For those times when you don't have the option of using a nutrition fact label, equip your kitchen with an Eat Smart Nutrition Scale. This impressive food scale instantly calculates and displays key nutrients for specific portions of 999 foods! It serves as a "food guidance system" as you work to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

About the Author

Gail M. Davis provides an informative guide to understanding and utilizing nutrition fact labels and much more on her website, Easy Weight Loss Tips. Check out the Eat Smart Scale to make healthy food choices.

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