Lauren's Corner

How To Read Your Labels For Weight Loss

Do you know how to read the nutrition labels on the food you purchase?

Whether your trying to diet and lose weight or just interested in living a healthier lifestyle, start with the food you eat and learn to read your labels. This allows you to have a better understanding of what is actually in the food you are eating.

How To Read A Food Label

Food Labels provide important nutrition information about the contents in the package. Often you will find it under "Nutrition Facts" that can be helpful or can also confuse most people.

Research has shown that the two most confusing areas of the food label are Serving Size vs. Servings per Container. It is important to understand this when trying to enjoy a nutritious diet and maintain a healthy weight.

Nutritional Facts

Serving Size: This is perhaps the most important part on the food label and one that everyone should be familiar with. The serving size refers to the amount normally considered to be one serving. This can be much smaller that what is typically eaten at one time. The serving size on the package may be 1/2 cup, when you really eat 1 or more cups of that food. If this is the case, you are consuming at least twice the calories, fat, sugar and sodium!

Servings Per Container: Always check the number of servings in a container. It is often more than one, even for something that seems like only one serving to you. Bottled beverages and small bags of chips often contain two - three servings. If you finish the entire bottle or bag, you will consume two - three times the number of calories, fat, sugar and sodium.

Sodium: This lists the amount of salt in a given serving of food. Processed and packaged foods often contain very high amounts of sodium. Aim to eat no more than 2400 mg of salt per day. This will be hard to if your diet contains too many packaged foods. That's one more reason to eat fresh fruits and vegetables!

Dietary Fiber: It is particularly important to read labels when trying to eat a high fiber diet. What you will notice is that most (but not all) packaged foods are relatively low in fiber - another important reason to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. When choosing packaged foods like cereals, crackers and bread products, look for options that offer the most fiber.

Sugar: Next time you are shopping, check out the food labels of some of your favorite items. You may find a surprisingly high amount of sugar in what you think of as "healthy" foods. If that is the case, compare labels and look for similar products that contain less sugar.

Insightful Tips

- Make a list before you shop. Think about what you really need. What are the food staples of your household? This list will cut down on impulse grocery shopping and keep your weekly food cost to a minimum.

- Make time to shop. Now that you know how to read a nutrition label it will take a bit more time to make your smart choices. No more tossing items into the cart based on advertisment.

- Try to remember the nutrition facts of basic food groups. Try and purchase familiar brands of beans, rice, cereal and prepared foods. This way you will be sure of your nutrition guidelines mentioned in this article.

Have A Healthy Day!