I know it is extremely difficult to make good food choices with so many products within easy reach, and clever marketing touting things like '95% fat free' but not telling you the high sugar content. You can feel pretty powerless and so overwhelmed that you make poor food purchasing decisions.
Well I have put together some 3 very easy tips for you to take your power back, make better food choices and eat healthier. It all has to do with being able to read the Nutrition Facts Label on the food packaging.
1. Always Check the serving size
At the top of each Nutrition Facts Label is the serving size, which is based on an amount of a food that people generally eat. All of the nutritional information listed on the Nutrition Facts Label is given according to a single serving size.
Sometimes the package will contain more than one serving, the servings per container tells you how many servings are in the entire package.
So if you are eating more than 1 serving at a time you need to adjust any nutrient measurements by multiplying the %DV by the number of servings consumed.
For example: if the serving size on a packet of cookies states 2 cookies, and you eat 4, then you need to double the nutrition information found on the Nutrition Facts Label
2. Consider the Calories
A calorie is a measure for a unit of energy that food provides to the body. Calories come from both foods and beverages.
The number of calories you will find listed on the Nutrition Facts Label indicates how many calories are in one serving. So again if there are more than one serving per package that you consume you need to multiply the calories by how many servings you have consumed.
This information on calories on the Nutrition Facts Label gives you a fantastic tool to manage your weight.
In its simplest form:
To maintain weight - the amount of calories taken in from eating and drinking should equal the amount of calories that you use from your normal physical activity, exercise, and metabolism of food.
To lose weight - the calories taken in should be less than the calories you use.
To gain weight - the amount of calories taken in should be more than the amount being used.
The FDA provides a handy way to remember calories using the 40 - 100 - 400 rule:
- 40 Calories per serve is a low amount
- 100 Calories per serve is a moderate amount
- 400 Calories per serve is a high amount
This allows you to mix and match through out the day to stay within your set calorie regime.
3. Choose Nutrients Wisely
All foods are not created equal so you must look further than the calorie per serve count. There are certain vitamins and minerals that we need more of and others like sodium and sugars that we need less of.
So take a look down the Nutritional Facts Label and get a quick picture of the nutrient value of the food you are holding. The Percentage Daily Values (%DV) is a useful way to quickly see if the food is high or low in certain vitamins or minerals.
5% or less should be considered low in that nutrient
20% or more should be considered high in that nutrient.
(Note: The percentage Daily Values is based on an adults 2000 calorie a day eating plan.)
So what you need to do is choose which minerals or vitamins are the best for you and which are best to cut down. For example saturated fat is known to be bad for your body, so using the Nutrient Facts Label you can quickly identify if the food is high in saturated fats.
Once you learn this simple way of reading the Nutrition Facts Label you will be able to compare foods to choose which one is right for you.
So go out with confidence and make the food choices that are right for you, don't be sucked in by the marketing tricks, take your power back and eat well.
If you need some help with your diet to help you lose weight check out my interview [http://simplefatburningtips.com/diet-program-interview-author-diet-solution-program] with Nutritionist Isabel De Los Rios the author of 'The Diet Solution', an absolute must have nutrition program if you are serious about weight loss!
Check out more weight loss tips and articles at [http://simplefatburningtips.com/]
Educate yourself to weight loss!
Wade
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wade_Hutchinson
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