How to Eat Healthy by Following the Food Labels

When my brother-in-law was told by his doctor that his cholesterol and sugar levels were getting too high, he started carefully reading the labels on anything he was thinking of buying at the grocery store. If you have ever tried to read the food label, perhaps you were as confused as my brother-in-law was at first.

To help you out, here are some tips for figuring out what the label is telling you.

The first health tip: It is a supersized world out there, and most people are surprised to find that their idea of a single serving is actually two or three.

Second health tip: Reading food labels is probably the most effective way of determining the best foods that you should take home for your family. It lets you make sensible food selections. Through the “Nutrition Facts” section in a particular item in the grocery, you can identify the amount of serving sizes provided in that product.

Food labels tell you several things, such as the kinds of nutrients found in the food. Usually the label contains the information on saturated fat, sodium, total fat, fiber, and cholesterol amount “per serving.”

Third health tip: Avoid anything with partially hydrogenated oils. These turn to poison inside your system, clogging arteries over time and eventually causing all kinds of trouble. The problem is, they are found in hundreds of processed foods such as peanut butter, crackers, and cookies.

If you want to be able to understand what the food label is telling you, here is a list of things that you need to know:

1. Serving size

This is the primary item you will see in a food label.

The amount of servings stated in the food label refers to the quantity of food people usually consume. However, this does not necessarily mean that it reflects your very own amount of food intake.

Moreover, serving size determines the amount of nutrients that enters the body. This means that if you will follow strictly what the serving size is, you will obtain the same amount of nutrients according to the serving size that was given in the label.

For instance, if the serving size says one serving size is equal to 54 grams, that would mean you have to measure 54 grams and eat that in order to have consumed one serving. So to speak, the amount of nutrients stated in the food label is the same amount that has entered your body considering the fact that you have just eaten 54 grams.

However, if you have eaten everything, and the food label says that each pack is equivalent to 4 servings, you have to calculate the amount of nutrients that have entered your body. This means that if the food label says 250 calories per serving that means you have to multiply it to four to get the total amount of calories you have taken.

2. Nutrients

This refers to the list of available nutrients in a particular item. It is also where the nutritional claims of the product based on the recommended daily dietary allowance are stated. Usually, the nutritional amounts are based on both the 2,500-calorie diets and the 2,000 recommended dietary allowances.

In order to understand the numeric value of each item, you should know that the “% daily value” that the food label indicates is actually based on how a particular food corresponds to the recommended daily dietary allowance for a 2,000 calorie.

If in the event that you have purchased an item that has a dietary allowance different from the 2,000-calorie diet, you just have to divide the stipulated amount by 2,000 and you will be able to identify the “%daily value” for the nutrients.

Fourth health tip: My sister, who lost about 40 pounds by eating properly and has kept it off for years, says that if you are going to eat processed foods then eat those that have more protein than fat. For instance, a label that says the contents have 10 grams of protein and only 3 grams of fat is much better than a label that says 10 grams of fat and only 3 grams of protein.

3. Ingredients

This refers to the list of the ingredients that were used to manufacture the product. The listing is usually arranged from the main ingredients that have the greater amount by weight up to the smallest quantity. This simply means that the actual quantity of the food includes the biggest quantity of the main ingredient or the first item and the minimum amount of the very last ingredient.

4. Label claim

This refers to the kinds of nutritional claims of a particular food item. For instance, if an item says it is sodium-free, it has less than 5 milligrams per serving or a low fat item actually contains 3 grams of fat or less.

Indeed, reading food labels can be very tedious and confusing. Nevertheless, once you get the hang of it, it would be easier for you to watch your diet because you can already control the amount of food that you take.

Fifth health tip: We have been told by doctors and experts (and you have probably heard the same) that the best foods are the natural foods. Unless you have been told otherwise by your doctor, you can’t go wrong with fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, and so on. The less processed foods you eat, the healthier you will be.

Juicing fruits and vegetables is even better, as you get the nutrients in a form that is easier to digest. I’ve noticed a significant improvement in asthma and allergies since I started drinking juiced fruits and vegetables. My favorite mixtures are apples and celery for one drink, and applies and one beet for another. Most juicers come with a recipe book that you can follow.