Healthy Weight Loss Diets

 

How to Read Food Labels  

Reading Food Labels
Food labeling has come of age. The first comprehensive legislation against deceptive food labeling was 
introduced more than 40 years ago. Since then, improvements have been made to help consumers make  wise food choices.      
        

Present Regulations
Common Food Labels

Ingredients must be listed in descending order according to weight. Therefore, beware if salt or sugar is listed first!

Nutritional Claims
Read Labels to Lose Weight & Eating Healthier!If a manufacturer makes a nutritional claim or adds nutrients to a food, complete nutritional information must be listed. Generally these include  cholesterol, polyunsaturated and saturated fats, as well as dietary fiber.

What's in a Name?
Some terms on labels can be very confusing and misleading, such as:

Low fat: for dairy products, they must contain between 0.5% and 2% fat. For meats to be labeled low fat, they must contain no more than 10% fat.

No cholesterol: Many foods have this on their label as if to suggest that the cholesterol was removed from the food, for example vegetable oils. Remember, only foods that contain animal products of any kind contain cholesterol. Foods from vegetable sources never do unless they are mixed with animal products like eggs, cheese, or meats.

Sugar Free:  Refers only to a lack of sucrose. Other sweeteners like honey, molasses, fructose, corn syrup contain calories from carbohydrates.

% Daily Values 
This information is designed to show the contribution the food in the package makes to your total daily recommended limits of certain nutrients negatively or positively associated with heart disease, high blood pressure, etc.  The percentages are valid if you are consuming a diet of 2000 or 2500 Calories. If you are trying to follow a weight loss diet or your total Calorie needs are lower (most small, older women), the percentages are not a good guideline to use. Instead, use total gram listed. 

See Some of PersonalDiets Recipes
Learn why PersonalDiets work: Custom Diets

© A-PersonalDietitian.com., All rights reserved.


Nutritional information includes the following:

Nutritional Information 
Per Serving
Serving size
Servings per container
Calories
Calories from Fat
Total Fat
Saturated Fat
Cholesterol
Protein
Total Carbohydrate
Dietary Fiber
Sugars
Sodium

Percent of  Daily Values
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Calcium
Iron
Total Fat
Saturated Fat
Cholesterol
Sodium
Total Carbohydrate
Dietary Fiber