It’s a bit shocking how many people attempt to follow a healthy fat burning diet and exercise program without investing the time into understanding how to read nutrition labels on food products. Not knowing what’s in the food you eat makes slimming down a near impossible task. On the flip side, once you understand food labels you can shop better, to eat better.
Let’s take a look at what they reveal so we can make wiser diet choices.
* Serving Size. Please pay complete and total attention to this number. Everything that follows will apply to only 1 serving. Unscrupulous food companies will often exaggerate the number of servings in a container or package to make it seem the calorie count is lower. Don’t fall for this devious diet destroying trick!
* Percentage of Daily Value. This is based on a 2000 calorie a day diet for a moderately active person. Use it only as a rough guideline as it can vary greatly based on gender, activity level, age, height, weight and so on.
* Calories. Pretty self-explanatory this is the total number of calories contained per serving.
* Fat. Your total fat. Further broken down into saturated fats, trans fat, Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated fats. Both saturated and trans fat should be avoided. Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated fats, on the other hand carry some health benefits. These are the healthier fats found in things like olive oil and avocado.
* Cholesterol. Doctors suggest keeping your cholesterol intake below 300mgs a day to avoid the risk of heart disease. Below 150mgs a day is an even better target.
* Sodium. High sodium intake will make you retain water and weigh more on the scale. For a healthy heart it’s suggested to stay below 1500mgs a day. Keep an eye on prepared food they are often over loaded with sodium!
* Carbohydrates. Split between fiber (very good) and sugar (very bad). Aim for a low to moderate carb intake while slimming down and things will go much, much smoother.
* Protein. Your best friend while following this Blog series. Aim for around .5 a gram for every pound you weigh. If you are working out very hard more is even better. This is where most of your calories should be coming from.
* Vitamins and Minerals. This includes both the vitamins and minerals naturally contained in the food as well as anything artificially added by the manufacturer. I’ll dive deeper into specific vitamins and minerals you should be looking for while on this 7 Day Slim Down in detail in a coming Blog. For now just keep an eye on getting your daily recommended amount which is what the nutrition label will reveal to you.
* Ingredients. These will be listed in order of the amount contained in the food product. Here’s another area where some companies will try to deceive so pay close attention!
Now you are fully armed with the information needed to be able to shop smart and be able to understand the nutrition labels on food products. While slimming down, like in many other areas of life, knowledge is power.
How does it feel to have power over your food choices? Good I hope. It will serve you well.
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In good health,
Diva Coach Cass
DEMA Health 