How to Read a Nutrition Facts Label

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, about 61.5% reported checking the nutrition facts panel when deciding to purchase food.

So what must you look for when trying to make a healthy purchase?

Always start with the serving size. Many make the mistake of focusing on the number of calories and paying little or no attention to the rest of the panel.

A serving size tells you how much of each listed nutrient you get in one serving. Keep in mind, a container may have more than one serving; therefore, the numbers may get doubled or tripled according to how many servings you have.

Ex: 6 servings per container at 160 calories per serving give 960 calories for the entire container.

Think about this the next time you snack on a family size bag of chips.

Another number that most people overlook is energy, or calorie, density per gram consumed. The following scale provides a breakdown of energy density levels. Very low energy density (< 0.6 Kcal/g), low E density (0.6 to 1.5 Kcal/g), medium E density (1.5 to 4 Kcal/g), and high E density (>4 Kcal/g) Aim to consume foods with very low and low energy density on daily basis and save the high energy density foods for special occasions. Medium energy density foods can be consumed a few times a week in moderation.

How do you get those numbers, you ask?

All you need to figure out the energy density is calories per serving and number of grams of one serving.

Ex: 160 calories per serving divided by 47 grams weight of one serving give 3.4 Kcal/g, a medium density food that you should eat in moderation.

The rest of the panel is straightforward. Limit fat intake to no more than 30% or 65 g, cholesterol intake to no more than 300 mg, and sodium intake to no more than 2300 mg per day. Carbs intake should be between 45-65%  or 225-325 g and added sugar should not exceed 25% or 125 g. Get 25-30 grams of fiber each day and enough vitamins and minerals to meet your daily dietary reference intakes. The % Daily Value shows how a food fits into the overall daily diet. General rule to follow for the % Daily Value is 5% or less is low and 20% or more is high.

Now let's make better choices :)

Dietary fiber food sources

Dietary fiber is best when obtained from natural food sources. Select from the following list to add variety to your everyday diet.

Fresh & Dried Fruit	Serving Size	Fiber (g)
Apples with skin	1 medium	5.0
Apricot	3 medium	1.0
Apricots, dried	4 pieces	2.9
Banana	1 medium	3.9
Blueberries	1 cup	4.2
Cantaloupe, cubes	1 cup	1.3
Figs, dried	2 medium	3.7
Grapefruit	1/2 medium	3.1
Orange, navel	1 medium	3.4
Peach	1 medium	2.0
Peaches, dried	3 pieces	3.2
Pear	1 medium	5.1
Plum	1 medium	1.1
Raisins	1.5 oz box	1.6
Raspberries	1 cup	6.4
Strawberries	1 cup	4.4

Grains, Beans, Nuts & Seeds	Serving Size	Fiber (g)
Almonds	1 oz	4.2
Black beans, cooked	1 cup	13.9
Bran cereal	1 cup	19.9
Bread, whole wheat	1 slice	2.0
Brown rice, dry	1 cup	7.9
Cashews	1 oz	1.0
Flax seeds	3 Tbsp.	6.9
Garbanzo beans, cooked	1 cup	5.8
Kidney beans, cooked	1 cup	11.6
Lentils, red cooked	1 cup	13.6
Lima beans, cooked	1 cup	8.6
Oats, rolled dry	1 cup	12.0
Quinoa (seeds) dry	1/4 cup	6.2
Quinoa, cooked	1 cup	8.4
Pasta, whole wheat	1 cup	6.3
Peanuts	1 oz	2.3
Pistachio nuts	1 oz	3.1
Pumpkin seeds	1/4 cup	4.1
Soybeans, cooked	1 cup	8.6
Sunflower seeds	1/4 cup	3.0
Walnuts	1 oz	3.1

Vegetables	Serving Size	Fiber (g)
Avocado (fruit)	1 medium	11.8
Beets, cooked	1 cup	2.8
Beet greens	1 cup	4.2
Bok choy, cooked	1 cup	2.8
Broccoli, cooked	1 cup	4.5
Brussels sprouts, cooked	1 cup	3.6
Cabbage, cooked	1 cup	4.2
Carrot	1 medium	2.6
Carrot, cooked	1 cup	5.2
Cauliflower, cooked	1 cup	3.4
Cole slaw	1 cup	4.0
Collard greens, cooked	1 cup	2.6
Corn, sweet	1 cup	4.6
Green beans	1 cup	4.0
Celery	1 stalk	1.1
Kale, cooked	1 cup	7.2
Onions, raw	1 cup	2.9
Peas, cooked	1 cup	8.8
Peppers, sweet	1 cup	2.6
Pop corn, air-popped	3 cups	3.6
Potato, baked w/ skin	1 medium	4.8
Spinach, cooked	1 cup	4.3
Summer squash, cooked	1 cup	2.5
Sweet potato, cooked	1 medium	4.9
Swiss chard, cooked	1 cup	3.7
Tomato	1 medium	1.0
Winter squash, cooked	1 cup	6.2
Zucchini, cooked	1 cup	2.6

More fiber, less you

 “Try it! It has 9 grams of fiber,” a Costco food service member shouted encouragingly as shoppers passed by. To her delight, a few costumers picked up a box of fiber bars without further asking about its benefits or side effects. Where’s the harm, you say, fiber is good for you! Very true, but like any nutrient, we should know why our body needs it, from what sources, in what quantities, and the adverse reactions it may cause.

When you hear fiber, you probably imagine tasteless, undesirable food choices. Sorry to shatter your image, but fiber is full of flavor! So there is no need to hold off on getting the recommended 25 grams/day anymore. How, you ask? I’ll give you a list of easy to follow tips, but first let me tell you about the many benefits of fiber.

We all know fiber is good for constipation; however, many don’t know that high fiber consumption has been linked to lower the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and diverticular disease. All sound like great advantages, right? But wait, let’s not forget to mention the greatest advantage yet, weight loss! That’s right, daily high fiber consumption (25+ grams) has the potential to cut 100 calories each day, which adds up to 10 pounds a year minus the challenge and food deprivation of any diet you’d want to attempt.

So what is dietary fiber and how does it work?

Dietary fiber includes all parts of a plant that cannot be digested or absorbed by our body. Meaning, it passes through our digestive tract whole and at a slow rate. Thus, resulting in many spontaneous benefits such as relieving constipation and irregular stool, promoting fast movement and emptying of the colon, reducing blood cholesterol levels, lowering dietary fat absorption, slowing the emptying of the stomach, reducing appetite and food intake,  extending the feeling of satiety, lowering blood glucose levels, decreasing the risk of type 2 diabetes, and promoting the growth of “friendly” bacteria in the colon.

What can you do to increase your dietary fiber intake?

·         Eat whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juices.

·     Do not remove the skin when eating apples and pears.

·         Replace white rice, bread, and pasta with brown rice and whole grain products.

·         Choose whole grain cereals for breakfast.

·         Snack on raw vegetables instead of chips, crackers, or chocolate bars.

·         Substitute legumes for meat two to three times per week in chili and soups.

·         Experiment with international dishes (such as Middle Eastern) that use whole grains and legumes as part of the main meal (as in Egyptian koshari) or in soups and salads (for example, lentil soup and tabbouleh).

         

To prevent any gastric discomfort, remember to drink plenty of fluids, fiber cannot do its job without water!

Now let’s get moving :)