Vancouver Nutritionist Personal Trainer – Nutrition tip: As a society, we are becoming more and more health conscious. More and more people are reading labels. But do you really know what to look for or how to decipher all those numbers? Here’s what you need to know to make sense of labels…
In Canada, there are 13 nutrients that must be listed on a label, as well as the Calories and serving size. Let’s start at the top…
Serving size: this can be tricky… Serving sizes on nutrition panels are not always a “usual” serving amount. The label may gives nutrition info for 1/2 cup of cereal, but most of us eat at least 1 cup of cereal at a sitting. Remember to do the math. Also, these serving sizes are not always equal to a Canada Food Guide serving. So a “recommended serving” from the manufacturer may be a lot more than Canada Food Guide recommends for portion size.
Calories: Usually the first thing people look at – but not always most important. Where the Calories are coming from are of more importance. The rest of the label and the ingredient list will give you that information.
Fat: The first fat listed is total fat. Total fat is made up of saturated, trans, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Only saturated and trans (the “bad” fats) need to be labelled. A high fat content is not always bad. If the majority of fat is coming from the unsaturated fats, a small portion is good for you. To find out the amount of these “good” fats, use this equation: Total fat – (saturated fat + trans fat) = unsaturated fat
Cholesterol: Comes from animal products, and is only a big issue if you have high cholesterol or heart problems. Most of our cholesterol is made in the body, and dietary cholesterol only affects it minimally. Saturated and trans fat contribute more to high cholesterol levels.
Sodium: We all get way too much sodium in our diets… the less the better. Try to stick to foods with less than 400mg of sodium per serving.
Carbohydrate: made up of fiber, starch and sugar. Look for items with more than 4g of fiber per serving, and less than 8g of sugar per serving.
Protein: the building blocks for the body…. but more is not always better. Percent Daily Value: this number shows how much of a certain nutrient a serving gives you, based on a 2000 Calorie diet. It’s just another way of listing the nutritional value to put milligrams of a nutrient into a more real world perspective. It gives you an idea of the amount of nutrition that food provides you.
Learn more in future Vancouver Nutritionist Personal Trainer – Kalev Training in Yaletown posts!
w: http://www.KalevTraining.com
t: 604-518-4691
e: Kalev@KalevTraining.com
b: www.rippedmansecrets.com
Vancouver Boot Camp with Cardio Kickboxing
