| Every food item you buy must list the nutritional | | | | with high sodium content for the rest of the day. |
| food facts somewhere on its label. The trouble is, | | | | Staying within these limits ensures that you are |
| most of us have no idea how to read them. Sure, | | | | getting just the right amount of each nutrient |
| the label may say the food we've chosen has 10g | | | | every day ofr optimal health. |
| of sodium, but what does that really mean? Let's | | | | Total Fat: |
| take a look at some common nutrition food facts | | | | Everyone needs to eat a certain amount of fat |
| to find out. | | | | to remain healthy and strong - but eat too much |
| Nutrition food labels clearly outline the nutrients | | | | and you'll become sluggish, depressed and |
| found in foods using grams (g) or milligrams (mg). | | | | unhealthy. Food labels list several different kinds of |
| Milligrams are very small. As a matter of fact, | | | | fat for better regulation: saturated, unsaturated, |
| you could fit 1,000 milligrams in a single gram. | | | | and trans fat. |
| In addition to listing the grams of nutrients found | | | | Cholesterol and Sodium: |
| in the foods we eat, nutritional fact labels also | | | | Cholesterol and sodium (salt) are usually measured |
| give the daily percentage of that nutrient a single | | | | in milligrams and are featured on food labels for |
| serving of that food includes. Keep in mind that | | | | those people who must restrict their intake of |
| these percentages are based on a 2,000 calorie a | | | | these nutrients. |
| day diet, so if you are eating less than that the | | | | Total Carbohydrate: |
| percentages would actually be higher. | | | | You need carbohydrates for energy. But too |
| Now, let's take a closer look at individual nutrition | | | | many can make you fat and cause other health |
| facts listed on most food labels: | | | | concerns. Carbohydrate levels are usually broken |
| Serving Size: | | | | down into grams of sugar and grams of dietary |
| Serving size is the amount of food being detailed | | | | fiber on most food labels. |
| within the nutrition label. It is very important to | | | | Protein: |
| always check the serving size since one package | | | | Protein helps the human body build and repair |
| or container may contain several serving sizes, so | | | | essential parts of the body, such as muscles, |
| if you eat the entire thing the nutritional facts | | | | blood, and organs. It is usually measured in grams. |
| need to be multiplied accordingly. | | | | Vitamin A and Vitamin C: |
| Calories and Calories From Fat: | | | | These list the amounts of vitamin A and vitamin |
| The number of calories in a single tells you the | | | | C, with each amount given as a percent daily |
| amount of energy that is found in that particular | | | | value. |
| food. While the number of calories is important, | | | | Calcium and Iron: |
| the calories from fat is even more important | | | | Calcium and iron are essential for a healthy body. |
| since they will be harder for your body to burn. | | | | These minerals are usually listed as daily |
| Percent Daily Value: | | | | percentages per serving. |
| A daily allowance is the percentage of food | | | | Now that you can understand your food labels |
| nutrient you should consumer in a day. So, if you | | | | better, start checking out what you're eating and |
| eat a food with 445% of your daily allowance of | | | | how much of a good thing (or not so good thing) |
| sodium, you must be careful not eat more items | | | | you're getting with each meal and snack. |