Who said diamonds are a girl’s best friend? You know what, the nutrition label is my BFF and it should be yours as well, especially at the grocery store. As I’ve said before, it can be quite confusing to understand which foods are healthy when you are bombarded by fancy packaging and claims. Using the nutrition label can help guide your choices without adding more than 5 minutes to your shopping trip.
Here are 5 tips to using the label:
1. The number of ingredients listed can indicate the level of processing and in general, less processing is better. If there are more than 5 ingredients listed, consider an alternative food that is in a more natural state.
2 and 3. Usually, the % Daily Value is not helpful because it is based upon a certain caloric intake that may or may not be similar to your caloric needs. However, you can use the % when looking at certain nutrients. Choose foods that have less than 5% Daily Value for fat and cholesterol. Choose foods that have more than 5% Daily Value for fiber, vitamins and minerals.
4. If high fructose corn syrup, sugar (or derivative), partially hydrogenated oil, or MSG appear within the first 5 ingredients, put it back.
5. Consider the big picture when evaluating claims. For example, Ritz Whole Wheat crackers may brag about containing 5 grams of whole grain but that is less than 5% of the recommended intake of whole grains for the day. Also, when you consider the serving size is only 5 crackers and they contain partially hydrogenated oil, this cracker isn’t much to brag about.
“5”
Written by amy on May 18th, 2011
Posted in Newsletter Articles |
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