How to: Read a Food Label

I recently spoke at a Cardiac Rehab program at the hospital I am an intern at about reading the nutrition label on products. In total, over 2 days, I gave this education piece 8 times!! I went home at the end of both days and didn't want to talk any more because I had talked so much all day. Label reading is an important skill that can help you on your journey to health, so I figured that would put my little education piece into writing so you all can learn a little label reading too! Here's a sample label to reference as we go through the pieces!

Let's start at the top! The number of servings in the container, or bag, or box, is at the top. This means that in this whole box, there are 8 servings and all the information below is based off of one of those servings. Below that we have the serving size, the nutritional information is highly reliant on the serving size. If you wanted more than 2/3 cup, then the nutrition info would have to be increased, and if you wanted less, then the total calories and nutrients will be less than what's listed. 

Now we get to the heart of the information! The calorie content per 2/3c serving is listed in bold, large print so your eye is drawn to it. In our 2/3c, we will get 230 calories. 

Below that is the fat content per serving. In our 2/3c, we will get 8 grams of fat. There are 4 different types of fat, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are the heart healthy fats, while saturated and trans fats are the ones that can cause severe health problems can clog the arteries when eaten in excess. By law, companies do not have to say that there is trans fat in their product if there is less than .5 grams per serving. So, really look at what you're eating is important; if its processed and high in fat, it might have some hidden trans fat. Trans fat is chemically engineered and added to foods to help preserve their flavor and extend their shelf-life. 

% Daily Values are kind of confusing until they are explained! You can see the % Daily Values on the right side of label and they are different for each nutrient. These % are based on a 2000 calorie diet, however most of us don't need 2000 calories a day unless you are very active. Within those 2000 calories, there are certain goals or limits put on each of the nutrients. For example, 80 grams of fat is what the goal, so one serving will provide you 10% of what you need of fat for the day. But because everyone's calories needs are different and most of the time lower than 2000 calories, the percents can be skewed. So that is something to be conscious of. The % Daily Value can 

also be used as part of the product marketing tool. If the % is 20 or above, it can be labeled as a good source of what ever nutrient it is, or high in what ever nutrient. If the % is 5 of lower, it can be labeled as low in, or not a good source of. This product has 45% of the daily value of iron, so it could be labeled as a good source of iron.

Cholesterol is what can really throw someone off. Dietary Cholesterol DOES NOT affect blood cholesterol. Yes, you read that right! What does affect blood cholesterol is
saturated fat. Cholesterol is the carrying molecule of fat, so when a product is high in saturated fat, then it will be high in cholesterol. Its very important to look at the saturated fat content of foods.

Sodium content is also very important when looking at your foods. The current American Heart Association recommendation for sodium is 2000mg/day, which is a teaspoon and a half. However, the average American diet has between 3500mg-5000mg a day of sodium. Excess sodium in your diet can cause swelling, heart disease, and many more issues. We can cut sodium in our diets by rinsing canned vegetables, buying no added salt or no salt added products, and tasting your foods before salting them or seasoning your foods.

Carbohydrates are our main energy source in our diets, so it's especially important to pay attention to when looking at your foods. Starchy foods like pasta, bread, rice and potatoes are naturally high in carbohydrates, so don't be alarmed when you see higher carb content in those items. Also look at the amount of added sugar in the product too; there's a difference between naturally occurring sugar and added sugar. Apples have naturally occurring sugar, but candy and sugary cereals have added sugar to enhance the flavor. Look at your product, look at the added sugar content, and decide if you think there should be added sugar in it. Fiber also technically falls under the carbohydrate classification, but fiber does not get digested so therefore it doesn't provide extra calories. Fiber helps keep food moving through the GI tract.

Protein is the one nutrient that does not have a % daily value and that's because everyone's protein needs are different based on gender, weight, height, activity, age and so on. One realistic goal could be .5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. So if you weight 125 pounds, you should aim for 75 grams of protein if you are active and athletic. If you don't work out too often, then I would suggest .3 grams of protein per 1 pound of weight.

The micronutrients at the bottom of the label are important to pay attention to too! Aim for the micronutrients to have at least 20% of the Daily value.

Lastly, when reading the nutrition label you should look at the ingredients lists. The ingredients are listed from highest amount in the product to least. Whole grain/whole wheat products should have Whole Wheat Flour as the first ingredient. Don't be fooled by multigrain products, most of the time they are not whole wheat and just have seeds and nuts added in to look healthier!


Reading the nutrition label is key to knowing what you're putting in your body. After reading this post, you're now able to look at an item and know if it's good for you or if it isn't! 

Source: http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/nutrition-facts-and-food-labels/the-basics-of-the-nutrition-facts-panel

Nutrition Hot Topics: Supplements

Supplements

I am asked all the time by friends, family, and people that I don't really know if I think they should be taking a supplement. This puts myself, as well as other nutrition students and RDNs in a tough spot. There a thousands of supplements and brand out there with outrageous claims that they can help you build a pound of muscle over night, or lose 10 pounds in 1 week. All of these claims sound great, but sadly, they aren't true. There's a reason why there's so many supplement brands out there and I'm here to start the myth busting!

What is a supplement?

A supplement is defined as something that is taken to aid or enhance the effects of something else. Types of supplements are vitamins and minerals, protein powders, creatine, pre-workout, fat burners, herbs and other products like St. John's Wart. All of these things, yes vitamins and minerals included, are not regulated. By law, supplements do not go through FDA screening and regulation to see if they actually contain what they say they contain, if the amounts are correct, if the ingredients are safe, and if their claims are true. Some brands are more reliable than others.The more mainstream brands like Centrum Silver, One-a-Days, and Nature Made, the more trustworthy they tend to be.

Should you take a multivitamin?

In short, yes. If you are eating a varied diet, getting lots of fruits and vegetables in with meals, then you are most likely getting the recommended daily allowance of vitamins. But, some are harder to get than others. Vitamin D is one that American's are commonly deficient in because unless you live in the southwest or in Florida, most of the year we don't see lots of sunshine. So a multivitamin would make sure that you are getting the appropriate amount of Vitamin D that you need. It is okay to take a multivitamin even if you do have a varied diet. The water soluble vitamins, like the B vitamins, are regulated in our bodies and our bodies only take what we need and the rest is excreted out. With the fat soluble vitamins, they are stored and transferred in fat cells, so they are kept in our bodies for a while but still hard to reach toxic levels, unless you're taking an extreme amount. 

When looking to buy a multivitamin, go for one that is a multivitamin plus minerals. This will help aid in reducing inflammation, preventing disease, and promoting recovery form injury. 

What about all the other types of supplements?

If you really want to take supplements for exercise, like protein powders, creatine, fat burners, pre-workouts, etc, do your research. If you're an athlete, this is extremely important. Whether you play in college, high school, or professionally, you can be subjected to drug testing. If you they find a substance in your urine or blood that is not verified or okay'd by the NSF, they you could be benched or kicked off the team, here is the website to find out if you're supplements are okay to use http://www.nsfsport.com/certified-products/. You can also look on the bottle or box to see if it has the NSF logo, which means it has been tested and approved for use, meaning it has everything it says it does in it and it doesn't contain anything that it shouldn't. 

Do you need a sports supplement?

If you wanted try any type of supplement, the only kind I would recommend would be a protein powder, but only in certain cases. Chocolate milk is the perfect recovery drink with a 3:1 carbs to protein ratio, it has simple carbs that are broken down easily by the body to replenish stores and the protein to help build muscle and lean body tissue. Pair that with a granola bar or half a peanut butter sandwich and you are refueled and on your way to recovery. Protein powder's are good when you're on the run, need a good amount of protein after, trying to gain weight/muscle, or just want a different flavor. You do not need more than 30 grams of protein after a workout though, so if you're trying to get a 50 gram protein supplement, your body is either going to excrete the excess protein out or store it as fat. Fat burners are a lot of talk and have little science behind whether they work or not, it's most likely the placebo effect, but more research needs to be done. Most fat burners are high doses of caffeine because caffeine has been proven to aid in increasing metabolism. The same goes for pre-workout, its caffeine. So, instead of buying a $50  jar of caffeine powder with other mystery ingredients, have a cup of coffee!

Want more information about supplements? Check out the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/vitamins-and-supplements/dietary-supplements/supplements-and-ergogenic-aids-for-athletes