Lack of time and lack of funds are the two biggest reasons we opt to eat convenient foods rather than fresh foods. While I’m a big proponent of eating healthy, fresh, and if possible, organic, I know even I can’t manage that every single day. So what do you do when you just have to get a frozen meal or a processed snack? Be sure to read the labels so you know what you’re actually putting in your body.
The American Heart Association has a great webpage that can give you a basic intro to this skill: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/understanding-food-nutrition-labels.
Their graphic is clear and easy to read, and their tips are spot on with what nutritionists and doctors have shared with me over the years. Just in case you don’t make it to the bottom of their webpage, I want to highlight a couple of things for you here.
The first thing to realize is that the nutritional label will apply to only one serving, and there may be more than one serving in a container. If you’re eating crackers, then that’s obvious. But if you’re drinking a sports or vitamin enriched beverage, then beware! Your light 50 calorie drink will suddenly turn to into a hefty 250 calorie per bottle once you do the servings per bottle math.
My second caution for you is to remember that whatever is written on the box in big bold letters is likely to be marketing, and thus, not entirely accurate. For example, if a product says it’s trans fat free, check to see if the ingredient list says “partially hydrogenated oil,” because that’s code for trans fats. If that is in the ingredient list, then the marketing isn’t technically true. How are they getting away with this untruth? Because technically if there’s less than 0.5 grams of the stuff per serving, then they can say it’s trans fat free. They don’t need to add that if you have more than one serving, then there’s more trans fats - I mean, they need to be able to sell their product after all! Honestly though, how many of us eat only one serving of crackers or cookies or chips at a time?!
Another example is if you’re trying to eat whole grains and you see a cereal box that boasts that it’s made with whole grains, read the ingredient list! The ingredients are always listed in order of decreasing weight. For example, bread will likely have flour listed first, and something like salt listed last. If your “whole grain” food doesn’t have its whole grain listed first or second, then there’s no telling how much you’re really getting, and it’s like saying that my chocolate bar is made with wholesome milk... Well, yes, there’s milk products in my chocolate bar, but that doesn’t make it healthy. Don’t trust the advertising!
So what’s the take-home lesson today? If you’re not going to go fresh and organic, then for your sake, please make a habit of reading the nutritional label and the ingredient list. If you want any help with this, or have any additional questions, I’ll be happy to help - either by sharing with you what I’ve been taught, or referring you to someone who’s more of a nutritional expert than I.
The American Heart Association has a great webpage that can give you a basic intro to this skill: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/understanding-food-nutrition-labels.
Their graphic is clear and easy to read, and their tips are spot on with what nutritionists and doctors have shared with me over the years. Just in case you don’t make it to the bottom of their webpage, I want to highlight a couple of things for you here.
The first thing to realize is that the nutritional label will apply to only one serving, and there may be more than one serving in a container. If you’re eating crackers, then that’s obvious. But if you’re drinking a sports or vitamin enriched beverage, then beware! Your light 50 calorie drink will suddenly turn to into a hefty 250 calorie per bottle once you do the servings per bottle math.
My second caution for you is to remember that whatever is written on the box in big bold letters is likely to be marketing, and thus, not entirely accurate. For example, if a product says it’s trans fat free, check to see if the ingredient list says “partially hydrogenated oil,” because that’s code for trans fats. If that is in the ingredient list, then the marketing isn’t technically true. How are they getting away with this untruth? Because technically if there’s less than 0.5 grams of the stuff per serving, then they can say it’s trans fat free. They don’t need to add that if you have more than one serving, then there’s more trans fats - I mean, they need to be able to sell their product after all! Honestly though, how many of us eat only one serving of crackers or cookies or chips at a time?!
Another example is if you’re trying to eat whole grains and you see a cereal box that boasts that it’s made with whole grains, read the ingredient list! The ingredients are always listed in order of decreasing weight. For example, bread will likely have flour listed first, and something like salt listed last. If your “whole grain” food doesn’t have its whole grain listed first or second, then there’s no telling how much you’re really getting, and it’s like saying that my chocolate bar is made with wholesome milk... Well, yes, there’s milk products in my chocolate bar, but that doesn’t make it healthy. Don’t trust the advertising!
So what’s the take-home lesson today? If you’re not going to go fresh and organic, then for your sake, please make a habit of reading the nutritional label and the ingredient list. If you want any help with this, or have any additional questions, I’ll be happy to help - either by sharing with you what I’ve been taught, or referring you to someone who’s more of a nutritional expert than I.
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