What Is That Nutrition Label Really Saying?

Does the information on a nutrition label confuse you? It did me until I decided to learn what it all means. In this article, I want to share that information so you can make better healthy food choices by reading labels and knowing what the information means. This label I'm using is from a single serving 100-calorie pack of dark chocolate almonds.

Total Fat

First, not all fat is created equal, so you also have to factor in how much is saturated and unsaturated; saturated is the bad fat. On this label, we have 8 grams of total fat, but only 0.5 gram is saturated, meaning the other 7.5 grams are unsaturated - the good fat. This is fairly typical with nuts - they are high in fat, but it is good fat, because it is a monounsaturated fat.

Second, the other thing we see is Trans Fat. This is a bad fat and although the label is showing it a 0 grams, it still could have some in it. The Federal government does not require labels to show trans fat content if it is 0.5 gram or less. In that case, you have to go to the ingredients part of the package and look if it contains any hygrogenated or partially hygrogenated oil. If it does, it has trans fat, even though it is a small enough not to require listing.

Cholesterol

There is a difference, but an assumed relationship, between the cholesterol in your blood and diet. About 85% of the cholesterol in your blood is manufactured by your body; the other 15% comes from saturated fat and cholesterol in food. Lately, there has been some controversy if food cholesterol is even absorbed by the body, but it is good to limit your cholesterol to 300 milligrams or less each day; considerably less if you have high blood cholesterol already. If you look at the label, you see this product does not have any cholesterol.

Sodium

Too much sodium in your diet can increase blood pressure along with making you retain water. Based on a 2,000 calorie daily diet, you should have about 1,500 milligrams each day. But considering you can get a whole days worth in one fast-food meal, you have to be aware of how much you are consuming. While you need some sodium (salt), most of us consume more that the recommended daily amount.

Total Carbohydrates

Normally you will see the Total Carbohydrates and then sub headings of Dietary Fiber and Sugars. While this label shows 4 grams, that is not altogether correct, because you have to subtract out the Dietary Fiber. Fiber is undigestable and none of its carbs are used by the body. By factoring them out, we have a net gain of 2 grams of carbs - one gram of sugar and another gram of undeclared carbs.

Carbs are broken down into sugar that the body can use for energy. The reason carb-watching is important is that if we take in too many carbs, it can lead to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and weight gain.

There are different kinds of carbs - simple and complex. Simple carbs include highly refined products, such as:

white flour, including pasta, bread and pastriessugarcorn syrupmost non-diet sodas.

However, complex carbs are good, as it takes the body longer to break them down, thus burning more calories in the process and keeping you feeling fuller longer. Complex carbs typically include:

whole grains, such as oatmeal and barley.most vegetables, including lettuce, cabbage and celery.some low glycemic fruits, such as grapefruit, oranges and strawberries.

Protein

Twenty percent of your diet should consist of protein. This is another category that burns lots of calories and keeps you full longer. Actually, there are two types of protein - animal and plant. The protein that is good for you include fish, poultry, beans, nuts and whole grains.

Lets look at a comparison. A 6-ounce steak has 38 grams of protein. But, it also has 44 grams of fat of which 16 are saturated (the bad fat). On the other hand, a 6-ounce piece of salmon has 34 grams of protein, but only 18 grams of fat, of which only 4 grams are saturated.

Vitamins and Minerals

At the bottom of a label is the amount of vitamins and minerals in each serving and the percentage of what you need per day in your diet. For example, this product has 20% Vitamin E, and 4% each of Calcium and Iron (based on a 2,000 calorie diet). If you are on a lower calorie diet, then you will have to figure accordingly the percentage of each that you are getting from this product.

Working the Numbers

According to the USDA, 50% of your calories should be from carbs, 30% from fat and 20% from protein. But, the problem is the serving size on a label is shown in calories, where the breakdown is in grams. So how do you convert grams to calories, so that you know how many calories are in each category?

You do it by knowing the calories per gram in each category:

Fat - 9Carbohydrates - 4Protein - 4

So for example, our product has:

Fat - 8 grams X 9 calories = 72 caloriesCarbohydrates - 2 grams X 4 calories = 8 caloriesProtein - 3 grams X 4 calories = 12 calories

If you add up the totals, you see it only totals up to 92 calories. The other 8 calories are in the 2 grams of dietary fiber that don't count.

For a 2,000 calorie daily diet, 1,000 calories should come from carbs, 300 calories from fat and 200 calories from protein. This product provides 8 carb calories, 92 fat calories, and 12 protein. Hopefully, now you have a better understanding of what the numbers mean and how to convert grams to calories in each of the major categories when reading nutrition labels, so yo can better plan your snacks and meals.

If you liked this article, please visit my website at Healthy Eating by Ron for more healthy eating tips and technique articles.

To your good health!

Ron Kness

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