Reading labels is far more important than comparing prices to save money.....
By reading labels you may save much more than dollars and cents. You may save yourself a lot of unnecessary pain and suffering. Reading Nutrition label and understanding nutrition contents of the food we buy from grocery stores is the most important thing to stay fit and healthy. Scientific studies have documented over and over again the role a healthy diet plays in dramatically reducing one’s risk of the deadly diseases.
Serving Size and Serving per container:
- Serving Size tells how much should be eaten at one time. For example serving size is for Mac and cheese is 1 cup at one time.
- Serving per container tells how many servings are in packet
Calories:
FDA recommends to eat approx. 2000 calories diet to all individuals. Everybody is well- known about the fact that eating too many calories leads to being overweight and obese which in turn leads to chronic illness like hypertension, diabetes and cancer.
General guidelines to calories is :
- 40 cal is low
- 100 cal is moderate
- 400 cal or more is high
% Daily values:
It shows % of nutrient achieved by eating serving of the food. % daily values is based on 2000 calorie diet.General rule for % daily value(DV)is :
20% or more % DV is high
5% or less % DV is low
Fats: Limiting these nutrients will help to stay healthy and fit.
Saturated fats are found in animal products and raise cholesterol if overeaten.
Unsaturated fats are good for us and are found in fish and plants like nuts like almonds and cashews, avocado and olive oil.
Cholesterol and Sodium:
Eating too much fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, or sodium may increase your risk of certain chronic diseases, like heart disease, some cancers, or high blood pressure.
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made in the liver and other cells. It is found in certain foods, such as food from animals, like dairy products, eggs, and meat. The body needs some cholesterol in order to function properly.
http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/guide/cholesterol-basics.
- Cholesterol and sodium are important but in moderation.
- Eating too much sodium increases blood pressure.
- Not more than 2300 mg/day sodium should be consumed.
- Not more than 300 mg/day cholesterol should be consumed.
Fiber, Vitamins and Minerals:
Fiber is the type of carbohydrate that does not raise blood glucose. In fact, the presence of fiber can slow down the impact of the other carbohydrates in a meal.
- Vitamins and minerals are very important in our diet. Thus getting enough of these is mandatory for good health.
- Fiber very important carbohydrate.
- Vitamins A and C are mentioned on labels.
- Minerals Calcium and iron are mentioned on labels.