Lesson One: Food Labels

Lorna StremchaExcerpts from Lose the Baggage, Lose

the Weightwww.losethebaggage-

losetheweight.com

Food Labels

What the food label tells youserving sizefamiliar units like a cup(s) or a count

and are followed by the metric unit in grams.

size and how many servings are in a package, container, or item

Breaking the label down

In this example, one serving size prepared is 1 cup, which is equal to 228 grams and 250 calories.

tells you how much energy you are getting by eating one serving of the product

Amount of calories per serving

Serving Per Container

In this example, one serving equals 250 calories.

Use these guidelines when you are shopping

Low caloric: 40 caloriesModerate: 100 caloriesHigh caloric: >= 400 calories

High Fat Matters

High fat servings can halt weight loss increase the risk of obesity increase

the risk of cardiovascular disease and other health issues

More about fat per serving

No more than 35 percent of your daily caloric intake should be from fat.

If you are trying to lose weight, eat no more than 20 percent.

Fat per serving

To find the percentage of fat per serving, divide the calories from fat by 100.

Stop the confusion

Do not confuse the calories from fat number with the percentage, which is discussed next.

Aim for products that include no more than 20–35 percent of fat, and preferably of unsaturated fat.

% Daily Value (%DV)

There is a recommended daily amount for each nutrient. Thepercentage shown represents how well the product meets thatrecommended amount (based on a 2000-calorie diet).

“less than” & “at least”

Some nutrients are labeled to eat “less than” and the other two, totalcarbohydrates and fiber, are suggesting you eat “at least” that amount daily.

Simply Put

read food labels of foods pay close attention to the amount of

calories per serving as well as the fat content

The End of Label LessonLesson Two coming soon