For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal live. John 3:16 (NIV)

The FDA designed food labels to provide helpful information to the consumer. If you know what you're looking for you can make the healthiest food choices to keep your diet low in fat and sodium, and high in the vitamins and minerals. found in nutrient-dense foods. There are a few very important facts to keep in mind.

1) Probably the most important to note is what the manufacturer calls the "serving size" for that food. Keeping in mind this may not be your idea of a serving (what? Only 10 potato chips?), remember that this amount is what all the rest of the information is based on. So if you choose to eat 30 chips, while the stated serving size is 10, you must then triple all the rest of the nutrient information: 360 Calories instead of 120, 30 grams of fat as compared to 10 grams in 10 chips, etc. Likewise, if you are going to be eating 1/2 cup of spinach instead of 1 cup, and 1 cup is what the label shows as a serving, you will be getting just half the stated amount of fiber, vitamin A and calcium.

2) The next components on the nutrition facts panel are fat grams (including saturated fat and trans fats), cholesterol, and sodium. Next to them on the right are listed the percent daily value. The daily value is how much the average person should aim for in a day, barring any medical conditions. Not all nutrients have daily values assigned. These were established to help guide people about nutrients that are commonly either over-consumed or under-consumed. For fat, cholesterol, and sodium you want to strive for no more than 100% of what is recommended, as these are commonly over-consumed. If you pick up a frozen dinner and see that it contains 100% of your daily value for sodium, that means it has all the sodium you need all day! You don't want to try to exceed 100% of sodium, fat, or cholesterol (a prime example of "more is not better"). Few people are aware of the number of milligrams that are recommended for any nutrients: The daily value gives you a perspective regarding what amounts you want to consume during the day. If you eat three meals a day, you might try aiming for 30% of the daily value for sodium and fat in each meal. If you're having a snack, you probably want to find one with less than 10% of the daily value for these nutrients.

3) Next are total carbohydrate, grams of fiber, and sugars. There are daily values listed for these too. While carbohydrate gram numbers may look high, remember to compare them to the daily value. Since half the calories in a balanced diet should be composed of carbohydrate (with no more than 30% from fat and about 15-20% from protein) most people will be aiming for 250-300 grams per day. Again, try breaking it down into meals: An average meal should have 80 to100 grams of carbohydrate; a snack should not! Fiber recommendations start at 25 grams daily. Try adding up the fiber you eat one day and see how close you can come-it's not easy.

4) Protein grams are also listed. Needs vary greatly from person to person. One reasonable guideline is to consume half a gram of protein for every pound of your ideal body weight. So if a man weighs 170 pounds, 85 grams of protein a day is really all that is needed for his body maintenance. For certain conditions or highly trained athletes this can vary. Since there is no concern at present that Americans are lacking dietary protein, there is no daily value listed on food packages.

5) The vitamins and minerals the FDA determined should be listed on labels are those that people in this country are often lacking. The B vitamins are not required to be listed because B vitamin deficiencies are so rare nowadays. More common are diets lacking in adequate vitamins A and C, and the minerals iron and calcium. For all the nutrients (including those previously listed) a good guideline is Less than 5% of the daily value is considered low; more than 20% is considered high.

If you're looking for a good source of calcium, check the label to see that the food you're considering for purchase provides 20% (or 30%) of the daily value. Some yogurt cartons are too small (for convenience) to be a good source of calcium; some cheeses are actually 'processed cheese food' and are not made with milk, and some dairy products are high sources of fat. Reading labels works best when used to compare items to each other. On your next grocery shopping trip take a look at two or three items in each category. Compare low fat cottage cheese to regular, tuna packed in oil to tuna packed in water, or frozen spinach to spinach soufflé. You'll learn a lot, and the next time you go shopping it won't take as much time to discover what your smartest choices are.

Please visit Laurie's website, "Shaping Your Future" at http://www.mycoachlaurie.com for diet tips, links to great books and websites, or to sign up for a free monthly newsletter!

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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