Speaking 'Food Label'

  Learning to speak Spanish, French, or Chinese would be great to boost your CV, and it could really improve your traveling experiences. Learning to speak ‘Food Label’ could save your life. This skill is especially important for those with health conditions, but also for anyone who wishes to live a long, healthy life.

The Basics

Calories

 This is often the first and last thing that we view when looking at a food label, as we all know that high calorie foods lead to weight gain (3500 calories equals one pound of fat). It’s important to examine not only the calorie levels, but also what comes with those calories. One cup of avocados, for example, contains over 200 calories. However, avocados are also packed with soluble fiber, vitamins, and minerals. A Twinkie only contains about 150 calories, but it provides no vitamins or minerals, and is full of sugar, sodium, and unhealthy fats.

Serving Size

 

  Pay attention to serving sizes. If you eat more than the serving size, do the math to determine the true numbers of what you’re taking in. 

The Good

Fiber

  Fiber comes with many great health benefits! It helps in lowering cholesterol, reducing your risk for heart disease, and improving blood sugar levels. Men should intake about 38 grams of fiber each day, and women should try to consume 25 grams. Fiber is found in many sources, including grains, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Strive to consume whole grains, as they contain high amounts of fiber and are considered to be heart-healthy. 

Vitamins and Minerals

 

 The daily value (or DV) lets you know what levels of vitamins and minerals are sufficient for healthy adults. Foods that contain 10-19% of a nutrient are generally considered a good source.    

The Bad

Fat

  Don’t just look at how much fat is in the food; look at what type of fats are found. Unhealthy fats, like trans fats and saturated fats, have been shown to increase LDL cholesterol levels (bad cholesterol), and decrease HDL levels (good cholesterol)—a double blow to your health. Hydrogenated oil and shortening are code names for unhealthy fats. You should avoid these fats whenever possible. Foods with healthier, unsaturated fats are always a better option.

Sodium

  It is recommended that we intake a teaspoon of sodium each day (2,300 mg). Sodium is another name for salt, and it can be a concern as excess sodium can raise our blood pressure. High sodium levels in food is also an indicator that the food has likely been processed. Processed foods are generally stripped of vitamins and minerals and are more likely to contain trans fats. They also have added chemicals to restore flavor that is lost during processing, alter the color, and increase the shelf life of the food.

Sugar

         

 

 If it ends in ‘ose’, think sugar. Dextrose, fructose, maltose, and lactose are all forms of sugar. Other forms of sugar will be listed as ‘sweeteners’ or ‘syrup’, as in ‘corn sweetener’ or ‘malt syrup’. Scroll down to the ingredients and look at what type of sugar you’re consuming. The ingredients are listed by volume, with the first ingredients being the major components in the food. If sugars are among the first ingredients, you probably should avoid taking the product home. Be careful, because sometimes manufactures will list sugars separately so that sugar doesn’t appear to be the main ingredient. For example, they will list high fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, and dextrose so that none of them appear at the top of the ingredients list. Be leery of foods with 3 or more sugar ingredients.  

Conclusion



Whether you're stance is, "I drive way too fast to be worried about cholesterol and heart disease," or if you're thinking, "I'm so sick and tired of being sick and tired," I recommend the following poem by Joseph Malins (1895). Let it inspire you to take an active stance in pursuing better health:

 The Ambulance Down in the Valley

'Twas a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed,
though to walk near its crest was so pleasant;
but over its terrible edge there had slipped
a duke and full many a peasant.

So the people said something would have to be done,
but their projects did not at all tally;
some said, 'Put a fence 'round the edge of the cliff, '
some, 'An ambulance down in the valley.'

But the cry for the ambulance carried the day,
for it spread through the neighboring city;
a fence may be useful or not, it is true,
but each heart became full of pity
for those who slipped over the dangerous cliff;

And the dwellers in highway and alley
gave pounds and gave pence, not to put up a fence,
but an ambulance down in the valley.

'For the cliff is all right, if you're careful, ' they said,
'and if folks even slip and are dropping,
it isn't the slipping that hurts them so much
as the shock down below when they're stopping.'

So day after day, as these mishaps occurred,
quick forth would those rescuers sally
to pick up the victims who fell off the cliff,
with their ambulance down in the valley.

Then an old sage remarked: 'It's a marvel to me
that people give far more attention
to repairing results than to stopping the cause,
when they'd much better aim at prevention.

Let us stop at its source all this mischief, ' cried he,
'come, neighbors and friends, let us rally;
if the cliff we will fence, we might almost dispense
with the ambulance down in the valley.'

Sources

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fiber/NU00033
http://www.nutrition.gov/smart-nutrition-101

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/25/grocery-shopping-list-budget_n_3474974.html#slide=2593497
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-ambulance-down-in-the-valley/