Archive for December, 2007

Here is a list of things that you need to know:

1. Serving size

This is the primary item you will see in a food label.

The amount of servings stated in the food label refers to the quantity of food people usually consume. However, this does not necessarily mean that it reflects your very own amount of food intake.

Moreover, serving size determines the amount of nutrients that enters the body. This means that if you will follow strictly what the serving size is, you will obtain the same amount of nutrients according to the serving size that was given in the label.

For instance, if the serving size says one serving size is equal to 54 grams, that would mean you have to measure 54 grams and eat that and you have just eaten one serving. So to speak, the amount of nutrients stated in the food label is the same amount that has entered your body considering the fact that you have just eaten 54 grams.

However, if you have eaten everything, and the food label says that each pack is equivalent to 4 servings, you have to calculate the amount of nutrients that have entered your body. This means that if the food label says 250 calories per serving that means you have to multiply it to four to get the total amount of calories you have taken.

2. Nutrients

This refers to the list of available nutrients in a particular item. It is also where the nutritional claims of the product based on the recommended daily dietary allowance are stated. Usually, the nutritional amounts are based on both the 2,500-calorie diets and the 2,000 recommended dietary allowances.

In order to understand the numeric value of each item, you should know that the “% daily value” that the food label indicates is actually based on how a particular food corresponds to the recommended daily dietary allowance for a 2,000 calorie.

If in the event that you have purchased an item that has a dietary allowance different from the 2,000-calorie diet, you just have to divide the stipulated amount by 2,000 and you will be able to identify the “%daily value” for the nutrients.

3. Ingredients

This refers to the list of the ingredients that were used to manufacture the product. The listing is usually arranged from the main ingredients that have the greater amount by weight up to the smallest quantity. This simply means that the actual quantity of the food includes the biggest quantity of the main ingredient or the first item and the minimum amount of the very last ingredient.

4. Label claim

This refers to the kinds of nutritional claims of a particular food item. For instance, if an item says it is sodium-free, it has less than 5 milligrams per serving or a low fat item actually contains 3 grams of fat or less.

Indeed, reading food labels can be very tedious and confusing. Nevertheless, once you get the hang of it, it would be easier for you to watch your diet because you can already control the amount of food that you take.

You cannot measure every morsel that passes your lips, but it is a good idea to measure most foods and beverages until you get a feel for portion sizes.

It is a super sized world out there, and most people are surprised to find that their idea of a single serving is actually two or three.

If you are into bells and whistles, there are food scales that are preprogrammed with nutritional information, as well as scales that will keep a running total of your daily food and nutrient intake for you. The only tools you really need, however, are a simple and inexpensive gram scale, dry and liquid measuring cups, and idea on reading food labels.

Among all of the mentioned tools, reading food labels seem to be the most effective way of determining the right kind of food to be bought in the supermarket. It lets you make sensible food selections. Through the “Nutrition Facts” section in a particular item in the grocery, you can identify the amount of serving sizes provided in that product.

With food labels, you can clearly understand the amount and kinds of nutrients that are provided in the item. Usually, it contains the information on saturated fat, sodium, total fat, fiber, and cholesterol amount “per serving.”

However, understanding and reading these food labels can be very perplexing. A typical consumer would definitely ask what those numbers mean and how it will affect her diet intake if ever she will religiously follow the serving guide as stipulated on the food label.

End of Part One

Residents of Central America were enjoying chocolate drinks more than 3,000 years ago, a half millennium earlier than previously thought, new research shows.
art.chocolate.gi.jpg

People were drinking chocolate in Central America more than 3,000 years ago, scientists say.

Archaeologists led by John Henderson of Cornell University studied the remains of pottery used in the lower Ulua Valley in northern Honduras about 1100 B.C.

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According to a report on CNN.com, a recent study found that red meat and processed meats can raise the risk of certain types of cancer.

What the study found was that people who consume high amounts of red meats (all beef, pork and lamb) and processed meats (bacon, red meat sausage, poultry sausage, luncheon meats, cold cuts, ham and most hot dogs) were more likely to have esophageal, colorectal, liver, or lung cancer.

During the eight year study, 500,000 men and women between the ages of 50 and 71 participated and 53,396 cases of cancer were reported.

Looks like fish and poultry are the best choices for your meat fix

Tags
red meat ,cancer

Related News
Study: Red meat, processed meats raise cancer risks – Xinhua
Study: Red Meat Compounds Tied to Cancer – NPR
Meat-rich diet good for men: CSIRO – Stuff.co.nz
High Meat Consumption Linked to Heightened Cancer Risk – Washington Post

Since obesity has become such a prevalent problem, the USDA has revamped its Food Requirements Pyramid.

The orange section is the Grain Group. It suggests that you eat at least 3 ounces of this group daily, with fifty percent of that being whole grains.

The green section is the Vegetable Group. It suggests eating more dark green and orange vegetables, as well as more dry beans and peas.

The red section is the Fruit Group. It suggests eating a wide variety of fruits (fresh, dried, frozen or canned) and take it easy on the fruit juices.

The yellow section is the Oil Group. It suggests getting your fat content from fish, nuts and vegetable oils. Take it easy on butter, stick margarine, shortening and lard.

The blue section is the Dairy Group. Try to choose low-fat or fat-free, and if you can’t consume dairy, use lactose-free products or other calcium rich foods.

The purple section is the Meats & Beans Group. It suggests using lean meats and poultry and to either bake, broil or grill the meat. Also try to supplementing other lean protein sources such as fish, beans, nuts and seeds.

If you would like more information on how this pyramid can work for you, go to MyPyramidPlan and you can customize the pyramid just for you.