Food labels...Part 1

Food labels are overwhelming task to read.  Especially since food companies use words around the labels to make what you are eating appear to be healthy.  They use words like Low Fat, Whole Wheat, Organic…but in truth, nothing about what you are eating has anything to do with health.  So, let’s break down the key points to the Nutrition labels.

Serving Size:  Its right at the top of the chart.  Many of us do not realize that the food we eat is actually above the serving size.  We think we are eating the right portion but the serving size it split into 3, 4 or 5 servings.  That means all the nutritional information is also multiplied by the number of serving sizes.

Calories: Are the energy we get from food.  Not all calories are created equal 200 calories for a piece of salmon is not the same for a piece of pizza.   I find with most of my clients they struggle with drinking their calories.  For example, you could have an apple at 53 calories or 5 ounces of Coke.  Which is going to do your body good?

Total Carbs:  This is a type of Macro-nutrient energy.  Carbs are good for you.  I know we are all hearing different, but carbs are your bodies first line of energy when doing anything.  It is the type of carb you are eating that can impact your health.  Carbs in a sugar laden cereal is not the same as a whole wheat bagel.   Processed, refined carbs are burned quickly and can spike insulin levels in your body.  Unprocessed, non-gmo carbs like rice cakes, veggies fries, rice, and sweet potatoes take longer to digest because of the wonderful nutrients and fiber in these foods.   Carbs should be about 50% of your total calories for the day.

Protein:  Each adult need about .8 gram of protein each day for every pound you weigh.  That means I need about 99.  Depending on what kind of work you do or how you work out you may need more or less.  Protein should be about 20% of your total calorie intake of the day.  Make sure you understand that where a hot dog does have protein it also has fillers, preservatives and a shit ton of sodium.  So as always, eat smart. We use all this protein to repair our muscles from the abuse we give it in the gym.

Fats: Fats are the 2nd form of energy for our bodies.  Good fat does not make you fat, sugar and highly processed saturated fats make us fat.  The thing to keep in mind is that food companies round fat ratios to the nearest whole.  So, for example, a food with .6% fat or 1.4% will be rounded to 1%.  If you feel like you want to be more exact, divide the calories from fat by 9 then divide the result by the serving size.  OR if you feel like that is too complex, understand fat is good, but with all things use common sense, KFC not good, Salmon good. A person should consider fat as 30% of their diet. 

 I will be doing more blogs regarding nutrition labels and how to read them.  Take time to understand these key pieces first, carbs, fats and protein.  Our main sources of energy and muscle restoration.