nutritional information

A varied diet that features lots of whole, fresh foods can give you the nutrition you need, but should you be using a supplement as well? Read on for recommendations from top nutritionists and dietitians to see if supplements are right for you.

Don't make supplements a substitute: Before you reach for a supplement, evaluate your diet to see how you can improve it. "Whole foods contain dozens and dozens of nutrients, including not just vitamins and minerals, but also antioxidants and phytochemicals, which would be impossible to fully replace with supplements," says Cynthia Sass, registered dietitian and author of S.A.S.S. Yourself Slim. Focus on eliminating processed foods and increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat in order to get the most out of your food. "Eat the rainbow" with these colorful, antioxidant-rich recipes.

Multivitamins can work: "Even the healthiest eater can struggle to get in every vitamin and mineral needed each and every day," says registered dietitian Erin Palinski. She recommends a multivitamin to help ensure you are filling in holes in your diet. If you take a multivitamin, however, make sure you choose a "high-quality, whole-food-based multivitamin/multimineral," says Kimberly Snyder, nutritionist and author of The Beauty Detox Solution.

Get specific: Besides a multivitamin, certain supplements can target specific holes in your diet to suit you better. Supplements like probiotics, for example, can be useful to "help ensure you are absorbing your nutrients most effectively," Kimberly says. Nutritionist and Karma Chow founder Melissa Costello recommends supplements containing B complex, iron, and vitamin D3 because those may still be missing in your food or your body may not be able to absorb all nutrients. "Most of us have poor digestion so we cannot fully absorb all the nutrients from our foods and our soils have been so depleted that the nutrients are not as present in foods today," she explains.

Do you take supplements? Which ones do you recommend?

A quick and easy breakfast, cereal can be an excellent source of protein and fiber. It can also be loaded with sugar, making your bowl not as healthy as you thought. I'm not talking about Frosted Flakes or Lucky Charms either — seemingly healthy cereals have sugar, cane juice, or the like as one of the first few ingredients. Check the label on your box and if it's high in sugar, choose one of the low-sugar options below. If these don't seem flavorful enough, jazz up your bowl with some naturally sweet fresh fruit.

Keep reading for more cereals that are low in sugar.

How much calcium should you get? What about vitamin B12? Are you getting enough? If you're curious to know how much you need each day of your basic vitamins and minerals, this chart is for you! It tells you the recommended daily intake (RDI) of each nutrient and what you need to eat to obtain it.

Keep reading to find out if you're meeting your RDI of the other vitamins and minerals.

Olive oil has a reputation for being one of the healthiest oils to eat and cook with, but recently, coconut oil is gaining the same support within the health community. With each having their own benefits in the kitchen, here's a guide on deciding which oil is best for your healthy cooking needs.

When compared nutritionally, both coconut and olive oil contain 120 calories and 14 grams of fat per one-tablespoon serving; the significant difference being that coconut oil contains more saturated fat, primarily lauric acid. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting daily fat intake to 25 to 35 percent of total calories consumed, and saturated fat to less than seven percent. If you're going to eat saturated fat (especially if you have a history of heart issues or high cholesterol), limit your intake, and choose sources like dairy products or meat that also offer protein, calcium, and iron.

Wait a second — what about all the claims that coconut oil can cure obesity, cancer, and thyroid disease, lower your cholesterol, and boost your immune system? That's just it, these amazing health benefits are just claims. Presently, there have been no large studies to support the benefits associated with using coconut oil in meals, and the health and medical communities remain divided. Until more evidence comes out, you may want to wait before cooking everything with coconut oil (but because of its higher smoke point, it might work well in certain instances). When possible, choose a bottle of heart-healthy olive oil. The main type of fat found in all types of olive oil is monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), which offer proven health benefits including lowering cholesterol, which reduces the risk of heart disease.

If you're vegan, coconut oil does make a great substitution for butter since it gives baked goods that same flaky, rich consistency and taste. But since it contains slightly more calories (20 more per tablespoon), it doesn't exactly give you the go-ahead to devour an entire plate of just-baked vegan cookies.

Source: Flickr User Veganbaking.net

The savvier shoppers become, the sneakier food companies are in changing how they phrase ingredients. Many items, like high fructose corn syrup and trans fats, are still in foods but listed under new names. Know what's in your food, by being familiar with the following food aliases companies are using.

• Natural flavors: There is no official description of how food companies use the word "natural." Although the word natural isn't supposed to apply for any artificial or synthetic substances, there is still a lot of wiggle room with the rule. For instance, some companies use the term natural additives when describing high fructose corn syrup.
• Organic: Labeling something organic is a surefire way to increase a company's sales. In order for a company to label a processed-food product organic, only 80 percent of the ingredients need to actually meet requirements. Unless the food is labeled 100-percent organic, it isn't made completely from organic ingredients.
• Glutamate: Although glutamate can occur naturally in cheese, milk, mushrooms, fish, and vegetables, monosodium glutamate is an artificial version of glutamate commonly referred to as MSG. MSG does not legally have to be labeled as such, or even as monosodium glutamate. MSG is the sodium salt of glutamate so by labeling an ingredient low in sodium, it could actually mean it contains MSG, which has been shown to have a correlation to both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, among others. Other key phrases include autolyzed yeast, textured protein, gelatin, and barley malt.

Keep reading for the skinny on more tricky terms.

Does it take you an extra 20 minutes at the grocery store because you're obsessed with reading labels? Even if you solely shop at health food stores, some foods may still contain processed or chemically laden ingredients. Read on to find out which terms you might want to pass on when you see them on a label.

Xanthan Gum: A common thickening ingredient, xanthan gum is made by fermenting corn sugar with the Xanthomonas campestris bacterium (that's where it gets its name). Aside from being a thickener, xanthan gum is added to products as an emulsifier to help ingredients blend more effectively. While this ingredient is harmless for most, those with an allergy to corn should pass. Watch out for xanthan gum in salad dressings and sauces.

Carmine: If six-legged creepy crawlies freak you out, then this is one ingredient you'll want to skip. Carmine is a bright-red pigment that's obtained from female scaly insects such as the cochineal. It's used in food, artificial flowers, paints, makeup, and ink. Vegans, vegetarians, and those following a kosher or halal diet need to know that this ingredients is also called Crimson Lake, Cochineal, Natural Red 4, C.I. 75470, or E120.

Mono- and Diglycerides: These incomplete fats are common food additives used to blend ingredients together that don't naturally mix well, like oil and water — think processed peanut butter like Jif. Even though they're not-quite-whole fats, both really have no caloric impact, since they're added to foods in such tiny amounts. Just like hydrogenated oils, mono- and diglycerides increase the shelf life of foods, but according to the FDA, they are on the GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) list. Since these fatty food additives may come from an animal source (derived from a pig or cow), vegans and vegetarians will want to steer clear.

Keep on reading to learn what other ingredients you might want to avoid.

Eating a healthy diet often means spending time reading food labels at the grocery store. The next time you hit the market, follow these important tips to ensure you're not missing something.

• Look at more than calories: When it comes to losing weight, you've probably grown accustomed to checking the calorie counts, but remember that this number isn't everything. Many healthy foods (like quinoa) tend to be higher in calories; likewise, a food that's low in calories may contain a lot of sodium or saturated fat. Read through every part of the label to get the full picture, and then make the decision if you're going to eat it.
• Compare apples to apples: You have two boxes of crackers in your hands and quickly see that one contains 220 calories per serving, while the other is only 140. Before you choose the box with fewer calories, double-check to make sure you're comparing equal serving sizes. Also take a look to see how the nutritional content compares.
• Read, and reread: There are certain foods you feel confident placing in your cart because you've previously read through the labels. Play it safe by checking the label again every month, just to make sure the company hasn't changed or added ingredients without you knowing; the whole-grain pretzels I used to buy are now sadly made with enriched flour.

You may think your diet is right on track, but do you know how much fat, sugar, and salt you should be eating on an everyday basis? In honor of National Nutrition Month, we're taking a look at the dietary guidelines for some of the sneakiest health spoilers. Learn the recommended daily intake for fat, sugar, and salt based on a 2,000 calories-per-day diet and try to adjust your habits accordingly:

• Fat: The American Heart Association suggests that people consume 500 to 700 calories from fat each day, somewhere between 56 to 78 grams (or 25 to 35 percent of your total daily calories). Don't think of fat as the bad guy, though. Instead, try to eat more healthy fats, found in foods like nuts, avocado, and olive oil. You should also limit your saturated fat intake to less than 16 grams and keep unhealthy trans fats to less than two grams per day.
• Sugar: It's recommended that women eat 100 calories from added sugars each day, just five percent of their daily diet. Wondering what 100 calories of sugar looks like? About six teaspoons. That may seem like a lot, but sugar tends to turn up in some surprising sources, like bread and yogurt, so educate yourself on the sweet culprits and learn how to cut back on sugar. Since nutrition labels list both naturally occurring and added sugars, check the ingredient list for a more detailed account of which kind of sugars a food item may have; anything containing fruit or dairy will contain natural sugars.
• Salt: The recommended daily intake of salt is 1,500 milligrams to 2,300 milligrams (about a teaspoon), depending on your risk factors. Less than you expected? The overconsumption of sodium is linked to high-blood pressure and a range of other health issues, so monitor your salt intake and follow these tips to limit sodium.

Scrutinizing the amount of fat, sugar, and salt in every food you eat isn't realistic, but it's important to learn the proper health guidelines so you can aim for the recommended totals. Not sure where to start? Try checking the labels on some of your favorite foods to kick-start your awareness and tailor your nutrition as needed.

Source: Flickr User Momentcaptured1

It's important to start your day off right by eating a well-balanced breakfast that includes protein. However, are you aware of the calories and nutritional breakdown of your favorite breakfast proteins?

Check out the nutritional breakdown of popular breakfast proteins.