FitSugar

5 Things About Salt

FitSugar — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:30:00 -0800

Since the FDA is considering regulating sodium in processed foods, I have been hearing more and more about the reasons why. Here are five things to ponder about the sodium content in your diet.

Seventy-five percent of the salt we consume comes from processed food and food from restaurants, not from the salt shaker.
Your tongue cannot adequately discern how much salt is in your food. If the salt is on the surface of the food, like a potato chip, it will taste salty. However, when the sodium of a serving of frozen mac-n-cheese is 500 mg chances are your tongue will not register that this portion of food contains 25 percent of your RDI (recommended daily intake) of sodium. You really need to read the nutritional label on processed foods to know.
Processed foods in the US generally contain more sodium than the same product in the UK. McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets is a great example – in the US they contain more than twice as much sodium as the United Kingdom version. Breakfast cereal is not exempt either – Kellogg’s Special K (advertised as "super healthy") has 58 percent more sodium per serving in the US version than the UK cereal.

There are two more reasons so read more

Not only does sodium content of specific products vary widely country to country, within the same type of product, like different types of canned tuna and corn chips, the sodium content can be drastically different. Once again I remind you to read the label.
Sodium is added to processed food to prevent it from spoiling. The salt draws moisture out of food so bacteria can't grow. It also helps to thicken soup and reduce dryness in crackers and pretzels.

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Do You Read Nutritional Labels?

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 07:30:00 -0800

Me, I read a label pretty thoroughly and consistently. I like to know what I am putting into my body, good or bad. However, I always find it interesting that my husband will eat just about anything that sounds good to him without so much as glancing at the label - reading the label is not something that he even thinks about (even while being married to FitSugar). I know my husband is not alone in this, so what about you guys?

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What's the FIRST Thing You Read on a Nutritional Facts Label?

FitSugar — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 07:30:00 -0700

Everyone looks at food differently, and even though we eat to live, not all food suits everyone's needs. Some people need high protein diets if they are training or working out a lot. If you are nursing, you may be looking for extra calories. If you have high blood pressure, you may be concerned with the amount of saturated fat, cholesterol or sodium in a food.

So I want to know, when you look at the nutritional info on a food...

What's the Diff: Omega-3s vs. Omega-6s

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:00:10 -0800

Omegas are all the buzz right now, and it seems like everywhere you turn, new foods are being enhanced with this essential fatty acid, or labeled as an excellent source. What people don't know is that there are different types of omegas, and eating too much of one kind can actually be harmful to your body.

Omega-3s are found in flax seeds, walnuts, cod liver oil, and fatty fish like mackerel, lake trout, albacore tuna, and salmon. Fish are the best sources because they are high in two particular fatty acids that are crucial to good health, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid).

Then there are omega-6s. These fats are found in eggs, nuts, chicken, and vegetable oils such as corn, soy, safflower, and sunflower oil. Omega-6s are high in LA (linoleic acid), which is converted by the body into GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), and then further broken down to AA (arachidonic acid).

Do you know which type of omega fatty acid we should be eating more of? To find out, keep reading

Food Review: Forze GPS Shakes and Bars

FitSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:00:46 -0800

I'm typically wary of fitness drinks with gold packaging; they remind me of the weird muscle-building brands I see at the gym. But when I read the label on Forze GPS shakes and bars, I was intrigued.

This line of snacks, including chocolate and vanilla shakes and four flavors of energy bar, is described as a "weight management tool designed specifically for athletes." They promise to activate your appetite control signals, so they can be used as a between-meal or pre- or post-workout snack. Hear what I thought about their taste and the results.

Label Able: The Basics

FitSugar — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:00:00 -0800

Reading nutritional labels can be tough, so it's nice to review the basics every once in a while. I found this little rundown of label basics from WebMD really helpful and simple, so I wanted to share.

Here are highlights:

Serving Size. Serving sizes are based on the amount of food people typically eat, which makes them realistic and easy to compare to similar foods. This may or may not be the serving amount you normally eat. It is important that you pay attention to the serving size, including the number of servings in the package and compare it to how much you actually eat. The size of the serving on the food package influences all the nutrient amounts listed on the top part of the label. For example, if a package has 4 servings and you eat the entire package, you quadruple the calories, fat, etc. that you have eaten.

There's a lot more great info, so read more.

Calories and Calories From Fat. The number of calories and grams of nutrients are provided for the stated serving size. This is the part of the food label where you will find the amount of fat per serving.
Nutrients. This section lists the daily amount of each nutrient in the food package. These daily values are the reference numbers that are set by the government and are based on current nutrition recommendations. Some labels list daily values for both 2,000 and 2,500 calorie diets.
- "% Daily Value." Shows how a food fits into a 2,000 calorie/day diet. For diets other than 2,000 calories, divide by 2,000 to determine the % Daily Value for nutrients. For example, if you are following a 1,500 calorie diet, your % Daily Value goal will be based on 75% for each nutrient, not 100%.
- Fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Choose foods with a low % Daily Value. For total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals, try to reach your goal for each nutrient.
Ingredients. Each product should list the ingredients on the label. They are listed from largest to smallest amount (by weight). This means a food contains the largest amount of the first ingredient and the smallest amount of the last ingredient.

Label claims can be misleading as well, so be sure you've got those figured out too!

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Label Able: Heart Healthy Choices, Part Two

FitSugar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:45:00 -0800

In the last days of Heart Health Month, we've been focusing on ways to get our hearts healthy now and in the future. One key way to keeping healthy is to smarten up at the grocery store when reading labels. Here's just a few tips to help you figure out what it all means on the front of the label, and the back:

Sterols and stanols. Plant sterols and stanols are cholesterol-lowering substances often added to products like margarine and salad dressings. Review the label carefully to make sure a product states it offers the cholesterol-lowering benefits of plant sterols and stanols.
Sodium. Look for phrases like "low sodium" or "reduced sodium." This is especially important in processed and canned foods. If a food is labeled as "reduced" in sodium, it has 25 percent less salt than the regular product.
Trans fats. Eat trans fats sparingly, as they raise your bad cholesterol and lower your good cholesterol. Fried foods and processed foods that have a long shelf life are often loaded with them. The term "partially hydrogenated oil" on an ingredient list indicates the food contains trans fats.
Saturated fat. Butter, fatty cuts of red meat, and cheese made from whole milk are among foods with the highest amount of saturated fat - a main dietary cause of high blood cholesterol. Opt for low-fat or nonfat dairy products, lean meats such as loin or round cuts and liquid margarines instead of butter.

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FDA Rethinks "Smart Choice" Food Labels

FitSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:00:51 -0700

When the concept behind the "Smart Choice" food labels was introduced, it sounded like a good idea. The goal was to provide easy to digest nutritional information on the front of food packages and the products bearing the label were to meet health guidelines - low calorie count, low in sugar. But when the green check mark made its debut this August, it seemed rather fishy that the cereal Fruit Loops, which lists sugar as its first ingredient, could score the "Smart Choice" badge of approval.

The FDA is cracking down on the use of the label and many large food corporations, like Pepsi-Co and Kellogg's, are suspending their use of the symbol while the FDA creates guidelines for nutritional labels used on the front of food packages. Although no time line was given, the FDA has plans to design a standardized food labeling system, to replace the many voluntary nutritional labels that have been created by the food industry, supermarkets, and nutritionists. The FDA will be working with food manufacturers as well as nutritionists to create a label that helps shoppers select healthy foods. My suggestion: don't rely on the front or the back, read the ingredients and the nutritional panel. Or shop for whole foods and forgo products with labels entirely.

Label Able: Heart Healthy Choices, Part One

FitSugar — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:00:00 -0800

In the last days of Heart Health Month, we've been focusing on ways to get our hearts healthy now and in the future. One key way to keep healthy is to smarten up at the grocery store when reading labels. Here are just a few tips to help you figure out what it all means on the front of the label, and the back:

The claim, "May reduce the risk of heart disease." A company can only put this statement on a food if scientific evidence exists that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has decided is strong enough to support it.
Nutrient content claims. The government regulates how a company can use terms such as "high," "low" or "reduced." For example, a food must have 3 grams of fat or less to be considered low fat, and a product that is high in a certain nutrient provides 20 percent or more of the daily value suggested by the FDA.
Foods with fiber. Fiber helps the digestive system and lowers cholesterol. Look for the claims "high in fiber" or "excellent source of fiber," as these products have at least 5 grams of fiber per serving. A food listed as a "good source" of fiber has 2.5 grams of fiber or more.
Omega-3 fats. Omega-3 fats have been shown to benefit the heart. Fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel and trout are good sources of omega fats and are low in saturated fat.

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Read food labels

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:29:39 -0700

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HEALTH GUIDE REFERENCE FROM A.D.A.M

Allergic reactions to a certain food can include diffuse hives, hoarse voice, wheezing, and, in severe reactions, low blood pressure and closing down of the windpipe. Medications such as antihistamines and skin creams may provide some relief from itching and rashes, but the best way to prevent future allergic reactions is to avoid the offending food in the first place. Reading the labels contained on most products is a useful way to find a certain food that a person may want to avoid.

Review Date: 7/25/2007

Reviewed By: Donald Accetta, MD, MPH, President, Allergy & Asthma Care, PC, Taunton, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

A.D.A.M. Copyright

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997-2009 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

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