Decoding Food Labels

I can't believe it's taken me this long to actually publish a blog about food labels. I owe my best friend and sorority sister Rose, for the motivation. In terms of my knowledge on this topic, I owe that to that Dr. Ann Wertz Garvin; a professor, author, and most importantly a friend.  Anyways, I never really understood labels and didn't read them until I was 20 pounds overweight and realizing that something needed to be done.  I enrolled in Dr. Garvin's class in the spring of 2008 and since then, it's been history. My major changed, I found my passion, and now I want to educate you. Hopefully you'll be able to understand a little of this jibberish after I try to breakdown the major components. After incessant hours of research on the ingredients I couldn't understand or pronounce, measuring out my servings, and buying way too many nutrition books, I get it; and want to share it with you. I pulled out my Nutrition for Life binder from UW-Whitewater, all of my print outs, portfolios, and reading material, let's decode!
First off, food manufacturers are required by law to share nutritional information with us, but if you don't know how to read or interpret these labels, what good is it? We'll start from top to bottom of a food label most college aged students will recognize,  like this one...a typical frozen pepperoni pizza (I'm not calling out the brand). First and foremost, all nutritional labels (unless stated otherwise) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet and they show a comparison for someone on a 2,500 calorie diet. At the top of the label it states that a serving is one pizza, and I personally KNOW after a night on the town the first thing we when we get home is chow down on way more than we should, but that's life. We eventually learn, or at least we should.
Most frozen pizzas say that 1/4 of the pizza is an appropriate serving of it (approximately 2 pieces), but even I know it's hard to eat just two pieces of pizza.  Especially cardboard pizza, it's hit or miss with those. You either hit the jackpot or end up with a Frisbee.  In most cases your probably only sharing this pizza with one other person.  This is where our problem begins.The serving information is based on typical serving sizes that most people eat, and on most labels it states how many servings per container, watch this! An entire can of Spaghettio's has 2.5 servings, so initially it doesn't look too bad, until the can is gone (don't let the "full serving" of vegetables fool you) the junk in these cans doesn't make the "veggies" worth it. But back to the pizza...

Calories are listed next, along with the amount of fat from the calories you're about to consume. This specific label states that you'd be splitting an oven pizza that is almost entirely half fat (you can blame the cheese and processed pepperoni for that one). Ick. Just be careful when it comes to servings, check to see how many it's "supposed" to serve and do your best to stick to it. Confused on portions? Check out the Portion Distortion blog posted a few weeks back.
Everyone knows that fat is the bad guy, but we do need it to survive. Just try to choose food items with less than 3g total fat or 1g saturated fat per 100 calories. I like that rule, and if possible stick to fresh and unprocessed foods.  They allow you to eat more and do better things for your body. The amounts are expressed in grams and percentages, rule of thumb (courtesy of Garvin) anything less than 5% is considered low and anything above 15% is high...especially important in terms of saturated fat, fiber, and sodium. Save yourself getting drilled by me in cardiac rehab later and just start paying attention to it. :)  Essentially this fat builds up in our arteries and then our heart can't function as efficiently. Without our pumper, we're no good. The other item to look for on a food label is fiber which helps us feel fuller longer, and is great regulating our digestive tract (be careful though-if you're not used to a high fiber diet you might not want to be too far from a bathroom). =D
This particular pizza has almost 75% of the recommended amount of saturated fat in a serving...planning on having dinner later? Looks like it's brown rice and eggplant for you! Just kidding, but really that's a lot of fat for a small meal.
Cholesterol is another part of the label we should be paying some attention to. Do your best to select foods with less than 100mg cholesterol per serving (Hark & Deen, 2006).  I've talked about carbohydrates before too, when it comes to carbs choose the complex ones (whole grains, fruit, vegetables) they burn fat, not help you pack it on. I'm a big fiber advocate and maybe I take in too much, but experts say to aim for at least 24g of fiber each day.
*Side note, a lot of Italian and maybe other types of restaurants are now offering a whole wheat or whole grain substitute for their pastas, take advantage of that. It's the little things.
Sodium, I'll be honest here- I. hate. salt. Especially when someone doesn't even give your food a chance and they cover my beautifully baked chicken breast and corn in it. Grr.  Sodium is listed in milligrams on labels and you shouldn't consume more than 2,400mg each day. You'll realize how hard that is to do, especially in college. Frozen meals are loaded with sodium, it's even worse with the ones claiming to be lean. They make up for the lack of flavor from fat removal by adding salt-which doesn't change the calorie count.  If you have a heart condition, the American Heart Association recommends you don't exceed 1,500 mg; as it increases your blood pressure and makes your heart work a lot harder than it has to.
*Check out the sodium content in the frozen pizza label, absolutely brutal!
Now for protein, if your looking to maintain or lose weight COMPLEX carbohydrates should compose 55%-60% of your diet in combination with fat and protein. Labels also have listings regarding vitamin and intake, and are listed per serving by percentage (percentage rule of thumb still comes into play here).
There are a few labeling exceptions, foods from the deli and bakery, medical foods prepared for patients in need of care, and plain coffee and tea which really have no significant nutritional value as is.
With that said, I tried to cover as much as I could about these darn labels but they are confusing. One last thing I thought would be beneficial as well:

**Fat free: Less than 0.5g fat per serving
Low fat: Less than 3g fat per serving or 50% less fat than a similar product
Lite: The product must have 1/3 fewer calories than a comparable product and also have 50% less calories from fat
Reduced fat: Must contain at least 25% less fat than a similar product
Low cholesterol: Less than 20mg cholesterol per serving and 2g total fat**
(Hark & Deen, 2006) 


Eat well, live well.

-Alexis

Get More Bang For Your Buck, Literally!

With the climbing prices of gas, fresh produce, and anything organic it's a wonder any of us are going to be able to continue buying anything remotely healthy, let alone drive get what we need.  After thinking about it (and a blog request) I decided do some of my own research and see what I could find at my a local Pick N Save. I walked to the grocery store, for those of you who don't know I live in Milwaukee, it's an adventure. Walking anywhere and takes FOREVER because of stop lights, traffic, and right now snow. I wanted to see for myself, just what I could buy that was "healthy" and a single serving would cost about a dollar.  I've got 10 ideas for you! Oh, what I wonderful life I live.
1. Bananas. High in potassium and fiber it's an easy (and portable) way to get one serving of the fruit you need.  There are many great ways to incorporate bananas into snacks too. Use 2 Tbsp of peanut butter on a whole wheat tortilla, roll your banana up and you've got a to-go peanut butter banana wrap that will for sure kill that hunger.  These bananas were around 21 cents a piece, can't complain there!
2. Apples. I absolutely love apples.  They're inexpensive, filling, and really do wonders for us.  Studies have shown that people who eat an apple before a meal will eat up to 35% less than those who don't eat one.  For those of you working on portion control and increasing your fruit intake, this one's for you.  If you absolutely have to, dip slices the Fat Free Carmel Dip they have in produce sections. It will cost you more than a dollar though.
3. Potatoes. I don't mean french fries and hash browns, I mean whole potatoes.  We are so brainwashed that potatoes are bad for us because of how they are so often prepared.  Don't be fooled.  Potatoes are a great source of potassium, and can actually help rid the body of excess sodium, which will in turn help you lose that "bloat" you can't seem to escape. (Women, try this when menstruating, I swear by baked potatoes). Eat a potato with the skin on and get almost an entire days worth of Vitamin C.  Don't top it with sour cream, cheese, and bacon you'll completely defeat the purpose. Try plain non-fat Greek yogurt.  It has the same consistency of sour cream and gives it that tang to make it just right. You can find these Greek yogurts for around $1.15, and it's packed with protein (17g or 30% of your daily value). Switch to sweet potatoes for your dose of beta-carotene. It's okay to use a little bit of brown sugar and Smart Balance Spray Butter, I sure do! :)
*In a dorm room, throw a potato in the microwave after scrubbing it down.  Takes less time than the oven and once you perfect the timing, it's awesome! Kind of like home! (kinda).
4. Broccoli. The dreaded find.  No one likes to hear me out about broccoli, except my boyfriend. He loves it! Broccoli contains a wide array of nutrients including: calcium, vitamins A and C, potassium, folate, and fiber. There's more! Broccoli is also packed with phytonutrients, compounds that may help prevent heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Throw it in a salad, stir fry, or if you're like me, on top of a baked potato.
*Try Green Giant's Just For One Broccoli and Cheese trays. 120 calories, 2 grams of fat, 3 grams fiber (perfection on top of a baked potato).
5. Eggs. You can actually eat a half a dozen eggs for about a dollar, awesome right! It's a great source of protein and the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which may ward off age-related eye problems.
*Try combining one yolk with 2 egg whites for your scramble.  It will lessen your intake of saturated fat and  cholesterol, while really not changing the flavor at all. Score!
6. Kale. This dark leafy green vegetable is full of Vitamin C, carotenoids, and calcium.  Like most of the other greens I found in the produce section, you can get a "bunch" for only one dollar.
7. Oats.  Full of complex carbohydrates and fiber, the now known "superfood" really is just that.  To top it off, they've been proven to lower cholesterol.  You can get a whole weeks worth of "superfood" breakfast for right around a dollar. Stock up. Top your oatmeal with fruit and nuts for a filling breakfast sure to ward of late morning hunger.
*Cookie craving? Oatmeal cookies, with no sugar added applesauce substituted for oil, will definitely do the trick.
8. Wild Rice. Around the same price as white rice, this stuff has less fat, and more protein and fiber.  White rice is really just empty calories, so why not get a more bang for your buck? Literally.
*Mix with brown rice for a side, or throw it in a soup to change it up.
9. Whole Wheat Pasta. The Atkins diet wrongfully convicted this one.  Fat burns in the flame of carbohydrate, as I discussed in a previous entry. There's nothing wrong with a pasta that's PACKED with fiber, B vitamins, and protein. Just don't top it with Alfredo sauce, stick to a red sauce or a sauce with a wine base. You don't want to be counterproductive right?
10. Low-fat Milk. The price of a gallon of milk is rising, but per serving, it’s still under a dollar; single serving milk products, like yogurt, are usually less than a dollar, too. Plus, you’ll get a lot of benefit for a small investment. Milk is rich in protein, vitamins A and D, potassium, and niacin, and is one of the easiest ways to get bone-strengthening calcium.
*Use it in cereals, cooking, and definitely dip your oatmeal cookie in some. Mmmmm. ;)

That 99 cent bag of Doritios may seem like a good deal, but why buy a snack when you can turn $1 into a meal?

-Alexis