- Nutrient Wise
- Digestive System
Food Labels- Think Before You Drink
- Fast Food
- Fat
- Exercise
- Target Market
- Real Food Deal
- Body Image
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| U.S. food packaging that claims "low fat" means less than 3 grams of fat per serving. |
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THE 411 WHEN IT COMES TO SMART FOOD CHOICES
Food labels, plain and simple, are our friends. Together, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enacted the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act back in 1990. This act makes certain that there are nutrition-info food labels on food packages, so you'll be able to make smart food choices.
Correctly reading food labels and measuring serving sizes (which can be misleading if you don't read the fine print on these labels!) are key ingredients to getting, and maintaining, a healthy diet. It's all about empowerment here, and the ball's in your court. It's your serve!
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS A SERVING, ANYWAY?
Check out these examples of recommended serving sizes. Are they more or less than you thought? Do you need to eat more or less of these items, or are you right on target? |
Bread, Cereal, Rice, Pasta
1 slice of bread 1 cup (size of a fist) of dried cereal 1/2 cup cooked cereal 1/2 cup cooked rice |
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Milk, Yogurt, Cheese
1 cup of milk or yogurt 1.5 oz. of natural cheese (size of 3 dominoes) 2 oz. of processed cheese |
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Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, Nuts
2 tablespoons of peanut butter 1 egg 1/2 cup cooked dried beans 2 to 3 oz. of cooked lean meat or poultry (size of palm of hand or deck of cards) 3 oz. of grilled/baked fish (size of a check book) |
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Vegetables
1/2 cup of chopped vegetables 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables 3/4 cup of vegetable juice |
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Fruit
1/2 cup of chopped fruit 1 medium-size apple, banana or orange 3/4 cup of fruit juice |
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Fats, Oils, Sweets
Hey, wait up! These foods need to be LIMITED. This is not a food group. |
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 Here's how the FDA defines it: A food low in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, and contains at least 10 percent of the Daily Values for vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, protein or fiber. If food-makers claim "healthy," this is what they have to stick to. |
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MISSION TO THE KITCHENHere's a little hands-on activity for you that requires a quick trip to your kitchen or pantry to nab a snack food item with a label. You'll probably need a calculator to do the math. Download and print a copy of the Nutrition Facts Worksheet, which you'll then fill in from info printed on the food label. |
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Here's what to do:
- Read the food label and fill in the worksheet as completely as possible.
- Take a look at how many calories, fat, sodium, sugar, fiber and calcium per serving are in the selected snack. Is this a good or bad snack choice?
- Let's say you're hungry and eat the whole thing! If your label says there is more than a single serving per container, do the math to see what the entire package will give you. For example, if it's 250 calories per serving and the snack is considered to be 3 servings in size, you'd multiply 250 x 3 for a whopping 750 calories!
GET HIP TO LABELS
Some labels, you'll find, are clear warning signs advising moderation or avoidance -- and these, unfortunately, will often accompany snacks that are the real "bling": super tasty, irresistible, scrumptious, dipped in chocolate, you name it! Other labels will seem to glow like green traffic lights, letting you know the snack in question is an intelligent choice, you can get crazy and have two, you're getting a good Daily Value of protein, vitamin A or C, calcium or iron.
The important thing here is to get comfortable with reading food labels and having a clear idea of what a serving size and what a recommended serving size truly are. Getting hip to labels is definitely of prime importance for a successful Health Trek.
