Anonymous
Anonymous
09/11/2012 16:40
Subject: Understanding labels
I used to teach this in my ESL class for new immigrants!
The nice thing about food labels in the US is that they are entirely standardized. You get a list of ingredients, and then a little chart which tells you the serving size of one portion, how many portions in the package, and then the nutritional content of one portion.
Here's what I look for typically when I'm grocery shopping:
On ingredients--the ingredients are listed in the order of how much of each is in the food. So if the number one ingredient listed is sugar or high fructose corn syrup, I am cautious. Similarly if something seems out of place, like sugar as the number 3 ingredient on a granola bar, instead of nuts or seeds or whatever, I am cautious.
On the nutrition label, I look for high sodium content, high fat (both bad!), and high fiber (good!!). The label lists the percentage of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) in one serving of the food. I try to imagine the food as a percentage of the amount of food I'll eat in a day.
So for example, let's say I'm choosing between two brands of sausage. I plan to make sausage and pasta for dinner, so I guesstimate that dinner is about 40% of our daily calorie intake, and the sausage is about a third of dinner--so call it 15% of the daily calorie intake.
If one serving of the sausage has 50% of the daily sodium and 60% of the daily fat allowance, it's not a great choice. If it has 30% of the fat and 25% of the sodium, much better, especially if it's the major source of both of these things in the meal I'm making.
The nice thing about food labels in the US is that they are entirely standardized. You get a list of ingredients, and then a little chart which tells you the serving size of one portion, how many portions in the package, and then the nutritional content of one portion.
Here's what I look for typically when I'm grocery shopping:
On ingredients--the ingredients are listed in the order of how much of each is in the food. So if the number one ingredient listed is sugar or high fructose corn syrup, I am cautious. Similarly if something seems out of place, like sugar as the number 3 ingredient on a granola bar, instead of nuts or seeds or whatever, I am cautious.
On the nutrition label, I look for high sodium content, high fat (both bad!), and high fiber (good!!). The label lists the percentage of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) in one serving of the food. I try to imagine the food as a percentage of the amount of food I'll eat in a day.
So for example, let's say I'm choosing between two brands of sausage. I plan to make sausage and pasta for dinner, so I guesstimate that dinner is about 40% of our daily calorie intake, and the sausage is about a third of dinner--so call it 15% of the daily calorie intake.
If one serving of the sausage has 50% of the daily sodium and 60% of the daily fat allowance, it's not a great choice. If it has 30% of the fat and 25% of the sodium, much better, especially if it's the major source of both of these things in the meal I'm making.
Anonymous
09/11/2012 15:23
Subject: Understanding labels
I need a fast course on reading food labels, and what to watch out for. Is there a workshop or something? I really don't have a lot of time and don't want to start reading lots of books.
I must moved here from a country where a sausage is a sausage, will not contain sugar or syrups, and the label will tell you the % of each ingredient, including salt and preservatives if there were any. So food shopping here is a bit of a challenge for me.
Please do not take this post as a criticism, if you want to transform my question please think about posting another topic.
Yes, I buy fresh food and veg, and know of Whole Foods and find it expensive etc. But this is not what I am asking, I am asking about how to become knowledgeable about reading labels. Or to ask myself the right questions ....
Thank you
I must moved here from a country where a sausage is a sausage, will not contain sugar or syrups, and the label will tell you the % of each ingredient, including salt and preservatives if there were any. So food shopping here is a bit of a challenge for me.
Please do not take this post as a criticism, if you want to transform my question please think about posting another topic.
Yes, I buy fresh food and veg, and know of Whole Foods and find it expensive etc. But this is not what I am asking, I am asking about how to become knowledgeable about reading labels. Or to ask myself the right questions ....
Thank you