We, as educated consumers, often feel concerned about the ingredients of a particular food that are sold in the supermarkets. We often feel that a particular food might not be safe for consumption for different members of our family who are affected with various health conditions. That's the reason why the food labels exist, but we often don't give enough importance to the data provided in these labels. These labels allow us to select foods that are healthy for us. Here are the ways by which we can pick healthy foods from the market:
- Check the serving size: There is no surety that one packet would amount to a single serving. If the label reads "one cup" per serving and "three servings per packet", then that means there are three cups in the whole package. The food label generally lists the calories, fat content, etc in terms of a single serving, making the numbers on the food label appear low. So, in order to calculate your total nutritional intake, you have to multiply the nutritional figures by the servings that you would consume (in this case, multiply by three if you are going to eat the while package by yourself).
- Restrict the intake of bad fats: We often tend to develop the habit of satisfying our taste buds by consuming junk foods which are high in trans fat and saturated fat. Instead, we should look for foods which come with zero trans fat and low saturated fat. The food labels are the key to identify the fat-rich products. Generally cheese, some meats and junk food items are very high in saturated fat. Potato chips seem to be a "must-have" for us whenever we go to a supermarket to buy the necessities, and we end up buying a few packets. But we are actually bringing a lot of saturated fats with these chips! Baked or whole grain chips can be considered as healthier alternatives! Look for food with labels like "fat-free" (indicates less than 0.5 grams of fat, with no added fat or oil) and "zero trans fats". Also read the ingredients list. If the words "partially hydrogenated" appear in the list, then the food does contain trans fat.
- Opt for low sodium foods: We should restrict our daily intake of sodium to 2000 mg as excess sodium can lead to high blood pressure. But, we often take foods with excess salt, and the processed foods are the main sources of excess sodium. Look for food with labels like "sodium-free" or "salt-free" (indicates less than 5 mg of sodium), "very low sodium" (indicates 35 mg or less sodium).
- Look for fiber-rich foods: Fiber-rich foods are digested slowly and thus can suppress appetite by making you feel full. They also help reduce the risk of heart disease and keep the intestinal tract functioning well thus reducing constipation. You need about 25 to 35 grams of dietary fiber daily to stay healthy. Very good sources of dietary fibers include cereal grains like barley, oat bran and oatmeal, fruits, legumes, peas and vegetables.
- Keep an eye on your sugar intake: If you are too much concerned about sugary foods, then leave out foods like yogurt which contain natural sugar. You should carefully go through the list of ingredients and make sure that additives like sugar, high fructose corn syrup, cane syrup, brown rice syrup or evaporated cane juice shouldn't appear in the top of the ingredients list. It is better to pick the yogurts which contain a maximum of 30 grams of sugar.
These are the ways by which you can make the best use of the food labels. Food labels do not lie! You can trust the information provided in these labels to make healthy, informed decisions. Just a few minutes of study would allow you to pick the healthy foods.
