How do I use a nutrition label? I need help understanding them.?!
Question: Okay... I know what they are for... but all the numbers don't mean a thing... what's a high number? what's a low number? what's good? what's bad?
Also... what are the best tasting low fat snacks?
Answers: Okay... I know what they are for... but all the numbers don't mean a thing... what's a high number? what's a low number? what's good? what's bad?
Also... what are the best tasting low fat snacks?
Here's the basics:
FAT -- Not all fat is bad. Monounsaturated fat is good, and so is polyunsaturated fat. Saturated fat should be kept to a minimum, and trans fat should be avoided like the plague. One gram of trans fat is too much, and you have to be careful with foods that have more than 5g of saturated fat per serving.
PROTEIN -- Some foods just don't have it, so don't sweat it if the protein grams are low or zero. But protein is your friend in terms of good health and weight loss, so if it's high in protein and low in saturated/trans fat it's good.
CARBOHYDRATE: BE CAREFUL. Some carbs are good, some are bad, and too many carbs can slap the pounds on you quickly. The higher the fiber, the better. If something has more than 3g of fiber per serving, that's good.
INGREDIENTS: The ones you want to avoid at all costs are high fructose corn syrup and any kind of partially or fully hydrogenated oils. If sugar is one of the first five ingredients, be careful. Whole grains and whole grain flour is good, but white flour is not good.
P.S.: You asked about snacks -- there is one very high fat snack that is very good for you: NUTS. Almost all the fat in nuts is mono-or-polyunsaturated, and those fats promote heart health and can aid in weight loss. Just be careful. Too much of anything is bad, so don't go overboard eating nuts. Also, the old adage about an apple a day is a good one, so eat apples. Dried fruit like dried plums (prunes), figs, and apricots are an excellent source of vitamins and fiber. Again, don't overdo -- they also have a lot of sugars, and even too much natural sugar is bad.
make sure that fats are 30% or less of your total caloric intake. most processed foods have a lot of sugar (very bad for everyone) and salt (bad if you have high blood pressure). aim for 10g or less per serving of sugars.
you're better off shopping the perimeter of the grocery store: produce, fresh meat/chicken, dairy and way less processed food. if you want to lose weight, cut way back on carbs of all kinds.