One the the most important things you can do for your health is to know what you're eating. It's one thing to know something is unhealthy and eat it regardless, but it's another if you've been fooled into thinking something is good for you.
This page will cover nutrition labels, ingredients, terms, and what to look for when shopping.
Nutrition Labels
If you don't already know how you need to learn how to read nutrition labels (and actually read them!)
Let's look at an example. This is a label from the back of a diet meal replacement shake package.
Sorry it's so big, but I wanted you to be able to read it. I've highlighted a few areas that I'd like to explain.
Yellow- Sodium and Sugar are the first two things I look at. If there's a lot of either without explanation (they slip it in to the oddest things) I put it down- it's not healthy. This is a diet shake! Why is there so much salt and sugar? Sounds like garbage to me.
Blue- I look at Fiber and Protein second. Some products will not have much or any of fiber or protein, but it should make sense for what the food is. If it's yogurt- it had better have some protein in it. If it's bread- it had better have fiber.
Green- You should always check the ingredients. As a rule, the fewer the ingredients the better. If you're buying a whole grain (bread, pasta, anything) make sure the ingredients list whole wheat flour as their first ingredient. It shouldn't be further down the list. Ingredients are listed in order of amount. If enriched flour is on that list this food is not whole wheat or whole grain- it's white with some whole grain in it.
Orange- Underlined the serving size. Pay attention to serving sizes.
Pink- Fat and calories are last. Should this product have a ton of fat in it? If it's something like almonds or flax seeds, then yes. If it's a can of spaghetti sauce, then no. Again, it should make sense for what the food is. You may think it's odd that I look at calories last. If you're eating a well balanced diet you shouldn't need to count calories.
This is my simple way of checking a food label quickly. By looking at a few things you should be able to quickly determine if something is healthy or unhealthy and if there is a healthier alternative.
