Tag Archives: Nutrition facts label

What Happened to My Nutrients?

26 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by in Healthy Eating

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What Happened to My Nutrients?Did you know that bread and pasta made with white flour, has been striped of its nutrients?  When wheat berries are processed into white flour two out of the three nutrient-rich parts, the bran and the germ; where the fiber, vitamins (B & E vitamins) and nutrients (magnesium, zinc, folic acid and chromium) are, get discarded.  Only the starchy endosperm is used.

It’s easy to tell if you are getting a nutrient rich product by reading the ingredient list and nutrition facts label. Look for the words “whole grain or whole wheat.”  And when looking at the nutrition facts label, see how many grams of fiber there are per serving. Remember to look at the serving size, and when comparing different bread products see how many slices are in a serving, some bread packages consider one slice a serving while others use two slices as a serving.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

How Are Americans Consuming Over 100 Pounds of Sugar a Year?

05 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by in Healthy Eating

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The average American consumes over 100 pounds of sugar a year.  Where is all that sugar coming from? It’s being added to almost every category of food and drink. (See the lists below)

Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods and beverages during processing or preparation. This does not include naturally occurring sugars in milk and fruits.

Foods that contain most of the added sugars in American diets are:

  • regular soft drinks
  • candy
  • cakes
  • cookies
  • pies
  • fruit drinks, fruit punch and sweetened beverages
  • milk-based desserts and products: ice cream, sweetened yogurt and sweetened milk like chocolate milk
  • bread products: sweet rolls and cinnamon toast

Look for sugar and the many names for sugar, in not so obvious foods and condiments:

Soups                                                   Ketchup

Crackers                                               Barbecue sauce

Macaroni and Cheese                             Salad dressing

Bread                                                   Stuffing Mix

Hamburger buns                                   Breakfast Cereals

Pasta Sauce                                          Juice drinks

Check the ingredient list on the label of food and beverages for the different names for sugar, then check the number of grams of sugar on the nutrition facts label.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Could You Spend $2,000 a Day, Every Day?

19 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by in Family Fun, Healthy Body

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MoneyIf you were given $2,000 every day, you might have a hard time spending that much money, every single day.  Yet, if you were given $2,000 a day and you had to buy your calories at $1/calorie, some of us could easily spend that much before noon, or on one meal! 

Calories are our body’s energy currency. Calories are used to create energy for our body’s daily activities. Olympic athletes can fuel their bodies with 5,000 or more calories each day, while most of us non-professional athletes only need a fraction of that, about 1600 – 2500 calories a day.  (Check with your doctor to determine your ideal weight and caloric needs).  The more active you are the more energy your body needs.

Make it a game and try this on your own or with your family: “Buy” your calories for three days in a row and see how much you are really “spending.”  You don’t need real cash to do this.  Money from games like Monopoly or Payday will work. Remember to include everything you eat, drink and chew.  This includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, all drinks, snacks, tastes, candies and gum. For calorie information, see the Nutrition Facts label of each food item for calories per serving and serving size.  When eating out, the calories may be posted on the menu.  If those options are unavailable, there are many sites online that have calorie count information.

No matter what “diet” we choose, our bodies need calories for energy, and unused calories get stored as fat. When we understand this concept, then eating with awareness and making good choices replaces any temporary diet. This is the an important step in creating a lifestyle of healthy eating.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Take a Look at What a Serving Size Is

15 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by in Family Fun, Healthy Eating

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Take a Good Look at What a Serving Size isWith the increase in the amount of food people have been eating over the past few decades, you might be confused about what a serving size really is.  Here is a fun way to look at serving sizes:   

Meat, fish or poultry (3 oz.) = a deck of cards

Rice or pasta (1 cup) = a tennis ball

1 potato (white or sweet) = a computer mouse

½ cup cooked vegetables = a baseball

1 oz bread, toast or 1 pancake = a CD case

¼ cup nuts or dried fruit = a golf ball

1 tablespoons peanut butter = a ping-pong ball

1 oz. hard cheese = 4 dice

1 teaspoon oil = a water-bottle cap

Family Fun Activity: Get a set of plastic measuring cups 1/4 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, and 1 cup.  Measure out the suggested food items below if you have them or substitute other items with similar serving sizes.  (See the Nutrition Facts food label for serving sizes on packaged foods.) Then put the food item in a bowl or on a plate so you can see what a serving size looks like displayed to eat.

1/4 cup almonds or raisins

1/2 cup berries, cooked vegetables, or 1/2 cup of ice cream

3/4 to 1 cup (the serving size of most dry cereal)

1 cup cooked rice or pasta

If you eat chips, count them out according to the serving size listed on the package, it is usually about 10 chips to a serving.

Take a good look at what a serving really is. Are you surprised? 

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis