What To Look For On Food Labels

For optimum health, as well as weight loss, it's important to know what you're putting in your body. The best way to get an accurate picture of what you're consuming is to read your food labels.    Here are the most important things to look for: Serving Size & Calories First, check the serving size. Many packaged items appear to be one serving, but are actually 2 or 2.5 servings. If you eat the entire package, multiply the calorie & nutrient amounts on the label by the number of servings.   Nutrients to Limit Look for very low numbers for Saturated Fat, Trans Fat, Cholesterol & Sodium.   Nutrients to Increase Look for high numbers for the nutrients most of us need to consume in greater amounts, including fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. Ingredients Ingredients are listed in order of the greatest amount first, followed in descending order by those in smaller amounts. Shorter ingredient lists usually indicate healthier, more natural products. You should be able to pronounce all or most of the items and you also want to make sure sugar and salt are either missing or at the bottom of the list.  THE BOTTOM LINE: We know it takes extra effort at first, but once you learn to properly & efficiently read food labels, it will make healthy grocery shopping much easier.