Confused by Nutritional labels? - Ifitbody

Confused by Nutritional labels?

Do you wonder around the supermarket looking at the front of food labels.  Do you know that over 60 percent of shoppers use the nutrition facts panel on packaged foods.

What i  love to do is time to time spend time in a supermarket and making a little video to help my clients on making better choices and how to avoid common mistakes on any food package:

Serving size (recommended)

This is something you will definitly be amazed at.  The serving suggestion on a cereal box if weighed out is barely enough to feed your toddler with let alone an adult. Very decieving and confusing.  Once you actually work out what you are normally consuming for breakfast you will be surprised it will most likely b 2-3 times the recommended amount.  This shoots up your calories rapidly not to mention the amount of sugar you have consumed.

“low or zero fat”

Simply means it contains at least 25 percent less of something.   So this can mean that they replace the sugar or fat with something else.  Check the calories per serving with a similar item and you will see the difference.

The lesson is no matter what the front of the label says, always check the actual numbers and serving size, especially if you’re watching your calories.

zero and free from products

If you want to see if a food contains trans fat just check the ingredient list. If you see the words partially hydrogenated, it’s in the product.

The same is for sugar free. Sugar free sweets and ice cream aren’t carb free or calorie free.   Just check the label and see the amount of sugar and carbohydrates are contained.

Not reading the ingredient list 

So I advise my clients to always check the label.  The only way to truly judge the quality of a food is to find out what it’s made of. Even organic foods can be highly processed.  So the ingredient list reads like a recipe and the package only contains wholesome ingredients you could use to make the product in your own kitchen it’s a good bet. But if you don’t recognise or can’t pronounce the ingredients, think twice before adding it to your shopping trolley.

Keeping it simple is key and best way forward.  So be very aware of what you are purchasing.

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