Submitted by Illinois Bariatric Center
The nutrition facts label is designed to give people the information that they need to make informed choices about the food they purchase. Presumably, when consumers know how many calories are in certain foods, they will then be more motivated to consume the appropriate amount.
However, for food labeling to impact people’s health and weight status, they must first read the label, understand the information and how to use it, and then make decisions about their food consumption based on the information. You probably already use the Nutrition Facts label in some way—maybe to check calories, fat or sodium content. But, the label can be very confusing and packaging claims are often misleading. For example, ”All Natural” doesn’t mean the food is healthy, “low-fat” and “sugar-free” foods may have more calories than the regular versions, and “multi-grain” is not the same as whole grain.
Following are some of the most important things to pay attention to when reading the Nutrition Facts Label, especially if you are trying to lose weight.
Serving size and number of servings. The label information is based on ONE serving, but many packages contain more. Be sure to look at the serving size and how many servings you are actually consuming. Often times, the serving size listed is much smaller than the average amount people eat. For example, a serving size of ice-cream is usually ½ cup – which isn’t very much!
Calories count. The calories listed are per serving. So if the label lists 8 chips as one serving, and you eat 16 chips, you’ve eaten two servings and twice the amount of calories and fat.
Know your fats! Trans fat is bad for your heart and shouldn’t be consumed at all in any amount. But “0 trans fat” may not actually be zero. This is because if it contains less than 0.5 grams per serving, the FDA allows it to be rounded to zero. So if you consume several servings, which is easy to do with things like margarine, you might actually be getting a significant amount of trans fat. How to know? If the ingredient list contains “partially hydrogenated oil”, then that means there is some level of trans fat present. You also want to limit the amount of saturated fats, however cholesterol in food has recently been determined to have little effect on high levels of cholesterol in the blood.
Carbohydrates aren’t always bad. Total carbohydrate includes whole grains, sugar, and refined carbs. You want to reach for healthy carbohydrates that are found in whole grains. Pay special attention to the ingredients list and choose foods with “whole grain” listed as the first ingredient. In general, choose foods with more fiber than sugar. Sugar may occur naturally is some foods such as fruit, but avoid foods with added sugar and remember that sugar can go by many names including sucrose, glucose, fructose, corn syrup, etc.
Protein. Unless you are a vegetarian, most people get plenty of protein in their normal diet.
Vitamin list. Vitamins A, C, Calcium, potassium and iron are listed because they are nutrients that many Americans do not get enough of.
Bottom Footnote is always the same – it does not change from product to product, because it shows recommended dietary advice for all Americans, not about a specific food.
Ingredients are listed in order of quantity. So the first couple ingredients are the ones to pay most attention to. Healthy eating does not need to be complicated. Strive for a diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, and nuts. Choose foods that are low in saturated fats, salt, and added sugar.
There are plenty of diets and tools available to help people lose weight and make healthy lifestyle changes. But it’s not always that simple or easy. The inability to lose weight is a complex health issue that results from a combination of causes and contributing factors. For people who have not been able to lose weight despite repeated efforts, weight loss surgery may be an option.
For information on the ORBERA™ Managed Weight Loss Program or LAP-BAND® surgery, you may contact Dr. Sidney Rohrscheib at the Illinois Bariatric Center at 217-935-7037. Illinois Bariatric Center is one of the few practices in Central Illinois that is qualified to offer the ORBERA™ non-surgical procedure. The practice provides a unique multidisciplinary program dedicated to the management and treatment of obesity.