Serving Size:

Pay attention to the serving size and measure the food the first time you eat it so you can visualize the correct serving size.

Calories:

Look and be aware, but don’t judge a food by the calories alone.

Fat:

Look at the total fat and saturated fat. You want foods not more than 1/3 fat from saturated fat. Also look at the trans fatty acids -
the fewer the better. In fact, plant based foods so have no trans fatty acids. Only foods that are animal based should have cholesterol and you want to limit total cholesterol to 300 mg/d.

Sodium:

Most processed foods are high in sodium and low in potassium. If the food is a side dish it should contain no more than 250 mg of sodium a serving; if an entire meal it should contain no more than 500 mg for the entire serving.

Carbohydrate:

There are 4 different carbohydrate listings:

1. Total carbohydrate includes starches, sugars and fiber content of the food
2. Dietary Fiber is the amount of indigestible fiber in the food. Dietary fiber does not contribute calories to the diet, but is important in slowing down glucose absorption and maintaining a healthy intestinal tract.
3. Sugar refers to mono and disaccharides. Remember that fructose (found in fruit) and lactose (found in milk) are in this category. If the manufacture put the sugar in beware, if mother nature supplied the “sugar” you are OK.
4. Sugar Alcohols: These are found naturally in some foods and add by manufactures to sweeten foods without increasing the glycemic effect of the food. Sugar alcohols are digested by the bacteria in your gut and consuming too many sugar alcohols can cause GI upset.

Protein:

Indicates the grams of protein in the serving. One ounce of meat has 7 grams of protein. It is important to try and pick lean protein sources to avoid extra calories from fat.

Ingredients:

This is probably the most important information on the label. Ingredients are list in descending order by weight. The first  ingredient is in the food in the most weight.

Ingredients to avoid:

• High fructose corn syrup
• Any ingredient you can not buy yourself
• Ingredients you would not put in that food if you were making it yourself
• Words you can not pronounce