Food Cures (69 page)

Once you become comfortable with the layout and information provided on food labels, you won’t be able to resist checking out the stats on every package you buy. Before long, you’ll be one of those people you see lingering in the grocery store aisles with reading glasses and a shopping cart full of healthy choices. Here’s how to decode a nutrition label (see sample label on page 445):

1. Serving Size and Servings Per Container.
   Look here first. All the other information on the label is based on a single serving, so you need to know the size of a single serving, and how many servings are contained in the package. You may be surprised. Some packages look small, but they could contain two or more servings. Serving sizes are standardized, so you can compare similar foods and choose the one with the best nutrient profile.
   
2. Calories.
   If you are watching your weight (as most of us are), calories are key. This number is the total number of calories in a single serving. If you eat two servings, multiply the number of calories by two; if you eat three servings, multiply the number of calories by three, and so on.
   
3. Calories from Fat.
   This tells you the number of calories in a single serving that come from fat. Some foods—such as margarines and oils—are all fat, so this number will be the same as the total number of calories.
   
4. Total Fat.
   This section specifies the amount of total fat, plus the amounts of the two most dangerous types of fats—saturated fats and trans fats. (These are displayed in grams. To convert to calories from fat, multiply by 9.) You’ll notice there is a second number for both total fat and saturated fat—%
   Daily Value
   . This shows what percent of your total daily calories (based on a 2,000-calorie diet) is contained in one serving. As a general rule, I recommend aiming for no more than 35 percent of your total daily calories coming from total fat, and no more than 10 percent from saturated fat. There is no safe amount of trans fats, so aim to get as few grams per day as possible.
   
5. Cholesterol.
   Only animal products contain cholesterol, so don’t get too excited if your breakfast cereal doesn’t have any. Aim for a daily total of 300 milligrams or less per day. (To keep track of your daily totals, you can add the milligrams of cholesterol for all foods you eat, or add the numbers specified by %
   Daily Value,
   being careful not to eat more than 100 percent during the day.)
   
6. Sodium.
   This tells you the amount of salt in a single serving. Aim for a daily total of 2300 milligrams or less per day. (To keep track of your daily total, you can add the milligrams of sodium for all foods you eat, or add the numbers specified by %
   Daily Value,
   being careful not to eat more than 100 percent during the day.) If you are salt-sensitive or have high blood pressure, your doctor may recommend that you restrict your sodium intake even more.
   
7. Carbohydrates.
   I divide carbohydrates into two broad categories—high-quality and low-quality. The goal is to eat more high-quality carbs and fewer low-quality carbs. Food labels tell you the amount of
   Total Carbohydrates
   in one serving. The label also gives you a few clues to the general quality of the carbohydrate via two categories:
   Dietary Fiber
   and
   Sugars.
   Sugars are typically low-quality carbohydrates, and they should be eaten only in small quantities. (If you subtract grams of Sugars from Total Carbohydrates, you can often get an estimate of the amount of healthy high-quality carbs.) Dietary fiber typically accompanies high-quality carbohydrate. Experts recommend that you consume 25 to 35 grams of total fiber daily. The label will also sometimes specify the amount of Soluble Fiber and Insoluble Fiber, which may be of interest to people fighting diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
   The
   % Daily Values
   for total carbohydrate and dietary fiber help you to gauge how much a serving will contribute to your personal goals. The standard is based on a 2,000-calorie diet containing 60 percent of its calories from total carbohydrates and 25 grams of total dietary fiber.
   
8. Protein.
   Take your weight in pounds, and divide it in half. That’s approximately how many grams of protein you should eat per day. This listing will help you figure out how much protein is contained in packaged foods.
   
9. Vitamins and minerals.
   Below the thick dividing line under Protein is the space for listing significant vitamins and minerals and the percent of the Recommended Daily Value contained in one serving. This can be helpful if you want to boost your intake of particular nutrients.
   
10. Goals for certain calorie diets.
    Some of the larger food labels also contain a small chart that lists recommended goals for various nutrients based on both a 2,000-calorie diet and a 2,500-calorie diet. These are simply reminders, and they do not provide additional information about the food.
    
11. Calorie guide.
    Some larger food labels also contain an informational section that lists the Calories per gram for Fat (9 calories per gram), Carbohydrate (4 calories per gram), Protein (4 calories per gram), and Alcohol (7 calories per gram). This is informational; it does not describe the specific food.
    
12. Ingredients.
    Somewhere outside the Nutrition Facts box is a list of ingredients, in descending order of predominance according to weight. That means that the first food listed is the most abundant (by weight).
    
13. Special notations.
    Look for special notations that might tell you more about the product, such as “enriched” or “fortified” (which tells you that extra vitamins or minerals have been added, or replaced after processing), or “contains wheat ingredients” (which tells you it isn’t safe for people with celiac disease or wheat sensitivities), or “may contain peanuts” (as a warning to people with peanut allergies).
    
14. Contact information.
    All labels must include a way for you to contact the company, such as the company name, address, telephone number, and/or Web site address. Don’t hesitate to contact the company if you have questions about its products.