Monthly Archives: July 2011
Ingredient List: What is In Your Food?
A list of ingredients appears on almost all food products and can be an important source of information for cultural, allergy, and general health reasons. The ingredients are listed in decreasing order by weight, so the first ingredients are present in much higher amounts than the last ingredients. In general, look for products with shorter ingredient lists. Are there healthy foods out there with lots of ingredients? Sure, but as a rule, the longer the list, the more processed the food.
Nutrients and Daily Values
Now you’re moving on to specific nutrients. Total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates (fiber and sugar), protein, vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron are the nutrients included on most labels. Some may also include monoand polyunsaturated fats and fortified vitamins and minerals. Information about these nutrients can appear in one or both of the following forms:
Calories and Calories from Fat
This line follows the serving size information and tells you how many calories each serving provides and how many of those calories come from fat. The calories from fat are calculated by multiplying the total grams of fat per serving by nine (because each gram of fat contains nine calories):