Food Labels at a Glance

Keep this tips in mind when selecting foods that are low in fat, cholesterol, and  sodium, but high in dietary fiber, vitamins, and iron. Your goal should be to consume no more than 30 percent of your calories from fat, but to consume 100 percent  of the daily value for total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
     Remember, too, three types of carbohydrates combine to give the total carbohydrates: simple (sugars), complex, and fibrous (dietary fiber). To select a healthy food, consider these factors:

• A large difference between the number of calories and calories from fat
• A low number of total fat grams
• An even lower number of grams of saturated fat
• A low cholesterol value
• A low sodium value
• A high value for total carbohydrates along with a low value for sugars, indicating that the total comprises mostly complex and fibrous carbohydrates
• A 10 percent or more value for vitamins and minerals

The Importance of Reading Food Labels

If you're serious about eating healthfully, you'll have to master an important skill: reading the nutrition labels on food packages.
     You may have noticed food labels look a little different these days. These new food labels have many advantages: First and foremost, they're designed to help consumers compare food products. For example, nutrition information is uniform. Labels must list the same nutrients - those most important  to your health - such as total fat, cholesterol, sodium, and total carbohydrate. Serving sizes have been standardized: Because they're based on the average amount of the food usually eaten at one sitting, you can easily compare the nutritional values of similar products. Another new feature is the Percent Daily Values. These numbers show how these foods fit into a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet.
     Take a look at the food label on the facing page. You can easily spot the new labels with their Nutrition Facts boldly displayed. Serving size is listed first. Incidentally, when you assess calories and nutrients, be honest with yourself. If the serving size indicated on the label of your favorite ice cream is one-half cup, but you usually fill your bowl to the brim, you need to figure your calories based on the amount you actually consume - not just the standard serving size. Notice also that the label provides the total calories and the number of calories from fat.
     The Percent Daily Values appear next. The government has set these values based on current nutrition recommendations, such as the suggested limitation on calories from all sources of fat (Total Fat on the label) to no more than 30 percent of total calories. This recommendation is represented on the lower part of the label by the Less than 65g entry for Total Fat in a 2,000 calorie diet.
     This simply means that in a diet consisting of 2,000 calories, no more than 65 grams (which is equivalent to about 30 percent of total calories) should come from total fat. The 3 grams of fat in the sample food label constitutes about 5 percent  of the maximum of 65 grams allowed for one day. This is a small amount of fat, leaving you plenty of room to consume a variety of foods before reaching the maximum fat consumption for the day.
     This same information is given for cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, and protein.
     Percent Daily Values are also supplied for vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron.

Eat More, Be Healthier, and Weigh Less

Eating a high-fiber diet need not be a chore. On the contrary, if you cut your fat intake, you can boost the amount of high-fiber carbohydrates you eat without increasing your calorie intake. The result? Not only will you be healthier and trimmer, but you'll be able to eat a significantly higher volume of food. If it sounds too good to be true, just take a look at the facts:

• One gram of fat contains about nine calories; a gram of carbohydrate only about four (although one gram of alcohol contains seven calories.) Fiber, since it is not digested by the body, contains no calories.
• Fiber fills you up and helps you feel full longer..
• The body tends to use carbohydrates as energy, rather than storing them as fat. Fat, on the other, more easily ends up on your hips and thighs.

     To put it another way, which would you rather have- two tablespoons of olive oil on your salad or a white meat turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread with lettuce, tomato, onion, and mustard? The former contains 28 grams of fat and 240 calories; the latter about the same number of calories, but only about four grams of fat. Another example: You can have one ounce of potato chips (about 10) if you're willing to consume more than 150 calories and nine grams of fat. Or you can choose one ounce of pretzels (about 10 large twists or 50 stick pretzels) for 110 calories and less than one gram of fat. It's simple: Cut the fat, and you can eat more.

Figuring Fat Intake

Food labels provide the number of grams of total and saturated fat per serving along with the Percent Daily Value (% DV) based on a 2,000-calorie diet. But your caloric intake may be different. Remember, whether  you need to lose weight, gain weight, or just control your present weight, you should still consume no more than 30 percent of your calories from fat. And no more than one-third of this percentage should be from saturated fat.

     Based on your caloric intake, this cart lets you see at a glance how many grams (g) of fat you can consume to stay within the recommendation of 30 percent of total calories. The chart also displays the number of grams of saturated fat (Sat Fat) you should limit yourself to. (Numbers are rounded off.) But remember, these numbers represent maximum amounts; it is desirable to consume less.

Calories                               Fat(g)                              Sat Fat (g)

1,400                                   47                                      16

1,600                                   53                                      18

1,800                                   60                                      20

2,000                                   67                                      22

2,200                                   73                                      24

2,400                                   80                                      27

2,600                                   87                                      29

2,800                                   93                                      31

3,000                                  100                                     33

Increasing Your Fiber Intake

Fiber is a veritable household word these days. It seems every third commercial on television promotes one or another product containing this wonder substance and promises benefits ranging from bowel regularity to weight loss. So what's the scoop on the fiber mystique? Does fiber do what it is supposed to do? What's the best form of fiber? How much should you be getting?
     Fiber, a form of carbohydrate, has a number of health benefits.

• Fiber promotes bowel regularity, which helps prevent hemorrhoids.
• It may reduce the risk of colon and rectal cancers.
• Fiber reduces the risk of diverticulosis, a condition characterized by small pouches (diverticula) on the colon wall, and diverticulitis, inflammation of the diverticula.
• Fiber lowers cholesterol.

          Dietary fiber is found only in plant foods, not in animal products. Since it is not digested, the body absorbs no calories from fiber. Because of this, and because it gives the stomach a feeling of fullness, fiber is an excellent weight-control aid (when consumed in suggested amounts). There are two main types of fiber: insoluble and soluble.

• Insoluble fiber speeds up the movement of food through the intestines and promotes bowel regularity. Cellulose,hemicellulose, and lignin are all types of insoluble fibers. They can be found in foods such as asparagus, peas, kidney and pinto beans, and the wheat bran found in whole-wheat breads and cereals.
• Soluble fibers slow down the movement of food through the intestines. They also appear to be effective at lowering blood cholesterol. Pectin, gum, and mucilage are examples of soluble fibers in the diet. Oat bran is a source of soluble fiber, as a rolled oats, brocolli, brussels sprouts, grapefruit, apples, and pinto and navy beans.

     The typical American takes in 10 to 20 grams of dietary fiber a day. Although there is no RDA for fiber, several groups recommend an intake of 20 to 35 grams of fiber per day. Here are some examples of the amounts of fiber contained in common foods:

         1/2 cup bran cereal                                    10.0 grams

         3 cups popcorn                                            2.8 grams

         1 slice whole-grain bread                              2.7 grams

         1/2 cup whole oats                                       1.6 grams

         1/2 cup brown rice                                       1.3 grams

         1 slice white bread                                        0.8 gram

         1/2 cup white rice                                         0.5 gram

         1 small apple                                                3.8 grams

         1 small pear                                                 2.5 grams

         1/2 cup blackberries                                    3.7 grams

         1/2 grapefruit                                               1.3 grams

         10 grapes                                                     0.4 gram

         1/2 cup kidney beans                                   4.5 grams

         1/2 cup pinto beans                                      3.0 grams

         1/2 cup peas                                                5.2 grams

         1 small potato                                              3.8 grams

         1/2 cup brocolli                                            2.6 grams

         1/2 cup iceburg lettuce                                  0.5 gram

    

     Resist the urge to make up for lost time by boosting your fiber intake to the recommended level overnight. Otherwise, you may be in for an uncomfortable gastric surprise, including gas, bloating, constipation, or diarrhea. Instead, increase your fiber intake gradually, going up to recommended levels over the course of a couple of weeks, even a month, and be sure to increase your fluid intake at the same time.

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Choosing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Shopping for produce doesn't have to be a daunting task. With a little bit of knowledge and practice, you can make sure you come home with fresh vegetables and ripe fruits every time. Here are some pointers:

• Look for fruits and vegetables with skins intact. Select items with the fewest dents, bruises, cuts, insect holes, and brown spots. If you can't find an item in good condition, skip it. Choose a frozen version or drop elsewhere.
• Select broccoli that is green and firm. Limp stalks and yellow florets mean the vegetable is past its prime.(A trace of purple on the florets is OK.)
• Choose bell peppers that are firm all over. If they are a bit soft but you plan to use them the day you but them, then go ahead.
• Look for zucchini with deep green, intact, smooth skin. Wrinkling or a green-black color is a sign of age. Many people believe the smaller specimens are more flavorful.
• Select asparagus with heads that are dry and purple, not wet or brown. Asparagus is very tasty no matter what its thickness, but the thicker stalks can sometimes be a bit tough.
• Examine pints of berries for mold. It sometimes hides underneath the plastic wrapper.
• To tell if a cantaloupe is ripe, smell it. If you smell a sweet melon fragrance, it's ripe.
• Press the top end of honeydew melons. They are ripe when the brown circle at the top is tender and yields a bit when you press firmly with your thumb.
• Shake a coconut and listen for its milk sloshing. If you can't hear this sound, pass the coconut by.
• Buy produce in season. Out-of-season fruits and vegetables may be less flavorful - and may also be more expensive.

     Follow these guidelines to ensure that fruits and vegetables are as nutritious when you serve them as when they were harvested:

• Avoid peeling fruits and vegetables whenever possible. The skin contains many nutrients.
• Eat as many raw fruits and vegetables as you can. Nutrients are lost in cooking.
• Grill, stew, broil, saute', bake, and steam vegetables. Avoid boiling, since nutrients are boiled away into the cooking water.
• Scrub vegetables well. Use water (not soap) to remove pesticide residues before eating.

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Why Popeye Eats His Spinach

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away," the old adage goes. The saying may be old, but the information couldn't be more timely. The truth is, new findings are prompting researchers to believe a high intake of fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of many types of illness - from heart disease to cancer.
     The USDA has launched a campaign called "Five a day for better health," which, as the phrase suggests, encourages consumers to eat a total of at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Here are the main reason for his campaign:

• Whole fruits and vegetables contain high amounts of fiber, a nutrient that helps the digestive system stay regular and lowers cholesterol levels. Fiber can also help prevent or reduce the risk of hemorrhoids, diverticulosis, and colon cancer.
• Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamins, especially the disease-fighting antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin C.

     Including a variety of fruits and vegetables in your daily diet ensures that you get adequate amounts of the different types of nutrients and fiber they contain.

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Should You Take Supplements?

Looking at the RDAs for all the different nutrients may seem daunting. You may worry about getting enough of the nutrients you need. Should you take a vitamin or mineral supplement?
     The answer is not clear-cut. Most dietitians and nutritionists advocate getting the bulk of your nutrients from food sources. If you rely on supplements, you may miss out on the other potentially health-enhancing substances in foods. Also, if supplements contain too much of a certain nutrient, they may deplete other nutrient supplies in your body.
     There are few exceptions to these recommendations, however:

• Women of childbearing age and pregnant women are usually advised by their physician to take a supplement containing iron, calcium, and folic acid - all of which the developing fetus needs in large amounts. Women are often advised to continue taking the supplements throughout breast-feeding. (If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, however, you should consult your doctor before taking any vitamin or mineral supplements.)
• There is a growing belief that women should take calcium supplements throughout adolescence and adulthood to prevent osteoporosis.

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