MISSION #9 - LEARN HOW TO READ FOOD LABELS
Go to
your fridge or pantry.
Pick out a packaged food product that claims to have
health benefits: organic, all natural, low fat, low carb, reduced calorie,
whole grain, high protein, "100 calories," etc.
Now, read
the label, including the ingredient list.
Is it really healthy?
Low fat
often means high sugar.
You can make sure of this by looking at where the sugar is listed in the
ingredient list.
If it's listed first, second, or third, then there's a lot of
it in there.
Remember, whatever is listed first is the main ingredient in regards to weight;
whatever is listed second is the second most prevalent ingredient, and so on.
What about low carbs?
Low carb often means high fat, and that also means calorie dense: it's still very high in calories despite being lower in carbs or carb-free.
Also, the
word "organic" or "all-natural" on the label doesn't mean
it's supportive of your fat loss plan.
Read the calories and serving sizes.
"All natural" low-fat cereal can have more than double the
calories and carbs of an equal amount of Fruit Loops (but don't eat that crap
either!)
And just
because pomegranate is good for you doesn't mean that a high-sugar drink with
2% pomegranate juice is good for you.
Further
Reading:
Get the Facts on Nutrition by Reading Your Food
Labels –
Work Book Exercise: going back through your food
diary, look at as many food labels as you can and see how any grams of protein,
carbs and fats you are consuming to give you a real look into what you’re
eating.
Add these up into calories where 1 gram of protein or carbs = 4 calories, where 1 gram of fat = 9 calories.
You’re looking for
as even split as possible of your total calories so 33/33/33 or close to.
If your carbs or fats exceed 40% of your total calories intake then you need to
increase something (protein more than likely) and decrease higher one.
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