The secret to healthy eating is being able to turn the box around and read the label and actually understand it. But most of us don't bother reading the label. Why is it so important?
Well, most companies selling their food products don't care about your health and well-being. They just care about making a sale. And even more so, they care about selling that product over and over again to you. So making the product addictive by creating a craving, is their mission. Substances like sugar and salt are highly addictive, more so than fat and carbohydrates. Today is the day to start taking control of your own health, and to stop trusting that the FDA is vetting these products for nutritional content before they are put on the shelves (because believe me, they are not).
Most companies selling their food products don't care about your health and well-being. They just care about making a sale.
We recommend following the American Heart Association guide to understanding label. Follow these five steps, your crash course in #nutrition!
Step 1: Look at the serving size.
This reflects the amount that people typically consume. The nutritional information that follows is based on this serving size, so it might just be the most important piece of information on the label.
Step 2: Check total calories per serving.
As adults, we tend to want to consume less #calories, but growing children need more than us. Here is a helpful resource to determining what your calorie goals are in a day, as an adult: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-many-calories-per-day. This is heavily based on activity level.
Here is a resource to learn more about calorie intake requirements in children, again, very much based on activity level: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/dietary-recommendations-for-healthy-children.
Step 3: Avoid/limit certain nutrients.
As a general rule, ingredients to minimize or avoid include:
-saturated fats and trans fats
-total sugars (especially added sugars, but be mindful of natural sugar intake as well)
-sodium
With all three of these nutrients, less is more! (There will be a post dedicated to sugar coming out soon, so stay tuned)
Regarding sodium, even people who are told to consume MORE sodium to raise their blood pressure are better off consuming a good balance of electrolytes rather than consuming straight sodium. Here is an easy recipe for natural electrolyte water:
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups water (filtered or raw coconut water)
2 tbsp organic raw honey or organic maple syrup
1/8 tsp Himalayan pink salt
Instructions:
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend well.
Store in mason jars or reusable glass cap bottles
Step 4: Make sure you are getting enough of the good ingredients.
Dietary fiber is a critical ingredient for maintaining good gut health, and gut health means everything to your overall health! If you are not taking in enough dietary fiber on a daily basis, the time to start is now. The AHA states that adults need at least 25-35 grams of dietary fiber per day for good health. Other examples of important nutrients include protein, calcium, iron, potassium, vitamin D.
One note about protein: According to Harvard Health, an average woman needs about 46 grams of protein per day; the average man about 56 grams. Research shows that most Americans already get more than enough protein, and a majority of the protein being consumed is animal-based. Most Americans may be consuming too much protein, and that comes with risks. For example, people that eat very high protein diets have a higher risk of kidney stones. Also a high protein diet that contains lots of red meat and higher amounts of saturated fat might lead to a higher risk of heart disease and colon cancer, while another high protein diet rich in plant-based proteins may not carry similar risks.
Most Americans may be consuming too much protein, and that comes with risks.
So consider your #protein types, and your protein intake carefully. Our favorite plant-based proteins include grains such as quinoa, oats and millet, veggies such as broccoli, avocado, and a wide variety of legumes including black beans, pinto beans, butter beans, red lentils, and many more.
Step 5: Understand % Daily Value.
The %DV tells you the amount of that particular nutrient in a single serving (see step 1). So if a product contains 20% of your daily calcium intake, you would want to consume 5 servings of that food to get your total daily calcium requirement, for example.
Putting it all together: All of the above can seem overwhelming, so let's break it down:
The first thing to do is to determine your calorie requirement. Those trying to lose weight versus those trying to gain muscle versus growing children will have very different calorie requirements, so this number is key.
Once you have that number, record your label information in a chart over a week or so to make sure you are on the right track. We found this great food diary on Amazon, that seems to capture the most important information from your food labels: https://www.amazon.com/Nutrition-Book-Macro-Tracker-Journal/dp/B0BB62SSBY
If you find that you are on track after several days of recording data, great work! If you find that your nutritional intake is less than ideal, don't be discouraged. Make small adjustments every day. We recommend starting with tackling your sugar intake, since that is arguably the most addictive of the ingredients.
Good luck on the first step of your health empowerment journey! For more information and additional resources, visit Linda Kolton's nutritionist page at : https://www.lindakolton.com/
Note: CT Sports Recovery and this writer receive absolutely no commissions or fees for recommending any of the products mentioned above.
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About the Writer:
Anu Kurra, MD, is a board-certified physiatrist with a passion for #holistichealing and #lifestylemedicine. She and her husband, Dr. Michael Betler, opened CT Sports Recovery in Westport in 2022, with the goal of guiding people towards healthier and longer lives.
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