Do you know what the words really mean on food labels?
In this article, you'll discover everything you need to know about how to interpret food labels and make the right food choices.
So what does "fat free" really mean?
To be labeled "Fat Free", the food must contain less than ? gram of fat per serving.
To be labeled "Low Fat", the food must contain 3 grams or less of fat per serving.
To be labeled "Reduced Fat", the food must be at least 25 percent lower in fat than a comparable food.
To be labeled "Light", the food must contain 1/3 fewer calories, OR ? the fat OR 2/3 the sodium of a comparable food (but not necessarily all three!).
Some foods (especially meat and dairy products) appear to have less fat than they really do. For example, if a milk or cheese label reads 2% milk or 2% cheese, this means that 2 percent of the product volume (NOT the calories) comes from milk fat.
You can use a little math to discover how much fat these products actually contain.
First, find the total calories per serving and the fat calories per serving. For example if the total calories per serving are 80 and the fat calories per serving are 50, divide the fat calories per serving by the total calories per serving.
Then, multiply that number by 100 and you'll have the total percent of fat calories in the food. In this example, 50 fat calories divided by 80 total calories equals .625 times 100 equals 62?%. In this example, nearly 63 percent of the total calories of this food are from fat!
Also, using the math above, you can figure out how much fat that 2 percent milk, 2 percent cheese, 2 percent cottage cheese and lean ground beef contain. You'll probably discover these foods are mush "fatter" than you realized!
Trans fats should be avoided as much as possible as they can increase your risk of heart disease. Trans fats are also known as hydrogenated fats and are added to many processed foods including most baked foods (crackers, cookies, breads, etc.).
If the food contains trans fats, the ingredient label will usually read: contains hydrogenated oil OR partially hydrogenated oil OR vegetable shortening OR margarine. Avoid these foods like the plague!
By knowing how to read food labels and understanding the word "fat", you can purchase diet foods more wisely and lose weight successfully.
Jerry Byler is the Webmaster of three diet and weight loss blogs. To discover dieting information on how you can lose weight quickly and easily, please visit the following: http://www.weightlossproduct.blogspot.com http://www.weightlossproduct.blogspot.com http://www.weightlossproduct.blogspot.com
limousine airport Glendale Heights .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareYou may have read the old stories about how much... Read More
Some of you will not like what I'm going to... Read More
Many people (especially on the net) claim that you can... Read More
Recently, I read an article from Japanese magazine that by... Read More
Hot dang! If a few hundred other folks can peddle... Read More
I've talked to quite a few fellow gastric bypass patients... Read More
Losing fat in my opinion is not all that difficult.... Read More
Did you ever think about the fact that losing 2... Read More
Dietitians just plain don't like low-carb or high-protein diets.Whether it's... Read More
I personal lost 60 pounds in 2003. Here are some... Read More
World Health Organization has observed that obesity has now reached... Read More
When you are faced with the daily challenge of trying... Read More
Looking to lose some pounds quickly? Fast and safe weight... Read More
New studies suggested once again that citric fruits including oranges,... Read More
The importance of drinking water is mentioned in almost every... Read More
"Polyols" or sugar alcohols are a number of different carbohydrates... Read More
These days, most everyone has heard of low carb diets... Read More
Weight Loss Red Flag GuideDespite claims to the contrary, there... Read More
There are all kinds of fad diets and quick fixes... Read More
It's calorie-free, inexpensive and easily obtained - yet few people... Read More
Reducing childhood obesity in the U.S. needs to be a... Read More
Yes it's true- and so unfair. As we get older... Read More
1. The lower the calories eaten per day, the harder... Read More
Ever wondered why some people manage to keep their weight... Read More
Getting enough of the good fats will help you lose... Read More
Lincoln Stretch rentals Willowbrook ..For years we heard that a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet would... Read More
Frankly, I'm puzzled whenever I hear this from somebody who's... Read More
Chant the following each day, several times. They are mantras... Read More
Water is an essential component of the human body and... Read More
I have put off writing a motivation article because of... Read More
I'm sure you have pondered this question, for it is... Read More
I had some questions come in about Ephedra. So I... Read More
Eating when under stress isn't just about filling an emotional... Read More
Debunking The Ab MythAb training has been done to death... Read More
There is no doubt about it; Americans are eating in... Read More
The answer to the title of this article is "none."... Read More
Weight training combines building muscle tone and working the cardiovascular... Read More
The huge companies stealing your money by promising impossible results... Read More
Stop Weight From Creeping Up By Staying AwareEveryone has small... Read More
Being over weight is usually being 20 percent or more... Read More
This year, we all made some of the typical New... Read More
Here are the 4 things you need to know about... Read More
Diet pills have met with many different fates, and come... Read More
Don't get discouraged. I, too, have found myself in this... Read More
Holidays and special events should be a time of great... Read More
We have plans for everything these days. That is how... Read More
One may think that on a website called "LivingAfterWLS" you... Read More
Who really wants to lose weight? None of us, right?... Read More
April 14, 2005 federal judge Tena Campbell of the federal... Read More
Water is useful when we are trying for losing weight.... Read More
Weight Loss |