Here's a nice nutrition calculator for those who are curious as to what their specific daily intake should be. You can adjust the fat-protein-carb ratio to fit your diet style. They recommend at least a 30-20-50 diet, but I prefer a 30-30-40.
* Counting is not necessary once you understand your daily average consumption. It may help to count for a little bit if you are curious as to what you are eating, but it's not as important as eating in moderation.
1) Ingredients: I personally don't believe in "sugar-free" food because they always have aspartame, which is sugar substitute that always seems to be in controversy. Whether or not you believe the critics, it's just too good to be true.
- When I'm purchasing a carb, I always try to go for the whole wheat option. However, if you are purchasing multi-grain, soft wheat or the like, pay attention to what type of flour is used.
- Unless it says "whole --- flour," brown rice flour, quinoa flour, oat flour, rye flour and etc, I'd avoid it if possible
- If it says "enriched" or "unbleached," that's just a fancy way of saying that all of the essential vitamins and minerals have been stripped away.
- A kernel of wheat is composed of 3 parts: the bran, endosperm, and germ. The bran and the germ is where all of the fiber and nutrients come from. The endosperm (in between), is where all of the starch and useless carbs come from. That's why white flour (all purpose flour) is so refined and just plain starchy--no bran and germ!
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| My amateur sketch.... |
2) Serving Size: Serving size is essential to reading a nutrition fact label. All of the subsequent steps are based off of this number, so be aware of the portioning.
- Sometimes they'll put an average serving size like 1 slice, 1 can, 1 box, etc...but oftentimes they try to make the product seem healthier with a ridiculously SMALL serving sizes. For example, most pastas will say their serving size is 1/8 of the box or even 3/4 cup, but really, who eats 1/8 of a box???
3) Calories: I personally do not critique the calories as much as long as it's reasonable in relation to the serving size. It really depends on the food though, so use your judgment. When I was counting calories just to see how much I was actually eating, I found that a 1,700-1,750 calorie diet was a suffice to maintain my weight, but everyone's different!
4) Total Fat: This is probably the biggest red flag when I purchase food.
- Unless it's unsaturated fat or omega-3 fatty acids (fish and etc), I do my best to minimize this as much as possible!
- If the majority of the total fat grams comes from saturated fat (or if this number is over 1-2, IMO), it's evil, but probably delicious. Sigh.
- P.S. "Reduced fat" usually means they compensated for it elsewhere...in the carbs.
5) Sodium: So long as it's reasonable, it's fine with me. I usually max out at around 300-400mg, but of course sodium level varies depending on what you're purchasing. Unfortunately, soy sauce (unless it's reduced) and spices tend to pack the sodium, but it's almost inevitable in an Asian household...hehhh..
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| Soy Sauce: 980mg of sodium PER TABLESPOON?!?! |
6) Carbohydrates: Alright, so I don't believe in the Atkins diet, but that doesn't mean I indulge myself in carbs. I try to stay below 30g unless it's brown rice, which is generally in the 40s. Thus, it's imperative that the carbs include dietary fiber, or else is absolutely useless. 1g of dietary fiber is not enough, so I try to shoot for at least 3-4g per serving.
- Dietary fiber offers a variety of health benefits, but the main reason why I always shoot for a high fiber diet is because it makes me feel full longer since it takes longer to digest. On the other hand, white flour is quickly absorbed by your body as nothing but starch. Aka...BAD!
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| South Beach Diet W.W. Wraps: Excellent source of fiber, protein, & it's "whole wheat flour!" |
7) Sugars: For some reason, I feel like a lot of people overlook the sugar. Why would you want to drink a bottle of coke when it has 60-70g of sugar??? Not to mention all of the carbs...Unless it's from something natural like fruits or honey, I typically max out at 10g, which is still a lot but not excessive. Here's another popular misconception:
- Fruit/Flavored Yogurts: YES, yogurt is good for you. NO, artificial sweeteners and added unnatural sugars are not good for you! The best way to eat yogurt is to get plain yogurt, add your own fruits, maybe some honey, and enjoy! My favorite is plain Greek yogurt because its thick and creamy.
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| Dr. Pepper: Ridiculous amount of sugar just in 1 can! and the carbs... |
8) Protein: Protein also offers a variety of health benefits, but I like a higher protein diet (not excessive) because it helps me build muscle/tone up and it absolutely plays a role in weight loss...not to mention it aids in growth and repair of different parts of your body, such as your bones, hair, eyes, and other tissues....etc. I probably wouldn't overkill on the protein, though...
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| FAGE Plain Greek Yogurt: An excellent source of protein (20g) per cup. |
Feel free to give me any other tips or advice!! =)
