Posted: 10/2/2018
Healthy eating habits can help you prevent and manage common diseases and illnesses. Understanding food labels can help you make healthy choices at your next trip to the grocery store.
Serving Size. Many food items contain more than one serving size. Other nutrition facts such as calories and sugar are listed based on one serving. If you eat two servings, you are eating twice the amount of calories, sugar, etc. listed on the packaging.
Percent Daily Value (%DV). This tells you how much of a nutrient (such as fat, protein, etc.) goes toward your daily nutrition total. Daily value percentages are based on a 2,000-calorie diet and can be adjusted according to your diet.
The Good and the Bad. It’s no secret that some nutrients are healthier than others such as calcium, vitamin C and fiber. However, some nutrients like cholesterol, sodium and sugar should only be eaten in small portions to prevent or avoid complications with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and other illnesses. For example, people with diabetes should try to have less than 2,000mg of sodium per day.
Beware of misleading claims on food labels like “sugar-free” and “calorie-free.” They still may contain unhealthy amounts of other ingredients. Additionally, labels that claim to have reduced amounts of an ingredient can still have a higher amount than you might expect.
Parkland’s Community Oriented Primary Care (COPC) Clinics offer assessment, counseling and group nutrition classes. To find a Parkland clinic near you, go to www.Parklandhospital.com/locations.