What to watch out for on nutrition labels?

i'm starting to really look at nutrition labels before i eat anything.. i know sodium is bad for you, but how much do you think i could have in one day? because alot of things do have sodium in them, i just dont eat it or drink it if it has a lotttttt of it. but if you could give me an estimate how much i should limit, i'm really really trying to watch my weight.


also, wat are some good and bad things on nutrition labels? and how much should I limit with those?

max is 100% Na
look for proteins, fibres, and nutriemts

You don't necessarily want to look at calories, that's just the amount of energy provided by the food. look at cholesterol. Your body produces all the cholesterol that you need, and by putting excess in your body you close up your arteries. So limit that, but if you do eat alot, you can eat fiber which is good because it cleans out the goop in your small intestine so you can absorb more nutrients. Unsaturated fat is the most healthiest form of fat, and you do need fat in your diet. Trans fats are the worst, and saturated is the one that's less bad, but still bad. Under ingredients you want to limit things with Hydrogenated Oil or seeds, or partially hydrogenated oil or seeds. That's not good. Whole grain things are best for you. Foods shouldn't have more than 4 grams of sugar, unless it's the sugar that's in milk and fruits, sugars known as maltose and fructose. Those are good sugars. but anyway, i learned all this in food and nutrition last week, and I hope it helped.

I've been doing the same, and I know sodium causes to you retain water, thus making you seem "puffier" or weigh a little more. I think you are supposed to stay at around 2400 mg of sodium per day, though some people may have special circumstances, or course. As for the other "stuff" on the labels, I am not quite sure what your goals are: (losing weigh, staying healthy, etc), so I'm not quite sure how to answer that question.

The less fat it has the better. Unless it's unsaturated fat.. Like if it says, say, 7 grams of fat, then underneath it, 2 g Saturated fat, then 0 g trans fat.. That's pretty good. Unsaturated fat is better than saturated fat. The more carbohydrates it has, the better. Unless they're all sugars. Like if it says, 20 g cards, then underneath it, 18 g sugars, 2 g dietary fiber.. <<Bad. A good example would be, 30 g carbs, 3 g sugars, 10 g dietary fiber.. or whatever. The more protein it has, the better.

High Fructose Corn Syrup I hear isn't good for you-you can look it up on the wikipedia.

Go to a Health food store or check out organic products-they may be a little pricier but worth it for a healthier you. My mom says if they have "No High Fructose Corn Syrup" labels that must be a good thing!

I should know the sodium part but I dont. Just try a search for "women's health sodium" and you should get some good results.

Watch out for high fructose corn syrup, bad for you
Carmine: nasty food coloring. Read about it in Wiki, its soooo gross and used a lot in pink/red foods like yogurt or ice cream.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmine

That's my two cents :)

hi sodium.....corn syrup......trans-fats.....
The best food is natural, non-processed food. In other words, make your own soups and stews, bake your own bread, etc....natural foods do not contain all the added sodium and corn syrup and trans-fats that commercial products contain....

Saccharine

It puts holes in your brain.

Wow I could type a mile long answer. I'll try to keep it short and sweet.

I felt sick at 23 even though I worked out a lot.

I felt sicker at 28 even though I worked out a lot.

At 30 I made some changes, cooked at home, got of caffeine / soft drinks.

At 32 I became very alert to what I was eating.

I now only eat natural foods. Whole grain wheat that I grind myself. Organics when possible.

If it has preservatives, the store can keep it.

I don't worry about sodium so long as it comes natural with the food. You can buy realsalt from health stores. http://www.realsalt.com It's salt that has the minerals left in it.

I stopped drinking tap water due to fluoride, and I never take any medicine.

Note, I'm 32 now.

I feel fantastic. I get out of bed feeling great like when I was 5 years old.

I play tag with my kids at the park. They play 3 kids vs. 1 adult. We run all over the playground equipment extremely wild. I have energy to take on 3 kids at the same time aged 11, 9, 7.

I don't measure, I eat till I'm satisfied and not full.

I do feel most of us are deceived in just how toxic and gross everything is.

If it comes in a package and is pretty much ready to eat - ditch it. (Unless that package says organic). That's a great rule to follow. This means no cheeze it's, oreos, ez-cheeze.

I've gotten off MSG's, and every preservative. No more margarine, no more crisco. Just real butter.

My weight is 100% in check. Blood pressure is now great. Cholesterol is wonderful.

I feel great.... I hope you can do the same. It's hard at first but gets way better.

If you want more info crasster@yahoo.com