Whether you’re a teen or an adult, how to read labels on packaged food products is one of the most valuable things you can learn. Knowing what’s in anything packaged that you eat, including the basics—protein grams, carb grams, and fat percentage—will help you become and remain nutritionally fit. Manufacturers are now required to put a nutritional label on almost all food products.
When you learn the percentage of fat calories in a particular item, it will help you plan your snacks and meals for the rest of the day, because each lat gram has more calories than protein or carbohydrates.
But be aware of the “marketing myth” that because a food is low in lat, fat-free, or sugar-free, you can consume unlimited quantities. This is not true! Any food eaten in excess of the calories you’ve burned in a day will be stored as body fat. When you read the label, look for the caloric content as well as the fat calories per serving. Also, pay attention to the number of servings offered. Two servings at 90 calories each is equal to 180 calories it you consume the entire product.
I have one client who was thrilled when she realized that while potato chips had about 50 percent fat calories, yogurt had none. Immediately, she assumed that she could eat as much yogurt as she wanted because there was no fat in it. Not only was she perplexed when she didn’t lose weight—but totally confused when she actually gained two pounds. I had to burst her bubble and remind her that yogurt still had 100 calories per serving. Bottom line was that the energy balance relationship still remains the same, regardless of where the calories come from.
To figure out the number of calories per serving:
Protein: the amount of the product that is protein is usually stated in grams. Multiply the number of grams listed by 4. This gives you the number of calories per serving.
Carbohydrate: the amount of the product that is carbohydrate is also stated in grams. Multiply the number of grams listed (per serving) by 4.
Fat: the amount of the product that is fat is usually stated in grams. However, each fat gram gives you a higher number of calories. Instead of multiplying the number by 4, as you do for protein and carbs, multiply the number of grams listed (per serving) by 9. This gives you the number of calories per serving.
The more label reading you do, the more useful it will become. It will help you maximize calcium intake and minimize fat intake. You will learn how you can get more food per day, while losing weight or just maintaining where you are. You will also learn more about the other vitamins and minerals that you are going to need, like vitamin C and iron.
