Nutrion Facts - You Must Know!

Nutrition facts are important to a greater number of people and that is very good news for your health.

Old man said: “You are what you eat.”
This holds true today just as it did centuries ago; even if it was originally coined when the majority of people received not enough food. Today it refers more to the worldwide trend of overeat.

Fortunately most of packaging now enclose with nutrition label which gives more advice on calories and servings. The major fault is that we ignore serving sizes; many people are quite happy to eat double size servings and then wonder why their weight keep going on and the inward curves turn outward.

The new US label regulations force manufacturers to be more open with Nutrition facts and here are few tips concerning what you should check on the label.

Check serving size and use it. This figure is nutritional fact.

Check calories. A healthy adult requires at least 2,000 each day in total. Try to keep it below 2,750. The average American adult currently eats around 3,500 calories each day.

Avoid sugars. Sugar is calorie high and each one of us should check whether we need the amount of sugar that we use. I avoid sugar in beverages so that I can eat sweet things from time to time.

Know your fats. Foods that are low in saturated fats, trans-fats and cholesterol are good foods and will help reduce the risk of heart disease. (5% DV or less is low, 20% DV or more is high). Most of the fats you eat should be polyunsaturated or mono unsaturated fats. Keep total fat intake between 20% and 35% of total calories.

Reduce salt intake. Research indicates that our total sodium (salt) intake should never exceed 2,300 milligrams (about 1 teaspoon) each day to reduce the risk of high blood pressure. You should also know that the majority of salt is taken in from processed foods rather than from the saltshaker. - Watch those processed foods. Also look for foods that are high in potassium because they counteract the effects of salt on blood pressure.

Finally we come to exercise. The whole world seems to have forgotten how important it is to exercise and exercise burns calories which reduces weight. We should slowly work our way up to one hour of exercise each day. This can be done in 12 five-minute periods or 6 ten-minute periods until you are able to exercise for longer periods.