Nutritional Value Of Food: Interpreting Food LabelsNutritional Values Of FoodUnderstanding the nutritional value of food is important for anyone. It is particularly important for people that are trying to lose weight or improve their health. Reading the nutrition facts on boxes of packaged, prepared and processed foods is a good idea. You may be surprised to find that many of the foods you have been eating are high in calories, but low in vitamins and minerals nutrition. Eating calorie dense as opposed to nutrient dense foods may be the cause of the obesity epidemic. While we are getting more than enough calories to meet our body’s needs, we are not getting the necessary nutrients. As a result, we are hungry more often than we should be and our appetites are bigger than normal. Restaurant and Manufacturer PracticesRestaurant and food-manufacturer advertising and practices are partly to blame for our problems. They tempt us with photos of healthy looking people laughing as they eat burgers and fries. Ask those models what they actually eat. They may eat out, but fast foods are something they usually avoid.Remember that most companies are only interested in making money. They don’t really care about our health. It can be challenging to learn the true nutritional value of food for many reasons. The first challenge relates to the labels on packaged foods. Manufacturers do not have to be completely honest. How they measure and list the trans fat content is an example.You may have read about the health risks associated with consumption of trans fats. If not, here are the basics. They are man-made. They stay in the bloodstream too long, because the body does not have the enzymes necessary to break them down quickly. Since they remain in circulation longer, there is an increased risk that they will become oxidized and adhere to the arterial walls. That is how age-related heart disease begins. Manufacturers are required to list the nutritional value of food stuffs they sell. They are also required to list the trans fat content. But, if the product contains less than one gram of trans fats per serving, they are allowed to use the advertising phrase “zero grams of trans fat”. The only way to be sure and avoid all trans fats is to read the label of ingredients. If partially hydrogenated oils are included, then it contains trans fat, no matter what the label says. Another challenge is that some nutrients are not listed on the labels. Only the common vitamins and minerals, as well as the fat and carbohydrate content are included. Doing Your Own ResearchIn order to learn the nutritional value of food that is not processed or packaged, you have to do some research on your own. It is safe to say that all fruits and vegetables are nutritious.Some of the nutrients found in fresh fruits and vegetables cannot be absorbed by the body unless they are consumed with some kind of fat. Vitamin E is an example of a fat soluble vitamin. This is one of the reasons that balance in the diet is so important. Ideally, each meal and snack would consist of some fruits and vegetables, a good source of lean protein and a small amount of healthy omega-3 fats. When your total diet is healthy and balanced, the nutritional value of food items on an individual basis becomes less important.
Top of Nutritional Value Of Food Return to Why Is Nutrition Important Healthy Eating Homepage |
