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Release:
May 30, 2005
Donation Drive
'07
Proceeds
go to support the Georgia Sports Foundation and its affiliates.
You can make a difference!
How
to Really Read a Label
By JJ Virgin,
CNS
"Low fat," "sugar free," "no added
sugars," "low calorie," "low cholesterol" -
what do these terms really mean and what should you be looking out for
when you navigate the grocery store aisles? Read on and learn how to
make sense of all of the government approved lingo to ensure that you
are choosing the best foods for your health!
First, remember your best bet is to go with "whole foods" or
foods that are unprocessed or the least processed choices available. You
should stick to the outer aisles of the supermarket to find these items.
Here are some other things you need to know before you go shopping:
1. Items on labels are listed by weight from the most to the least.
2. Sugar has a lot of different names! The absolute worst one is
"high fructose corn syrup," but ALL sugar can contribute to
heart disease, accelerated aging, diabetes and obesity - don't kid
yourself because it is "natural" or "raw"!
3. What the label lists as the portion size may not equal your reality
so be sure to read the fine print. Portion sizes are based on a
standardized reference that is often less than what we choose here in
our "super-sized" world.
4. There are good fats and bad fats - be on the lookout for partially
hydrogenated oils and avoid these at all costs. Stick with extra virgin
olive oil, canola oil, avocados, cold water fish and raw nuts and seeds
as your principle sources of fat.
5. Natural doesn't necessarily equal healthy!
What the Words Mean:
Dietary Fiber
Remember we should be getting 25-35 grams of fiber a day in our
diet and currently we get only 1/3-1/2 of this amount. Use the
guidelines below to help you increase your numbers into the optimal
range.
High fiber: 5 grams of fiber or more per serving
A good source of fiber: 2.5 - 4.9 grams of fiber per serving
Fat
Ideally no more than 1/3 of your total fat or roughly 10 percent of your
daily calories should come from saturated fat.
Fat free: less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving
Low fat: 3 grams of fat or less per serving
Lean: less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat and
no more than 95 mg of cholesterol per serving
Extra-lean: less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat
and 95 mg of cholesterol per serving
Low in saturated fat: 1 gram of sat fat or less per serving and
not more than 15 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids
Reduced or less fat: at least 25 percent less fat per serving
than the higher fat version
Cholesterol
Goal is 300 mg or less of cholesterol per day.
Low cholesterol: 20 mg or cholesterol or less and 2 grams of
saturated fat or less per serving
Reduced cholesterol: at least 25% less cholesterol than the
higher-cholesterol version and 2 grams of less of saturated fat per
serving
Cholesterol free: less than 2 mg of cholesterol or 2 grams or
less of saturated fat per serving
Sugar
Sugar free: less than 1/2 gram of sugar per serving
Low sugar: may not be used as a claim
Reduced sugar: at least 25% less sugar per serving when compared
with a similar food
No added sugars, without added sugar, no sugar added: no amount
of sugar or any other ingredient that contains sugars that functionally
substitute for added sugars is added during processing or packaging, the
product contains no ingredients that contain added sugars such as jam,
jelly or concentrated fruit juice
Calories
Calorie free: fewer than 5 calories per serving
Low calorie: 40 calories or less per serving
Light or lite: 1/3 less calories or no more than 1/2 the fat of
the higher-calorie, higher-fat version
Reduced calorie: at least 25 percent fewer calories per serving
when compared with a similar food
Sodium
Goal is 2400 mg or less of sodium per day.
Light in sodium: no more than 1/2 the sodium of the higher-sodium
version
Sodium free: less than 5 mg of sodium per serving and no sodium
chloride (NaCl) in ingredients
Very low sodium: 35 mg of sodium or less per serving
Low sodium: 140 mg or less per serving
Reduced or less sodium: 25 percent less sodium per serving than
the higher sodium version
A Few More Terms:
* "Free" has the least amount
* "Very low" and "low" have a little more
* "Reduced" or "less" always means that the food has
25 percent less of that nutrient than the reference version of that food
* "Good source of" means that it contains 10 - 19 percent of
the Daily Value (DV) per serving
* "High," "rich in," "excellent source of"
means that it contains 20 percent or more of the DV per serving.
* "More," "fortified," "enriched,"
"added" means that it contains at least 10 percent more of the
DV for protein, vitamins, minerals or fiber per serving.
* "Fresh" means that it has not been frozen, heat processed or
similarly processed.
--END--
WWW.LIGHTENUPGEORGIA.ORG
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Remember:
June
3, 2005:
Remember to turn in your teams weekly activity report.
July
8-17, 2005: Georgia
Games Championships
August
6, 2005: Run For Life
(Road Race)
September
12, 2005: Bandy &
Bailey Golf Jam
WWW.GEORGIAGAMES.ORG
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