Emily Ross-Teague, Registered Dietitian: "A food label tells you the nutritional content of your food and can help you make decisions about which foods and drinks to buy at the store.

You will find a nutrition facts panel on most packaged foods and drinks. When reading a food label, start by looking at the serving size, located here on the nutrition facts panel. All nutritional information on the label is based on the serving size given. Pay close attention to the number of servings per container, as many products have more than once serving in a package.

Here is an example of a food with two servings in one package. If you were to eat the entire package in one meal or snack, you would be getting twice the amount of calories and other nutrients listed on the panel. Having one serving of this food would provide 190 calories. But the entire package would be 380 calories.

You will find calories listed right below the serving size as well as the amount of fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, protein and some vitamins and minerals. Again, these amounts are all based on one serving of the food or drink.

You may notice some labels include the amount of added sugars per serving. This is located below the total sugar. Limiting added sugars is recommended for weight management and good overall health.

Most nutrients on the nutrition facts panel also have a percent daily value listed. This shows how much of each nutrient is in one serving of food compared to the daily recommended amount. If the percent daily value of a nutrient is 20 percent or greater, this food is considered high in that nutrient. If the percent daily value is 5 percent or less, this food is considered low in that nutrient.

For example, this food is considered high in saturated fat because the percent daily value is higher than 20 percent.

Looking at a different food, we know this food is low in sodium because the percent daily value is less than 5 percent.

A list of ingredients in the food will be located below or beside the nutrition facts panel. The ingredients are listed in order of highest-to-lowest amount with allergy information listed at the end.

If you are looking to buy a whole grain product, use the ingredient list. You should find the words 'whole grain' of 'whole wheat' as part of the first ingredient.

The front of the package may also say '100 percent whole grain' or '100 percent whole wheat.'

If you have other questions about reading food labels, be sure to speak with your registered dietitian."

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The funding for these videos was in part provided by Master Han and the Han’s White Tiger Tae Kwon Do Annual Break-A-Thon. Thank you!

source

Barbara Lattin, Registered Dietitian: "Snacks are small amounts of healthy foods eaten between meals.

They help us manage hunger and limit cravings. They are also an important way to get needed vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

We recommend no more than 1 to 2 snacks per day. Snack size, just like meals, depends on who the snack is for – small children need smaller snacks while teenagers will need bigger snacks.

Examples of a small snack can be as simple as:
- a piece of fruit (an apple, orange or fruit cup)
- some vegetables (carrot or celery sticks) or
- a piece of string cheese

Examples of a bigger snack can be as simple as:
- an ounce of nuts
- a low sugar snack bar or
- ½ cup of cottage cheese

Another way to make snacks fun (and perhaps more
filling) is to combine foods together. Why not try:
- apple or celery sticks paired with peanut
butter
- berries topped with yogurt or
- cheese or tuna on whole wheat crackers

Just remember that portion sizes need to be
adjusted to match who is having the snack:
- if the combo snack is for a small child it
might be: •½ an apple & ½ a tablespoon of
peanut butter
•3 ounces of yogurt with ½ cup of berries or
•½ a slice of cheese or ¼ cup of tuna with 3
whole
grain crackers
- if the combo snack is for a teen it might be:
•an apple with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
•6 ounces of yogurt with a cup of berries
•1 slice of cheese or ½ cup of tuna with 6
whole grain crackers

Remember snacks are small portions of healthy foods that get us from one meal to the next without getting too hungry.

Many people think of foods like chips & sweets as snack foods - they taste good but don’t provide us with the good nutrition our bodies need.

We can have healthy snacks every day, but limit sweets, chips and other unhealthy choices to occasionally.

And just like planning can help us eat healthier meals, so can planning snacks.

Consider:
-who will be eating the snacks
-how many snacks are needed and
-pre-package so they are always ready in the right-sized portions

Check out our meal planning video for more planning ideas."

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The funding for these videos was in part provided by Master Han and the Han’s White Tiger Tae Kwon Do Annual Break-A-Thon. Thank you!

source

HealthWorks! Healthy Living Series: Reading Food Labels
by The Center for Better Health and Nutrition/HealthWorks! at Cincinnati Children's

Emily Ross-Teague, Registered Dietitian: "A food label tells you the nutritional content of your food and can help you make decisions about which foods and drinks to buy at the store.

You will find a nutrition facts panel on most packaged foods and drinks. When reading a food label, start by looking at the serving size, located here on the nutrition facts panel. All nutritional information on the label is based on the serving size given. Pay close attention to the number of servings per container, as many products have more than once serving in a package.

Here is an example of a food with two servings in one package. If you were to eat the entire package in one meal or snack, you would be getting twice the amount of calories and other nutrients listed on the panel. Having one serving of this food would provide 190 calories. But the entire package would be 380 calories.

You will find calories listed right below the serving size as well as the amount of fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, protein and some vitamins and minerals. Again, these amounts are all based on one serving of the food or drink.

You may notice some labels include the amount of added sugars per serving. This is located below the total sugar. Limiting added sugars is recommended for weight management and good overall health.

Most nutrients on the nutrition facts panel also have a percent daily value listed. This shows how much of each nutrient is in one serving of food compared to the daily recommended amount. If the percent daily value of a nutrient is 20 percent or greater, this food is considered high in that nutrient. If the percent daily value is 5 percent or less, this food is considered low in that nutrient.

For example, this food is considered high in saturated fat because the percent daily value is higher than 20 percent.

Looking at a different food, we know this food is low in sodium because the percent daily value is less than 5 percent.

A list of ingredients in the food will be located below or beside the nutrition facts panel. The ingredients are listed in order of highest-to-lowest amount with allergy information listed at the end.

If you are looking to buy a whole grain product, use the ingredient list. You should find the words 'whole grain' of 'whole wheat' as part of the first ingredient.

The front of the package may also say '100 percent whole grain' or '100 percent whole wheat.'

If you have other questions about reading food labels, be sure to speak with your registered dietitian."

--

The funding for these videos was in part provided by Master Han and the Han’s White Tiger Tae Kwon Do Annual Break-A-Thon. Thank you!

source