Nutrition - Label Reading
Diabetes Support Group Meeting Highlights
March 20, 2007
Phyllis Hazelwood, Prairie Clinic Dietician, presented to the diabetes support group the importance of and how to read food labels. She discussed fats, sodium, cholesterol, carbohydrates, fiber and calcium.
Fats are divided into Saturated fats, Trans fats, and sometimes Polyunsaturated and Monounstaturated. American Heart Association recommends only 25-35% of total calories should come from fat including less than 7% from saturated fats or 15 grams in a 2000 calorie diet. Our body (liver) uses saturated fats to manufacture cholesterol. Trans fats should be avoided if possible. It can be difficult to determine the amount of trans fat in a food but if the list of ingredients includes any partially hydrogenated oil, it contains some trans fats. Polyunstaturated and monounsaturated fats are healthy fats and are a better choice for your diet.
The American Heart Association recommends less than 3000mg sodium per day for a healthy adult. Processed foods are frequently high in sodium. Phyllis recommended limiting yourself to one high sodium food serving per day. Salt substitutes are available but contain potassium, you should discuss with your provider if they are appropriate for you.
The recommendation from the American Heart Association for cholesterol is less than 300mg per day. In order to accomplish the goal it is necessary to limit eggs to 4 per week and chose lean meat and fish and substitute higher fat foods with fresh fruits and vegetables.
Carbohydrate allowance is determined by individual meal plans which differ by gender, weight goals, and blood sugar control. When reading a label you should refer to the total carbohydrates and not sugar content. The sugar is already accounted for in the total carbohydrates. Fiber is a carbohydrate but is a nondigestable carbohydrate which can be subtracted from the total carbohydrate value. The recommended allowance of fiber is 25-35 grams per day.
Calcium recommendations vary depending on your age but is generally between 1200-1500mg daily. An 8 ounce glass of milk is 300mg or 25% of you total daily requirements.
Phyllis reminded the group of the importance of portion size in determining nutritional content of the food. For example: 2/3 cup of bran flakes is 24 grams of carbohydrates but if you eat 1 1/3 cup of bran flakes, the carbohydrates is 48 grams.
Knowing what you are eating as well as how much you are eating is important to good health.
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