Many food items these days carry labels boasting how healthy they are for you: "Low Fat", "Reduced Calorie", and other claims are written all over the packaging... but do you really know what those claims mean? You might actually be surprised.
These labels - or claims - are regulated by the FDA. What they actually mean however, isn't always exactly what they say. For instance, something marked "Cholesterol Free" might actually have Cholesterol in it. Takie a look at some of the FDA guidelines and you'll see what I mean:
* Fat-Free: Less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving, with no added fat or oil
* Low fat: 3 grams or less of fat per serving
* Less fat: 25% or less fat than the comparison food
* Saturated Fat Free: Less than 0.5 grams of saturated fat and 0.5 grams of trans-fatty acids per serving
* Cholesterol-Free: Less than 2 mg cholesterol per serving, and 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving
* Low Cholesterol: 20 mg or less cholesterol per serving and 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving
* Reduced Calorie: At least 25% fewer calories per serving than the comparison food
* Low Calorie: 40 calories or less per serving
* Extra Lean: Less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol per (100 gram) serving of meat, poultry or seafood
* Lean: Less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 g of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol per (100 gram) serving of meat, poultry or seafood
* Light (fat): 50% or less of the fat than in the comparison food (ex: 50% less fat than our regular cheese)
* Light (calories): 1/3 fewer calories than the comparison food
* High-Fiber: 5 grams or more fiber per serving
* Sugar-Free: Less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving
* Sodium-Free or Salt-Free: Less than 5 mg of sodium per serving
* Low Sodium: 140 mg or less per serving
* Very Low Sodium: 35 mg or less per serving
As you can see, reading the labels becomes very important with most of the claims made. If someone where to buy a product labeled "Reduced Fat", they generally think they're eating healthy. But if the product is normally extremely high in fat, the "reduced" version only has to have 25% less than the regular one in order to put that claim on their package. And 25% less than something that's pretty high to begin with is usually higher than you want for optimal health and weight loss.
The same problems occur with food items labeled "free". Cholesterol free, sugar free, calorie free, etc. - these are a bit misleading. When you buy a cholesterol free product, you're not getting zero cholesterol. You're only getting a small amount, but the point is you're not getting "zero", which is what the label implies.
So when you're working hard to lose weight, be sure to read the labels... even on those items that say sugar free, calorie free, or fat free. And if they actually do have a little bit of sugar, calories or fat, be sure to factor that in to your overall daily intake. Doing this one little thing can make a big difference in how fast you lose weight, as well as how much you lose.
Of Weight Loss Foods
We all think of weight loss food as the really healthy items, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, a selection of foods high in fiber, a small quantity of fats, some protein and some carbohydrates. After weeks of eating the same healthy food you may start to resent your diet and start binging on the foods that made you start your diet in the first place. If you start to feel this way, stop and think about all the hard work that you have done and are about to undo.
Being on a weight loss program does not mean that you have to miss out on the treats. When you do notice a change in yourself, reward yourself with a treat. I do not mean go for a large bar of your favorite chocolate or a huge bag of candy. A little treat every now and then will not do any harm.
Chocolates should be made a luxury in your diet and not a routine. Do not indulge in too many of them. Yes, you can treat yourself to a piece or small bar of chocolate occasionally, but do not get into the habit of settling down in the evening to eat a large slab of your favorite chocolate. If you can not resist the temptation to binge, do not buy it from the grocery store. If your partner, friends or family normally buy you a box of chocolates as a gift ask them to buy you something else, for example tickets to the cinema, a new dress for when you reach your goal or even a day of pampering.
When you buy your chocolate look at the calorific value on the wrapper, some of the diet chocolate bars are very nice to eat and are low in fat, which is a bonus. Avoid the cream filled chocolates because although there is less sugar, there is still the cream in them, which is high in calories.
Perhaps, you would like to treat yourself to an alcoholic beverage maybe once or twice a week. Alcoholic beverages contain calories too. Just look at how many calories are in each of these standard measures of the most popular drinks:
Alcohol Free Wine 37
Baileys, Irish Cream 129
Champagne 96
Cider (Low Alcohol) 97
Cider (Sweet) 239
Cider (Vintage) 574
Dry White Wine 77
Dry Red Wine 83
Sherry (average) 140
Sweet Red Wine 100
Sweet White Wine 103
Beer, Bitter (Pint) 182
Lager (Can) 221
Guinness, Stout (Pint) 170
Gin and Slimline Tonic 56
Vodka and Diet Coke 55
Whisky and Lemonade 82
It is a myth that beer is fattening. According to the BBPA, a glass of beer with a typical 4.6% alcoholic volume, has fewer calories not only than a similar measure of wine, but also milk or fruit juice. The rest of the alcoholic drinks may not be fattening by themselves but when mixed with coke, lemonade or another soft drink the calorific value rises. However, after a couple of drinks you will be in no position to watch your diet and may find yourself at the local pizza parlor or curry house indulging it a lot of the foods that you have been missing.
If your choice of drink is wine, choose the dry option. Dry white wine contains 77 calories as opposed to sweet white wine which has 103 calories per standard measure. Sweet wines naturally contain a lot of sugar. Most of this sugar has been fermented away in dry wines. Avoid fortified wines because they contain even more sugar, a standard glass of sherry has 140 calories!
Hopefully, this will keep you motivated to reach your target weight loss.
Remember, a little of what you fancy does not do your diet any harm, it is when you over indulge that you start to damage the hard work and effort that you have put in.
Both Kathy Burns-millyard & Dawnrobertshaw are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Dawnrobertshaw has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Aromatherapy. Dawn Robertshaw is a writer of health and relationships articles for http://www.InThe21stCentury.com which was set up to help young and old alike to cope with those unique stresses and challenges of the fast-paced life we are all part of In The 21st Centu. Dawnrobertshaw's top article generates over 480 views. to your Favourites.
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