Today we’ll discuss what you should look for when shopping for groceries.
The labels of the products are decisive when it comes to knowing what’s good for your health and what’s good for the taste buds only.
There are two things you should follow: the ingredients and their source on one hand, and the nutritional value that product brings on the other hand.
The reason why the ingredients are most important is because you need to know what enters your body. There are a lot of products that have low calories, lots of protein and few fats and carbs. They’d seem a great option, but if there are ingredients from a synthetic source, the quality of the products drastically reduces.
When reading the ingredients, check for flavor enhancers and preservatives. If ascorbic/citric acid, tocopherol, rosemary, vinegar or obtained through the smoking process are on the list, they’re safe to consume. However, nitrites, nitrates, monosodium glutamate, and sodium benzoate, are synthetic substances that interfere with your body’s natural chemistry, gradually altering your cells’ functionality.
Regarding the nutritional value, here is what you need to know:
Firstly, you need to check the value provided by 100g. This way, you will have a benchmark and will be able to compare different products.
Regarding the energy provided, bear in mind that a value below 100 kcal per 100g is considered low, those between 100-400 kcal are considered moderate, and anything above 400 is considered a high-calorie food.
Another thing to consider is that most foods will provide a notable intake of only one or two of the macronutrients (fats, carbs, and protein). In order to know if that product is good for your health, check the following:
1. The protein intake – at least 10g per 100g of product is an option worth buying.
2. Fats – the total amount of fats is only partially relevant. What you should keep an eye on is how much “saturated fats” are in the product. For instance, in the image above, of a total 1.5 grams of fat, only 0.3g is saturated. This means that the product is a great source of healthy, unsaturated fatty acids.
As an example, you can buy a tuna can that provides 10g of fat, of which 0.5g saturated, and it would be a healthy choice. On the other hand, you could buy butter that contains 65g of fat, of which 65g saturated. Needless to say that it is too much for your body to handle well.
3. Carbs – just like fats, the difference stands between total carbs and sugars. In the image shown as example, the product is loaded with 45,5g of carbs, of which 3.8 sugars. This means that the rest of 41.7 are complex carbs that will not put stress on your pancreas to produce insulin (unlike sugars).
This is an example of healthy food. Nonetheless, if the sugar levels are higher than one quarter of the total amount (let’s say higher than 11g for this particular case), you should skip buying the item.
4. Fiber – it is a distinct type of carbohydrate that helps with digestion. You need at least 25g a day. Therefore, the higher the value, the better.
5. Salt – a maximum of 1g per 100g is recommended, so check the products with the lowest values.
To make matters simpler, here is what a label should look like:
It might take you a couple of weeks or even months to get the hang of reading the labels, but once you do it, you’ll be able to make the best choices for your health!