Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates -- often referred to as carbs -- are listed next. Carbohydrate is an energy source used for bodily functions for everything from just walking to intense, prolonged exercise.Carbohydrates from whole grain sources such as brown rice are preferable to those contained in refined carbohydrates such as white bread because of the way the body processes them.
Unless you're following a low-carbohydrate diet, it is acceptable to eat up to 300 grams of carbohydrate each day.
Protein
Protein is used by the body to build cells and maintain muscle and other tissues. In the average American’s diet, it is mostly derived from meat, poultry, fish, and/or eggs. Dairy foods, beans and nuts also contain protein.Protein does not have a recommended daily value indicated on the food label. Protein needs are actually variable depending on your weight and activity level.
Using Food Labels in the Real World
The key part of using food labels is they provide instant portion control. The only way you can use food labels effectively is to measure and eat portions based on the recommended servings sizes.The good news is, in time, assessing the serving size of your favorite foods will become second nature.
At first, measuring food servings will seem tedious, but it will not always be that way. Within a matter of weeks, you will learn to eyeball servings and practice automatic portion control.
Once you assess your caloric needs, food labels will help you identify areas in which you can cut back painlessly and lose weight.
For example, when you see your favorite yogurt contains 160 calories per serving, it will be much easier to identify one that contains 100 calories if you always check the nutrition label. If you eat yogurt every day, this one change can cut over 400 calories from your diet each week!
Remember ... every 3,500 calories cut or burned equals one pound lost. A little light reading on the packages of your favorite foods could be the start to making it happen.
Sources:
“Daily Values Encourage Healthy Diet.” FDA. 30 Oct 2006 <http://www.fda.gov/fdac/special/foodlabel/dvs.html>.
”Good Reading for Good Eating.” FDA. 30 October 2006 <http://www.fda.gov/fdac/special/foodlabel/goodread.html>.
“How to Understand and Use the Nutritoin Facts Label.” Center for Food Safety and Applied Nurtiion/FDA. 30 Oct 2006 <http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html>.
“Choose a Diet Low in Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol.” National Agriculture Labatory/U.S. Department of Agriculture. 30 Oct 2006 <http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/dga/dga95/lowfat.html>.
“Limiting Fats and Cholesterol.” American Heart Association. 30 Oct 2006 <http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?indentifier=323>.
