Health Informative Council

We are told that in order to stay healthy we need to check the nutritional facts on the back of boxes of food we buy. But do we understand what they really mean? Here’s a short description.

Calories

– The amount of calories in a certain food is a way to measure how much heat will be released while burning that food. A man needs about 2,000 calories a day, a woman a little less depending on their activity levels. Calorie amount is given so we will know how rich or dense the food is so we can calculate how many calories we eat.

- When looking at the box it’s important to understand that the amount of calories written as information is sometimes for only one serving and not the whole box. You have to be aware of that and make the calculations.

Carbohydrate

– Sugars and starches and other elements the body needs and uses as an energy source. There are simple carbohydrates that break down easily and quickly into glucose and those are the ones we try to avoid. Complex carbohydrates take a lot of energy to break down and keep out bodies busy for a while longer.

Cholesterol

- Our body produces most of the cholesterol it needs to be able to build cells and make hormones. When we add cholesterol to our bodies it is accumulating in the arteries and sometimes creates blocks and cloths that lead to cardiac arrest.
Enriched foods –those are elements, such as vitamins, which are added to the food to compensate for what it lost in the manufacturing process.

Fortified foods

- those are elements added to the food that were never there in the first place. For example; added vitamin D in milk that will help in the absorption of calcium.

Dietary fiber

– the parts of a plant or vegetable that our body does not digest. It increases the bulk in our digestive track, fills us up and gives our stomachs a lot to chew on. You need about 25 gr. of fiber per day.

Daily value

– It is a calculated number, based on a diet of 2000 calories a day, that tells you how much of each ingredient, in percentage, the food contains. You need 100% of that ingredient a day.

High Fructose Corn Syrup

- Sometimes (quite often) used in foods instead of sugar. Just as bad as sugar if not worse.

Hydrogenated fat

– a process that turns liquid fat into semi hard one. The process creates Trans fats that are harmful and turn quickly to cholesterol.

MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) – it is a flavor enhancer, somewhat similar to salt. It may cause an allergic reaction in some people. This is why it has to be spelled out.

Potassium – a substance helping the building of muscles and maintaining healthy blood pressure. Found in generous amounts in bananas and nuts.

Saturated fats – Usually come from animal products and are not good for our bodies. Some vegetables as coconut and palm oil contain saturated fats as well, that harden in room temperature. No more than 7% of your fat intake should come from saturated fats.

Sodium – is what we call salt. Salt is needed in the body but in big amounts can raise the blood pressure and cause the body to retain water.

Sugars – different kinds of sugars are used in the manufacturing of food; fructose, glucose, sucrose, maple and corn syrups. They are added to the food to enhance the flavor and have no nutritional value.

Use this information to make an educated decision about the kinds of food to buy and what to serve your family. Balancing all the elements and avoiding those that are harmful is the first step to healthy nutrition.