A couple days ago, I was with my parents and they bought some instant noodles. My mom and my dad are both trying to watch their diets. So I flipped over the box with my mom and she goes, “See – only 190 calories!”.
I pointed out to her the sodium percentage (42%) and I said, “Mom – the serving size and this information is only on HALF the bowl.” So in reality eating one bowl is 82% approximately of her daily value which is 2000 mg of sodium!
Lets put that into perspective – my mom, who loves eating fish could eat Cod fried in batter with only 100mg of sodium – meaning she could have 20 of them! Twenty!!
While Nutritional Facts are a mere guideline, it is important to read when you’re buying and making a decision. The box is based on a 2000 calorie diet, but give or take it is still fairly accurate.
When reading the Nutrition Facts, check out the serving size because that’s where they get you. Check out how much fat, transfat, cholesterol, sodium and sugar is in it – especially if you’re on a diet for your health.
There is no definitive guideline as to what you should and shouldn’t get – it all depends on your diet, but keep in mind the different facts when you’re doing comparisons at the grocery store!
For example, I picked up a cereal box and looked at the Sugar – it had more sugar in half a bowl than drinking 2 cans of pop! The next thought in my head was – do I eat the cereal that’s going to give me the same amount of sugar as two cans of pop on a daily basis? Probably not.
It’s also important to check out the ingredient list – did you know that they are required to list the ingredients in descending order of proportion of weight? So..if sugar or salt is one of the first couple ingredients, you may want to think twice about buying (unless of course,it’s a candy bar or a pretzel!!).
Remember that Nutritional Facts are in place to help you make a good decision, but it shouldn’t stop you from buying the foods you love! Just be weary of what goes into your body to live a longer and more food-filled life!!