Tips in Reading Food Labels to Make Heart-Healthy Choice

Diet is a crucial component of our health, especially relating to the heart but with so much conflicting information available, it’s becoming very difficult to determine what’s best for you and your heart health. Food labels can be extremely deceptive making it difficult to know exactly what you’re ingesting. Understanding and focusing on the Nutrition Facts label can help you make healthier eating choices and identify nutrient-dense foods for a healthy diet. Check food labels to make heart-healthy choices.

Let us look at the following labels we see on food packaging:

• The serving size is specified in the Nutrition Facts section as well as the number of servings in a single package. We can also learn how much total fat, sodium (salt), fiber, and protein we should consume.
• Nutrient content that claims information such as low-fat, low-salt and the like.
• The ingredients list explains the list of food items found in the package.

Nutrition facts are your personal road map to a healthier lifestyle. So how can we better interpret and comprehend them? Let’s check out these tips for deciphering the nutritional information on food labels and getting started on your path to a heart-healthy diet.

• Always check the serving size. The most important aspect of food labeling and one of the most misleading aspects is portion sizing. A label will frequently display a very small amount of the product as the serving size, making it appear healthier than it is. When attempting to maintain a heart-healthy diet, it is critical to monitor your intake of sodium and saturated fats, as they can be extremely harmful if consumed in excess. When reading food labels, multiply the calories or milligrams in recommended serving sizes by your actual consumption to ensure you’re aware of how much you’re consuming in a single sitting.
• Keep an eye out for sneaky sugar. Sugar consumption is another important aspect of a heart-healthy diet. Excess sugar consumption can result in high sugar levels and, as a result, it can increase the sugar level in the body. Sugar in your food can often be hidden behind deceptive ingredient names on food labels. Sugar substitutes include high-fructose corn syrup, agave, dehydrated cane juice, sucrose, and any other word ending in “ose.”
• Understand the concept of ‘Percent Daily Value’. People frequently misinterpret the meaning of percentages on food labels. For example, if a product has a label that says “Sodium: 23 percent,” it doesn’t mean the product is 23 percent Sodium, but rather that one serving contains 23 percent of the total sodium that the average person should consume in a day.

Many nutrients found on food labels should be avoided by people suffering from illness, especially heart disease. Generally, doctors advise patients to avoid foods that are high in sodium, saturated fat, and cholesterol. While these are more obvious, refined carbs are a less obvious thing to watch out for. Refined carbohydrates have been linked to an increased risk of a variety of health problems, including heart disease and obesity, both of which pose significant cardiovascular risks. Always remember to consume the food in MODERATION, VARIETY, and BALANCE. (ND II Teresito M. Caayaman III, RND)