Tuna tip

Choose a tuna packed in water, not in oil to reduce calories. Chunk light tuna has less mercury than albacore tuna and is the better tuna option. Pregnant women and children should limit chunk light tuna to 12 oz per week and albacore tuna to no more than 6 oz per week due to the higher level of mercury that may be harmful to young children and a fetus. Tuna and salmon are also both great sources of heart healthy Omega 3 fatty acids.

How to Read a Nutritional Label

So i found this really awesome article today by Sharon Chamberlin and I knew a lot of people could make great use of this so here you go. Enjoy and learn!

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires labeling for most prepared foods including breads, cereals, desserts, drinks, and canned and frozen foods. Labeling raw produce such as fish, fruits and vegetables is voluntary. Dietary supplements must follow separate labeling requirements, which is beyond the scope of this article.

When looking at a nutrition label, it is important to understand what the numbers mean and how they will affect your goals. The information given here is an overview. For help with specific questions, contact a nutrition coach, a nutritionist, or a physician.

The first step is to look at serving size. Often times the serving size is not realistic in most people’s minds. For instance, one serving of ice cream is ½ cup. Look at your ½ cup measuring cup. Now look at the size of the bowl you usually use to eat ice cream from. How does the bowl compare with the measuring cup? Is this what you expected?

Next on the nutrition label is to learn if the food or drink in the package is one serving or 2, 3 or more? In the example of the Minute Maid Orange Juice food label to the right, the bottle is 15.2 fluid ounces but is 2 servings. This is another example of how the serving size could easily be smaller than you expect.

Fat. The total fat in grams is listed. There are 9 calories in one gram of fat so if you take the total fat in grams and multiply it by nine, this is the total fat from calories you see. The American Heart Association recommends that you get no more than 30% of your daily calories from fat. The breakdown of types of fat is as follows:

• Less than 10% of your daily calories from saturated fat.
  
  


• No more than 10% of your daily calories from polyunsaturated fat.
  
  
  
• 10 to 15% of your daily calories from monounsaturated fat.

Eliminating or limiting your trans-fats is strongly suggested. Scientific reports link trans fat and saturated fat with raising blood LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels which increases your risk of coronary heart disease.

Nutrients. The amounts of each are listed, and the percent of daily value given is based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet. If your daily target calories are 1,500 then you only need 75% of the recommended daily value, and you should take this into consideration when choosing your foods and your portion sizes. A value of 5% or less is considered a low source of that nutrient while 20% or more is considered high.

Carbohydrates. If a label shows net carbs, it is referring to the carbohydrates, which significantly impact your blood sugar level. This is calculated by subtracting fiber from carbohydrates.

Note the FDA does not require a percent daily value to be listed for trans-fats, protein, and sugar because there isn’t a recommended daily amount. However these are important components of your diet.

Do you suffer from food allergies? Look on the label before eating for statements such as “This product may contain traces of nuts.” or “Produced in a facility that uses tree nuts.”

If you are reading a cereal label, it will sometimes also give the percent daily value for the cereal when eaten with milk. Be sure to note the amount of milk, again compare it to what you normally use, and the type of milk. Fat free milk is often used on these labels.

How Can You Use This Information?

To lose weight – at a minimum, look at calories and fiber. Adults need 25–35 grams of fiber daily. Most Americans don’t get nearly this amount.

To build muscle – look at protein. The recommended daily allowance is 0.36 gram per pound of body weight but those who exercise need more. Professional athletes and bodybuilders often aim for 1.5 grams per pound of lean bodyweight.

To improve bone health – calcium. Women need 1,000–1,200 mg per day, older women need more. Calcium supplements are good but know that calcium citrate can be taken anytime, calcium carbonate needs more acid so take it with food. A person can absorb 300–500 mg of calcium at one time.

To lower cholesterol – fat. If you are overweight, reducing your calories and increasing your fiber can help.

To lower blood pressure – sodium. No more than 2400 mg/daily is recommended. Food with 140 mg is considered low sodium. Again, reducing calories to lose weight also helps.

Next on the packaging is the list of Ingredients which includes all ingredients used in making this product. They are listed in order of weight. The first 4 or 5 items comprise the vast majority of what you are eating.

In the above example of Kellogg’s Corn Pops, corn, sugar, corn syrup, molasses and salt are the first five ingredients. So most of what you are eating is corn, sugar and salt. This product doesn’t have a high nutritional value and could prevent you from reaching your goal of losing weight or building muscle. Similarly, if flax seed oil, a product known for its health benefits, is near the end of the list, the amount is almost negligible.

With this information, you can make better-informed decisions that will help you improve your health!

Takeout Tips and Traps

What to watch out for

1. Good things come in small packages. Unfortunately, most delivery food comes in large packages. It's rare that you can get someone to bring you one or two slices of pizza. You usually get the whole pie. And Chinese and Thai food come in those top-heavy tapered white boxes, so while it may seem you've only eaten half a container, you've actually gone through most of it. Before you dig into your freshly arrived repast, get a plate from your kitchen. (Come on, someone else cooked the dinner, you can wash one plate!) Put a serving on your plate and put the rest in the refrigerator for another time. By removing the extra food, you'll significantly reduce the chance that you'll power-eat your way through two or three meals' worth of calories straight out of the container.
2. Don't eat the "minimum." One problem with delivery, especially for single people, is that there's usually a $10.00 or $12.00 minimum. If the entrée you order doesn't meet the minimum delivery cost, don't be lured into loading up your order with fatty appetizers or extra desserts just to ensure free delivery. Instead, order two individual-sized entrées and put one in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch or dinner. You'll save money on the delivery fee, plus that's two nights in a row you don't have to cook. You win!
3. Watch your sides. Your diet's already in trouble since you have to order a banquet's worth of food just to get the delivery guy to show up at your door. Don't get talked into the add-ons like egg rolls, breadsticks, or chicken wings. Don't let a craving, a zealous phone order-taker, or just plain habit talk you into indulging in these unnecessary extras. Your pizza's already going to run you roughly 300 calories a slice (and do you honestly expect to stop at just one?); do you really want to add 300 calories' worth of wings to that?
4. Read the fine print. The best thing about Chinese, Thai, and other ethnic menus is that since the dish is in a foreign tongue, they usually have to add a couple of sentences about what's in the item and how it's prepared. Look for words and phrases like "steamed," "boiled," "all white meat," etc. Stay away from words like "fried," "crispy," "cheese-filled," "creamy," etc. Also, some menus include heart icons next to the healthier items—keep an eye out for those!
5. Spice it up. If you can take the heat, sprinkle some hot peppers on your pizza or order your food extra spicy! While some claims that spicy food will boost your metabolism are over exaggerated, there are some other benefits to eating the hot stuff. First off, peppers and curries add a lot of flavor without adding sodium, so pick dishes that emphasize spice over salt. Secondly, if your mouth is on fire, you might be encouraged to drink more water to cool you off. In addition to its myriad other benefits, water will help keep you feeling full, which helps a lot with portion control. (Avoid drinking high-calorie sodas, beers, or Thai iced tea [200 calories a serving] to put out the fire, though.)

What to order:

Most of the restaurants that deliver are local eateries, not national chains, so we can't give you specific nutritional information for all of them, but here are some tips for good things to order and bad things to avoid for three of the most popular categories of restaurant.

Chinese

• Get steamed. Order steamed rice, not fried, and go with brown rice if they have it—it has extra fiber.
• Veg out. Look for the dishes that are mostly vegetables and are steamed rather than fried. If you order dishes like beef and broccoli, ask them for extra broccoli.
• Soup it up. Egg-drop, wonton, and hot-and-sour soups are good low-cal, low-fat options (although they usually have plenty of sodium, so no extra soy sauce!). Fill up on some soup and put away half your entrée for later.
• Grease: not the word. Stay away from deep-fried dishes like egg rolls, crispy orange chicken, General Tso's chicken, sweet-and-sour pork, etc.
• Lay off the sauce. Watch out for sauces made with corn syrup or oil. Request low sauce or no sauce. An order of kung pao chicken seems healthy but it's sautéed in enough oil that it can have up to 76 grams of fat—more than an entire day's worth. If possible, ask how it's prepared.
• Pass up the salt. Ask for low-salt options. Don't use the full-sodium soy sauce packets that come with your meal. Instead, invest in your own bottle of low-sodium soy sauce. Also, make sure your restaurant is one of the many that no longer use monosodium glutamate (MSG) in their dishes.
• Switch it up. For dinner combos, see if you can substitute healthier options for the normal items. For example, at my Panda Express^®, they'll give me an extra serving of steamed vegetables instead of the side of starchy chow mein or fried rice that it typically comes with.
• The future is bright, and light! A fortune cookie has only 30 calories and no fat, and potentially brings good news or a daily affirmation—treat yourself!

Pizza

• Don't pick up that phone. It's hard to find healthy pizza and it's far better to make your own. If delivery's the only option, however, read on . . .
• More veggies. Load up on veggie toppings like peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, fresh garlic, jalapeños, etc.
• Less fat and/or less cheese. Ask for low-fat cheese, or ask them to use half the cheese.
• Defeat the meat. Try to stay away from fatty meat toppings like pepperoni, meatballs, and sausage. Instead, try leaner options like Canadian bacon, chicken, or shrimp.
• Bust the crust. Not all pizzas are created equal, and neither are their crusts. Most pizza chains list nutrition info on their Web sites, so make sure you take a look before ordering to ensure the smartest choice.

Thai

• Lighten up. Many of the same tips for Chinese food apply to Thai food as well. Try to get steamed brown rice and lots of vegetables and stay away from heavy sauces and high-sodium dishes.
• Don't get saucy. Satay is a good option, but try not to use too much of the peanut dipping sauce, if any; that's where your calories will start to add up.
• Don't go (coco)nuts. Watch the coconut milk. It's delicious, but usually extremely fattening. Try to look for dishes flavored with ginger, citrus, curry, or chilies instead. Or ask if they can prepare your dish with low-fat coconut milk.
• Hold the milk. Thai restaurants offer a lot of delicious low-fat soups that you can fill up on. They also have some soups that are high in fat because of coconut milk. Try and order soups that don't include it. And as with all soups, keep an eye on the sodium.
• Green and lean. Thai cuisine includes many salads that are a meal in themselves, such as Yum Nuah (beef salad) or Pla Goong (grilled shrimp salad). Many of these have simple lime juice dressings that are low in fat. But, as with American salads, caveat emptor, and ask the restaurant what's in the dressing.
• Go fish (or tofu). Check out the fish and tofu options. Even more than their Chinese counterparts, Thai restaurants have lots of dishes that feature seafood and tofu. And if you don't care for either, the Thai spices might just help you overcome your aversion.

So while it's unlikely you'll lose much weight on a takeout diet, there are still a lot of ways you can minimize the damage.