About once a year we all get the urge to do some real deep cleaning around the house, we know it as “Spring Cleaning”. This spring lets put our efforts in just one room, the kitchen. The good thing about our spring cleaning is that it is not going to require a bucket, mop, scrub brush or any harsh chemicals. It is only going to require getting the healthy food in and the unhealthy food out.

Let’s learn how to interpret the information on a food label. The first step is to locate the Nutrition Facts. The nutrition facts, which provides nutrition information is required on almost all packaged foods. This guide serves as a key to help in planning a healthy diet.

• Serving size- reflects the average amount people actually consume based on the manufacturer. It is important to compare what the manufacturer calls a serving size compared to what you call a serving, and then evaluate the number accordingly.
• Fat- recommendations are normally 20-30% of your daily caloric intake. If you were following a 2000 calorie diet that would represent approximately 44-67grams of fat per day. On a 1500 calorie diet it would be approximately 33- 50grams of fat per day. For a food to be labeled low fat it has to be 3 grams or less per serving.
• Cholesterol- recommendations are 300 milligrams per day or less.
• Sodium- recommendations are less than 2400 milligrams per day. That is equivalent to one teaspoon of salt.
• Fiber- the healthy intake is 25-35 grams per day. Most people only take in 13-18 grams per day, which is only half of what we need. Boosting your fiber intake is not as difficult as it looks. Selecting whole grain breads, cereals, pasta and rice, instead of refined (white) is one way. Another excellent suggestion is to increase your fruit & vegetable intake and of course not forgetting the legumes.
• Sugar- is a type of carbohydrate found in many foods. Sugar occurs naturally in many foods (milk, fruits, some vegetables, breads, cereals, and grains). Added sugars are refined sugars and syrups that are added to foods in processing and preparation. Four grams of sugar is the equivalent of one teaspoon of table sugar. A reasonable limit for refined sugar intake is 6-10 teaspoons or 24-40 grams per day. Most people eat about 2-3 times this much.

%Daily Values- are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Additional adjustments may be needed based on your current medical history or if you are following a special diet.