Nutrition facts label

Hye..as for today i want to tell about how to read nutrition facts label..i'm pretty sure most of u didn't know how to read it right? when u go shop for food, first u just scan the price, and if it is in your budget and looks delicious, u just grab it and put it on the counter..i'm just guessing, but anyways i'm here to share the knowledge about this label thingy that is always on the back of the food packages

1. The serving size

The first place to start when you look at the Nutrition Facts label is the serving size and the number of servings in the package. Serving sizes are standardized to make it easier to compare similar foods; they are provided in familiar units, such as cups or pieces, followed by the metric amount, e.g., the number of grams.

The size of the serving on the food package influences the number of calories and all the nutrient amounts listed on the top part of the label. Pay attention to the serving size, especially how many servings there are in the food package. Then ask yourself, "How many servings am I consuming"? (e.g., 1/2 serving, 1 serving, or more) In the sample label, one serving of macaroni and cheese equals one cup. If you ate the whole package, you would eat two cups. That doubles the calories and other nutrient numbers, including the %Daily Values as shown in the sample label.

2. Calories (and Calories from Fat)

Calories provide a measure of how much energy you get from a serving of this food. Many Americans consume more calories than they need without meeting recommended intakes for a number of nutrients. The calorie section of the label can help you manage your weight (i.e., gain, lose, or maintain.) Remember: the number of servings you consume determines the number of calories you actually eat (your portion amount).

 (#2 on sample label):
In the example, there are 250 calories in one serving of this macaroni and cheese. How many calories from fat are there in ONE serving? Answer: 110 calories, which means almost half the calories in a single serving come from fat. What if you ate the whole package content? Then, you would consume two servings, or 500 calories, and 220 would come from fat.

General Guide to Calories

• 40 Calories is low
• 100 Calories is moderate
• 400 Calories or more is high
   

The General Guide to Calories provides a general reference for calories when you look at a Nutrition Facts label. This guide is based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Eating too many calories per day is linked to overweight and obesity.

3 and 4.  The Nutrients: How Much?

Look at the top of the nutrient section in the sample label. It shows you some key nutrients that impact on your health and separates them into two main groups:

   Limit These Nutrients

Label section showing Total Fat, Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, and Sodium, with quantities and % daily values. (#3 on sample label):

The nutrients listed first are the ones Americans generally eat in adequate amounts, or even too much. They are identified in yellow as Limit these Nutrients. Eating too much fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, or sodium may increase your risk of certain chronic diseases, like heart disease, some cancers, or high blood pressure.

Important: Health experts recommend that you keep your intake of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol as low as possible as part of a nutritionally balanced diet.

Get Enough of These

Label sections showing Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron, with % daily values and quantity of dietary fiber. (#4 on sample label):

Most Americans don't get enough dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron in their diets. They are identified in blue as Get Enough of these Nutrients. Eating enough of these nutrients can improve your health and help reduce the risk of some diseases and conditions. For example, getting enough calcium may reduce the risk of osteoporosis, a condition that results in brittle bones as one ages (see calcium section below). Eating a diet high in dietary fiber promotes healthy bowel function. Additionally, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and grain products that contain dietary fiber, particularly soluble fiber, and low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Remember: You can use the Nutrition Facts label not only to help limit those nutrients you want to cut back on but also to increase those nutrients you need to consume in greater amounts.

 

5. Understanding the Footnote on the Bottom of the Nutrition Facts Label

Foootnote section of label, indicating values for 2000 and 2500 calorie diets highlighting the statement: * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.(#5 on sample label)

Note the * used after the heading "%Daily Value" on the Nutrition Facts label. It refers to the Footnote in the lower part of the nutrition label, which tells you "%DVs are based on a 2,000 calorie diet". This statement must be on all food labels. But the remaining information in the full footnote may not be on the package if the size of the label is too small. When the full footnote does appear, it will always be the same. It doesn't change from product to product, because it shows recommended dietary advice for all Americans--it is not about a specific food product.

Look at the amounts circled in red in the footnote--these are the Daily Values (DV) for each nutrient listed and are based on public health experts' advice. DVs are recommended levels of intakes. DVs in the footnote are based on a 2,000 or 2,500 calorie diet. Note how the DVs for some nutrients change, while others (for cholesterol and sodium) remain the same for both calorie amounts.

 How the Daily Values Relate to the %DVs

Look at the example below for another way to see how the Daily Values (DVs) relate to the %DVs and dietary guidance. For each nutrient listed there is a DV, a %DV, and dietary advice or a goal. If you follow this dietary advice, you will stay within public health experts' recommended upper or lower limits for the nutrients listed, based on a 2,000 calorie daily diet.

Examples of DVs versus %DVs

Based on a 2,000 Calorie Diet

Nutrient                           DV              %DV                        Goal

Total Fat                       65g           = 100%DV             Less than

Sat Fat                         20g           = 100%DV             Less than

Cholesterol                 300mg       = 100%DV             Less than

Sodium                         2400mg    = 100%DV             Less than

Total Carbohydrate     300g          = 100%DV             At least

Dietary Fiber                 25g          = 100%DV             At least

Upper Limit - Eat "Less than"...

The nutrients that have "upper daily limits" are listed first on the footnote of larger labels and on the example above. Upper limits means it is recommended that you stay below - eat "less than" - the Daily Value nutrient amounts listed per day. For example, the DV for Saturated fat (in the yellow section) is 20g. This amount is 100% DV for this nutrient. What is the goal or dietary advice? To eat "less than" 20 g or 100%DV for the day.<

Lower Limit - Eat "At least"...

Now look at the section in blue where dietary fiber is listed. The DV for dietary fiber is 25g, which is 100% DV. This means it is recommended that you eat "at least" this amount of dietary fiber per day.

The DV for Total Carbohydrate (section in white) is 300g or 100%DV. This amount is recommended for a balanced daily diet that is based on 2,000 calories, but can vary, depending on your daily intake of fat and protein.

Now let's look at the %DVs.

6. The Percent Daily Value (%DV):

The % Daily Values (%DVs) are based on the Daily Value recommendations for key nutrients but only for a 2,000 calorie daily diet--not 2,500 calories. You, like most people, may not know how many calories you consume in a day. But you can still use the %DV as a frame of reference whether or not you consume more or less than 2,000 calories.

The %DV helps you determine if a serving of food is high or low in a nutrient. Note: a few nutrients, like trans fat, do not have a %DV--they will be discussed later.

Do you need to know how to calculate percentages to use the %DV? No, the label (the %DV) does the math for you. It helps you interpret the numbers (grams and milligrams) by putting them all on the same scale for the day (0-100%DV). The %DV column doesn't add up vertically to 100%. Instead each nutrient is based on 100% of the daily requirements for that nutrient (for a 2,000 calorie diet). This way you can tell high from low and know which nutrients contribute a lot, or a little, to your daily recommended allowance (upper or lower).

 Quick Guide to %DV:

Nutrients with %DVs section of the label.5%DV or less is low and 20%DV or more is high 

(#6 on sample label):

This guide tells you that 5%DV or less is low for all nutrients, those you want to limit (e.g., fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium), or for those that you want to consume in greater amounts (fiber, calcium, etc). As the Quick Guide shows, 20%DV or more is high for all nutrients.

Example: Look at the amount of Total Fat in one serving listed on the sample nutrition label. Is 18%DV contributing a lot or a little to your fat limit of 100% DV? Check the Quick Guide to %DV. 18%DV, which is below 20%DV, is not yet high, but what if you ate the whole package (two servings)? You would double that amount, eating 36% of your daily allowance for Total Fat. Coming from just one food, that amount leaves you with 64% of your fat allowance (100%-36%=64%) for all of the other foods you eat that day, snacks and drinks included.

     

Nutrients Without a %DV: Trans Fats, Protein, and Sugars:

Note that Trans fat, Sugars and, Protein do not list a %DV on the Nutrition Facts label.

             

Plain yogurt                                              Fruit yogurt

Trans Fat: Experts could not provide a reference value for trans fat nor any other information that FDA believes is sufficient to establish a Daily Value or %DV. Scientific reports link trans fat (and saturated fat) with raising blood LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, both of which increase your risk of coronary heart disease, a leading cause of death in the US.

Important: Health experts recommend that you keep your intake of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol as low as possible as part of a nutritionally balanced diet.

Protein: A %DV is required to be listed if a claim is made for protein, such as "high in protein". Otherwise, unless the food is meant for use by infants and children under 4 years old, none is needed. Current scientific evidence indicates that protein intake is not a public health concern for adults and children over 4 years of age.

Sugars: No daily reference value has been established for sugars because no recommendations have been made for the total amount to eat in a day. Keep in mind, the sugars listed on the Nutrition Facts label include naturally occurring sugars (like those in fruit and milk) as well as those added to a food or drink. Check the ingredient list for specifics on added sugars.

Take a look at the Nutrition Facts label for the two yogurt examples. The plain yogurt on the left has 10g of sugars, while the fruit yogurt on the right has 44g of sugars in one serving.

Now look below at the ingredient lists for the two yogurts. Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight (from most to least). Note that no added sugars or sweeteners are in the list of ingredients for the plain yogurt, yet 10g of sugars were listed on the Nutrition Facts label. This is because there are no added sugars in plain yogurt, only naturally occurring sugars (lactose in the milk).

Plain Yogurt - contains no added sugars

Ingredients: Cultured pasteurized grade A nonfat milk, whey protein concentrate, pectin, carrageenan.

Fruit Yogurt - contains added sugars

Ingredients: Cultured grade A reduced fat milk, apples, high fructose corn syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, natural flavors, and pectin. Contains active yogurt and L. acidophilus cultures.

If you are concerned about your intake of sugars, make sure that added sugars are not listed as one of the first few ingredients. Other names for added sugars include: corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, maltose, dextrose, sucrose, honey, and maple syrup.

To limit nutrients that have no %DV, like trans fat and sugars, compare the labels of similar products and choose the food with the lowest amount.

So i hope that by sharing this tips, u will know how to use this information easily..though it is very long post, but it is an important thing that u should know and can make use of it everytime u enter the grocery shop or anywhere else..

for more info u can log on into this website

http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/ucm274593.htm

till then,

F =)

How to gain muscle?

Hey there :D

As for today, i want to talk about how to gain muscle..most lean men find it hard to gain muscle weight..this is due to they eat and exercise the wrong way..so get ready, i'm gonna tell u the secret of gaining muscle easily by following this step..(well is not really that easy though)

1. Maximise muscle binding

• the more protein stores in your body, the larger your muscles grow.
• but not all the protein u eat will be store in the body, some of it reserves for making hormones and others
• so, what u need to do is that build and store new proteins faster than your body breaks down old proteins.

2. Eat meat

• Aim for about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, which is roughly the maximum amount your body can use in a day
• Eg: a 160 pound man should consume 160 grams of protein a day

3. Eat more

• In addition to adequate protein, you need more calories. Use the following formula to calculate the number you need to take in daily to gain 1 pound a week. (Give yourself 2 weeks for results to show up on the bathroom scale. If you haven't gained by then, increase your calories by 500 a day.)
• A. Your weight in pounds.
• B. Multiply A by 12 to get your basic calorie needs.
• C. Multiply B by 1.6 to estimate your resting metabolic rate (calorie burn without factoring in exercise).
• D. Strength training: Multiply the number of minutes you lift weights per week by 5.
• E. Aerobic training: Multiply the number of minutes per week that you run, cycle, and play sports by 8.
• F. Add D and E, and divide by 7.
• G. Add C and F to get your daily calorie needs.
• H. Add 500 to G. This is your estimated daily calorie needs to gain 1 pound a week

4.Work your biggest muscle

• If you're a beginner,any workout will be intense enough to increase protein synthesis
• But if you've been lifting for a while, you'll build the most muscle quickest if you focus on the large muscle groups, like the chest, back, and legs
• Add squats, deadlifts, pullups, bent-over rows, bench presses, dips, and military presses to your workout. 
• Do two or three sets of eight to 12 repetitions, with about 60 seconds' rest between sets

5. Have a stiff drink

• A 2001 study at the University of Texas found that lifters who drank a shake containing amino acids and carbohydrates before working out increased their protein synthesis more than lifters who drank the same shake after exercising.
• For your shake, you'll need about 10 to 20 grams of protein—usually about one scoop of a whey-protein powder.
• Drink one 30 to 60 minutes before your workout.

6. Lift every other day

• Do a full-body workout followed by a day of rest
• Studies show that a challenging weight workout increases protein synthesis for up to 48 hours immediately after your exercise session.
• Your muscles grow when you're resting, not when you're working out

7. Down carbs after your workout

• Research shows that you'll rebuild muscle faster on your rest days if you feed your body carbohydrate
• Post-workout meals with carbs increase your insulin levels, thus slows the rate of protein breakdown
• Have a banana, a sports drink, a peanut-butter sandwich.

8. Eat every 3 hours

• If you don't eat often enough, you can limit the rate at which your body builds new proteins
• Take the number of calories you need in a day and divide by six
• That's roughly the number you should eat at each meal
• Make sure you consume some protein—around 20 grams—every 3 hours.

9. Make one snack ice cream

• Have a bowl of ice cream (any kind) 2 hours after your workout.
• According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, this snack triggers a surge of insulin better than most foods do. And that'll put a damper on post-workout protein breakdown.

10. Have some milk before bed

• Eat a combination of carbohydrates and protein 30 minutes before you go to bed
• The calories are more likely to stick with you during sleep and reduce protein breakdown in your muscles
• Eat again as soon as you wake up

ok i think this is enough..it's already 12.30 am and i'm still blogging..hmm..hope this tips will be helpful for u guys..thanks u :)

source: http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/gain-fast-muscle

till then,

F =)

Lose weight

Assalamualaikum n helluww there :D




so yesterday was my dad's birthday and we celebrated at bonjour cafe..it is at bukit jelutong if u guys wanna try..the food was okay but the dessert was superb, really love the dessert, (the one that my dad holds) how to order the food? it's like the one in ikea which we have to get the food ourselves at every counter..

okayy, so now back on the topic..what i wanna talk about is that, right now i'm actually trying to eat healthily so that i can be fit and in a good health at the same time. but there are lots of challenges that i have to face especially when there is special occasion like birthday..foods high in calorie is a must, (ok i don't know what is the relation of having a cake on birthday..why don't we change it into a bundle of broccoli and put the candles on top instead..perhaps? ok gross)

i actually have some tips to share for anyone who wants to lose weight..i got it from readers digest..i know there must be many people wanting to do so..so now this is the time for u to start a new life
the first one is (drum rolls please)

1.Drink plenty of water
-especially after breakfast..it is ok for u to drink juice for breakfast but after having your breakfast, u need to drink water and cut down the sugary drinks..make it as a habit..and do u know that, if u drink sugary drinks, the process of lipolysis which is the process of breakdown of fats will stop..(btw, i got this info from dietitian at kk Kelana Jaya, En Anuar) so no matter how hard u exercise the fat won't go away if u are still drinking those drinks.

2.Make a food diary
-u have to carry around the diary which is like a palm-size notebook everywhere u go..write down everthing u eat and even drink.  Studies have found that people who maintain food diaries wind up eating about 15 percent less food than those who don’t.

3. Eat 5 or 6 small meals or snacks instead of 3 large meals
-when men ate parts of their morning meal at intervals over five hours, they consumed almost 30 percent fewer calories at lunch than when they ate a single breakfast

4. Walk for 45 minutes a day
- Duke University study found that while 30 minutes of daily walking is enough to prevent weight gain in most relatively sedentary people, exercise beyond 30 minutes results in weight and fat loss. Burning an additional 300 calories a day with three miles of brisk walking (45 minutes should do it) could help you lose 30 pounds in a year without even changing how much you’re eating.

5. Bring the color blue into your life more often. 
There’s a good reason you won’t see many fast-food restaurants decorated in blue: Believe it or not, the color blue functions as an appetite suppressant. So serve up dinner on blue plates, dress in blue while you eat, and cover your table with a blue tablecloth. Conversely, avoid red, yellow, and orange in your dining areas. Studies find they encourage eating.

6. Clean your closet of the “fat” clothes
-Once you’ve reached your target weight, throw out or give away every piece of clothing that doesn’t fit. The idea of having to buy a whole new wardrobe if you gain the weight back will serve as a strong incentive to maintain your new figure.

7. Hang a mirror opposite your seat at the table. 
One study found that eating in front of mirrors slashed the amount people ate by nearly one-third. Seems having to look yourself in the eye reflects back some of your own inner standards and goals, and reminds you of why you’re trying to lose weight in the first place.

8. Use vegetables to bulk up meals. 
You can eat twice as much pasta salad loaded with veggies like broccoli, carrots, and tomatoes for the same calories as a pasta salad sporting just mayonnaise. Same goes for stir-fries. And add vegetables to make a fluffier, more satisfying omelet without having to up the number of eggs

9. Avoid any prepared food that lists sugar, fructose, or corn syrup
-among the first four ingredients on the label. You should be able to find a lower-sugar version of the same type of food. If you can’t, grab a piece of fruit instead! Look for sugar-free varieties of foods such as ketchup, mayonnaise, and salad dressing.

10. Eat slowly and calmly. 
-Put your fork or spoon down between every bite. Sip water frequently. Intersperse your eating with stories for your dining partner of the amusing things that happened during your day. Your brain lags your stomach by about 20 minutes when it comes to satiety (fullness) signals. If you eat slowly enough, your brain will catch up to tell you that you are no longer in need of food.

i guess that's all i want to share for now..so for more info just click on the link below
http://www.rd.com/health/diet-weight-loss/easy-ways-to-lose-weight-50-ideas/

p/s: these two little devils always ruin my diet..hate them -,-

till then,

F =)

\

fun food facts

These are some of shocking food facts actually..kind of interesting..so keep on reading people :)



till then,
F =)