Thursday, February 13, 2014

Low-Fat Homework Made Easy

Serving Size - Ask yourself whether you'll actually eat the amount shown on the label. If you will, then you don't need a calculator to figure out how much fat and how man calories you're getting. But if you're going to eat twice that much, remember to double everything.

Calories and Total Fat - This is where it's better to look at the absolute numbers rather than the percentages. If you know how many calories and how much fat you're allowing yourself every day, these numbers tell you instantly whether you're within your range for the meal or snack you're about to have.

Saturated Fat and Cholesterol - No more than 10 percent of your calories should come from saturate fat. As for cholesterol, the American Heart Association recommends no more than 300 milligrams a day.

Sodium - Although it's not a factor that directly affects your low-fat diet, high sodium can pose another health risk for some people by leading to high blood pressure.

Dietary Fiber - The more, the better. Foods that are high in fiber help keep your digestive system working smoothly. Since they make you feel full longer, high-fiber foods ultimately help you eat less food in general and there-fore less fat and fewer calories.


Source: Low-Fat Living

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