Serving Sizes Made Easy

Our last post clearly illustrates the importance of paying very close attention to “serving size.”  The nutritional information on the side of a package doesn’t necessarily equal the total amount of food or drink.  It relates to one serving.  For example, I just pulled out of my pantry a bag of pretzels.  To be specific, they are Trader Joe’s Low Fat Honey Whole Wheat Pretzel Sticks.  The nutrition label says “Calories 110.”  Don’t be fooled to think there are a total of 110 calories in the bag, because the information applies to each serving.  The label says each serving size is 10 sticks and there are 12 servings in the bag.  In other words, every 10 sticks (not the whole bag) equal 110 calories. 

Don’t let serving sizes trick you.  A box of twelve fat-free cookies might say 50 calories per serving.  That doesn’t sound too bad until you see that serving size is only one cookie.  That means each cookie is 50 calories, which can add up fast. 

Serving sizes, as well as calories and fat, is part of why fast food has a deservedly bad rap.  When you super-size it, you super-size the calories and fat.  You just don’t need it and it really isn’t good enough to be worth it.  When you are going to allow yourself something that is high in calories or fat, make sure it is an exceptionally wonderful food or drink, not just an extra fistful of French fries.  

How many calories your body needs to be active varies, of course, from person to person.  It depends on such things as your normal level of activity and your metabolism.  A truck driver will generally need fewer calories than a construction laborer, if they both have similar bodies. 

It is all about calorie in, calorie out.  If you take in more than you need, without burning them off, you will gain weight.  You’ll lose weight if you burn off more than you need, without overdoing it.  More on this in our next post!  — Jim Ballard

Eat Smart: Fat, Sugar, Sodium, Calories

Behold the magical food:  fat-free!  Fat free?  So does that mean healthy?  Unfortunately, as we’ve said before, fat isn’t the whole picture.  These days you can find fat-free cakes, brownies, and cookies at the grocery store.  However, take a look at the calorie count, and the sugar and sodium.   Calories rule.  When you are trying to lose weight, it is about calorie in, calorie out. 

Fat-free foods may be a part of a healthy diet, but cannot be eaten with reckless abandon if you are getting hit with too many calories. 

Another ingredient I personally like to avoid is high-fructose corn syrup.  For one reason, the words themselves scare me.  Sounds to me like it is sugar that is extremely high in sugar.  Since we are not doctors, we’re not going to get into the studies that link high-fructose corn syrup to weight gain, high blood pressure, and other health problems, but instead we’ll let some examples of foods high in high-fructose corn syrup speak for themselves:  soda, candy, cookies, cakes, jam, jellies, pancake syrup, sweetened cereals.  Sounds like those fall into the “use very sparingly” category to us. 

Sparingly, by the way, is “once in a while” not “I’ll only drink two sodas today instead of five.”

You may also want to keep your eye on sodium content as it has been linked to high blood pressure.  The daily limit is set at 1,500-2,300 milligrams.  Though this may sound like a high number, sodium seems to be in everything.  According to their website, a can of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup has 890 milligrams of sodium per serving, a half a cup of condensed soup.  The standard sized can says it contains 2.5 servings.  That means eating one can of soup gets you just about to the daily limit.  So don’t even think about those salted crackers on top!  At Fantasy Healthball’s Diet and Nutrition section, we aren’t militant about what you can and can’t eat.  We just want you to be smart about it by knowing what is going in your mouth and what it is going to do once it gets in your body.  - Jim Ballard

More on Shopping

As you look at labels and packages, watch out for words like “light,” “reduced calorie,” “less,” “healthy,” etc.  Most of the time they are in a large font, in color, with a series of exclamation points after them.  Just because a package says its contents are “healthy,” go to the nutrition facts on the label and check it out. 

Also remember, “fat free” doesn’t say anything about calories.

Look for stores that stock a good amount of healthy foods.  We’ll travel further to a store that has well-priced, healthy foods.  Does the bread aisle have breads in other colors than white?  Do they have whole grain breads?  Does the chip aisle offer no salt and non-fat chips?  Can you find whole grain breakfast cereals that are high in fiber?  Low or non-fat yogurt?  Organic items?  A great selection of fresh produce?  Extra lean meats and fish?

Buying the right foods, and keeping unhealthy foods out of your house, is a huge step towards healthy living.  It helps you plan ahead so you are more prepared in moments of weakness!