Food gives us energy for our body throughout the whole day, and it’s very important to know what to eat so that our body won’t have any deficits. Moreover, a very essential thing is that we truly understand what we eat, because this way we will have a better idea about a proper nutrition and overall health. People always try to eat healthy, stay away from weird chemicals and toxins, and keep an eye on the amount of food they eat. People with even basic knowledge of nutrition, try to have a proper balance of proteins, carbohydrates, good fats, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Some people pretty much don’t care of that they eat, as long as they eat, get full an enjoy the taste of food.

We, however, do not recommend this type of lifestyle, because it’s unhealthy, it can cause various health problems and chronic diseases, and can also increase the chance of obesity and eating disorders. What we recommend is that we have a balanced diet, that includes all the nutrients our body needs. Timing is also important! One of the worst ideas is to eat late, which will greatly increase the chance of gaining body weight, and have a improper sleep. Your meals should always be timed as much as possible.

Food labels

Food labels are very, very important. Many people ignore them, but they store highly precious information about the food we are to buy or eat. To understand how important they are, here’s an interesting fact: food labels are mandatory by laws almost everywhere internationally, and those who fail to do so, can face serious consequences. Food labels basically helps us to make a more educated purchase of food, and diet. They include the nutritional values of the product, ingredients and additives, health and allergen warnings, production date and expiration date, how to eat the product, in what kind of conditions to store it, and others. People use to concentrate on the part of the label which contains ingredients and nutritional information. This is because here you can find vital information that can help you pick up the foods that are right for your diet, health condition, and also identify any kinds of potentially hazardous chemicals for your body.

Nutrition label

On the nutritional label you will find information about the list of nutrients contained by the food product, such as proteins, vitamins, fats, and so on. Let us analyze the nutrition facts label from top to bottom.

• First, the label will show the servings size and how many servings can you make out of that package – this will help you to get an adequate quantity of the things that are good for you, and also the ones that are not so good for you, and avoid overeating.
• The second section of the nutrition label will tell you how many calories does the product have, and this can depend on many factors, such as calories from fat. This section about calories, will indicate you the quantity of energy that your body will receive from that specific food, and in which quantities of food. Keeping in mind that these calorie section is generally according to a diet of around 2000 calories per day. To get a better idea if a product has too much calories for example, here’s how it works: above 500 calories – this is a high number of calories, and should be consumed in moderation; around 100 calories – this is a moderate number of calories; 50 calories – this represents a rather low number of calories.
• The third part of the nutrition label refers to things like fats, trans fats and carbohydrates. Now this one is tricky, because it usually contains things that should be consumed in moderation, and limited as quantity. This is because cholesterol, trans fats and saturated fats, consumed in high quantities, can make us gain in weight and suffer of obesity, and can increase health risks such as cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure (hypertension), and even various types of cancers. Remember, as we always say, moderation is the key to everything.
• The fourth part of the nutrition label contains information about the concentration of beneficial things that are found in that specific food for your body. Specialists recommend that we always get enough of them. On this label, you fill find what nutrients that specific foods have, and in which quantities. Things like vitamins, calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, proteins, sugars, and calcium, will all be found on this part of the nutrition label. Getting enough of these nutrients, will favor a better overall body health, keep you in shape, and also keep you energized.
• The fifth (and also the last) part of the nutrition label – this one is mandatory on all food labels, and generally include information such as the amount of specific nutrients that are needed per day by your body in order to function properly. They are referred as “Daily Values” and “%DVs” (the percentage contained of the daily value).

Ingredients label

Here are found pretty much all the ingredients that were put into that food, including colorants, preservatives, natural and artificial sweeteners, additive, flavors and spices, flavor enhancers, fat substitutes, emulsifiers, stabilizers, nutrients, thickeners, binders and the list could go on. It’s always good to document yourself about these, in order to know better which are and which are not dangerous for you, because some food products, whether we like it or not, can pose a threat to our health on the long run.

Conclusion

It’s always a good idea to stay focused on the things we eat, because this will help us make a more educated purchase and consumption of food in general, keep our health in good shape and avoid things like obesity.