Heck yea knowing how to read nutrition labels is important escpecially of you are trying to eat healthy, live healthy and look amazing! It doesn’t just take having the best workouts… it’s also about the best nutrition.
Reading Nutrition Labels
There is not denying the fact that the women that follow great nutrition habits AND have great workouts look the best! And I can pretty much guarantee that these ladies look at nutrition labels when they shop.
Reading labels really takes practice. You don’t want to stand around the store staring a the back of a box of cereal, not really know where to look for certain things or what to look for. But once you get the hang of it you’ll just glance and know if it’s a good item or a put back item.
Ok… so what should you look for on nutrition labels?
Calories (don’t go crazy here though, but keep it reasonable)
Serving size… if it’s 500 calories and there is 2 servings but you know you would eat the entire item then that’s potentionall 1000 calories and that means a NO GO!
Fats… Mostly check to see for transfat and saturated fats. Go with the items with ZERO trans (or if it has hydrogentated listed in the first few ingredients that is a red light for trans fats) and choose the item with the least amount of saturated.
Carbs… but only if you’re counting them is this important. Just make sure you’re choosing whole grains and complex carbs. No sugary white stuff.
Sodium… keep it low, sodium is responsible for adding a puffiness to you. Keep it under 2400 mg of sodium per day, or about 1 teaspoon of salt.
Ingredients… Say no if you see these nasty words/phrases… high-fructose corn syrup; hydrogenated fat or oil; nitrides (found in processed meats like hotdogs and lunch meats) and pretty much any other words that you can’t pronounce (meaning it is processed and has preservatives and chemicals added).
To get you ready and comfortable for shopping I suggest grabbing a few items out of your pantry and practing on these nutrition labels to get a feel of what it is you need to pay attention to!
