{"id":6860,"date":"2015-06-25T09:07:44","date_gmt":"2015-06-25T13:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mayahoodblog.com\/?p=6860"},"modified":"2015-07-09T19:36:12","modified_gmt":"2015-07-09T23:36:12","slug":"three-easy-steps-to-reading-nutrition-facts-table","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mayahoodblog.com\/three-easy-steps-to-reading-nutrition-facts-table\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Easy Steps To Making Healthy Food Purchasing Decisions – Giveaway"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a parent, it’s my responsibility to be a role model to my kids in terms of living a healthy life style. \u00a0Part of that is being active and the other part is eating nutritious food. \u00a0As a mom to three high-energy boys, I got the active part down (basically, our basement is a hockey rink and the main floor is for all things balls). \u00a0However, the eating part is a bit trickier. \u00a0My husband and I enjoy a few treats here and there but we also try to eat healthy meals too. \u00a0As a family, we are lucky to be able to eat all three meals together at home which gives us greater control. As a self-proclaimed non-foodie (I like to eat, but not cook), it’s not always easy to come up with healthy and delicious meals 3 times a day, 7 days a week. Sometimes, we eat cereal twice a day, and I’m okay with that. \u00a0Luckily, one of my kids’ favourite meals is baked salmon, mashed sweet potato, Israeli coscus and salad. By the same token, their other favourite meal is Kraft Dinner. \u00a0We always try to balance the good with the bad but clearly, it’s not easy and we could use some help.<\/p>\n

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While in theory most of my dishes and snacks may “sound” like I’m providing my family with healthy food choices,\u00a0my food purchasing decisions may not be the best ones. \u00a0Specifically, no two products, even if they are the same (i.e. pasta sauces) are created equally. To truly know if you are making healthy food purchasing decisions, you need to read the nutrition facts on packaged food products. \u00a0Yes, it’s a tedious task, but I have some great tips that make it easy to read and understand food labels\u00a0so you can make an informed (and hopefully healthier) choice\u00a0next time you’re out grocery shopping.<\/p>\n

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When comparing similar products, you need to Focus on the Facts:<\/p>\n

1. Start with Serving Size.<\/strong> If you eat a different amount than the Serving Size, you will need to adjust the numbers in the Nutrition Facts label. \u00a0Also, check to see if the Serving Sizes are similar when comparing packaged food.<\/p>\n

2. Use % Daily Value<\/strong> to see if the serving size has a little or a lot of a nutrient. \u00a05% or less is a little and 15% or more is a lot. When making an informed food choice you may want a little<\/strong> of saturated and trans fats and sodium and a lot<\/strong> of Fibre, Viatmin A, Calcium and Iron. Compare similar packaged food using the % Daily Value.<\/p>\n

3. Look at Nutrient<\/strong>. \u00a0Choose packaged food that has more of the nutrients you want and less of the nutrients you don’t want.<\/p>\n

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If you want to learn more, check out the Government of Canada website<\/a><\/p>\n

GIVEAWAY<\/h2>\n

I’m giving away a $100 gift card to one lucky reader to help you get started making more informed food choices. Contest is open to all residents of Canada. Enter the giveaway via Rafflecopter (please\u00a0give it a\u00a0few seconds to load). Contest ends Thursday July 9, 2015.<\/p>\n

a Rafflecopter giveaway<\/a>
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