Decode Your Diet

The most important things on the food nutrition label

Always read more about it
Key information is meaningless if you don't read it. A 5-second glance in the supermarket aisle won't hold you up, and it can help slim you down. Check out these three numbers.
Serving size is the most deceptive number on a label
The concept was first developed to help diabetics manage their diets, says Audrey Cross, Ph.D., an associate professor of nutrition at Columbia University. Snack servings are notoriously small, giving the illusion of fewer calories. Measure a serving onto a dish first and eat it from there.
Calories rule dude
Calories are the forgotten number in the low-carbohydrate frenzy. "Calories always rule. You can't ignore them, regardless of what kind of diet you're on," says Roberta Anding, M.S., R.D., dietitian for the Houston Texans and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. Also, products that say they're low-cal may simply have a smaller serving size, which means more calories in the long run.
Beware the saturated fats
Saturated fats may be number three here, but they're the first thing Anding has the football players in her care look at. "You can be fast and lean and still have bad cholesterol," she says. Message to fit men: Don't let your dietary guard down just because you can. "Healthy" men get heart disease, too.
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