Athelte Nutrition, healthy, Healthy living, Meal Planning, Meals, Minerals, Nutrition, on-the-go, recipe, Supplements, Tips, tricks, Vitamins, Water - April 29, 2020

How To Read a Nutrition Label

All of us have taken a look at the back of our food and seen that bold, nutritional facts labels starting back at us. It's enough to confuse anyone that's not a registered dietitian. With ingredients too hard to pronounce, odd measurements, and recommended percentages, leaving you scratching your head thinking is this good for me or not? Reading a nutrition label doesn't have to leave you perplexed; use our guide to help you decipher through the valuable information that is telling you a bit more about the food you are using for your swimming performance plan.

SERVING SIZE

Found at the top of the label, this tells you how much you need to eat to get the amount of nutrients listed further down the label. For example, if a serving size is 5 crackers and you eat 10, you'll need to double the amount of calories, fat, protein, etc. that is on the label to get an accurate sense of what you're eating. And speaking of calories, this is the next section on the label that always comes in kilo joules, if your lucky calories too. here is a easy tip to help you convert kilo joules into calories when reading a label. 500 kj = 115 calories and 100 kj is 230 calories. (1 kj = 0.23 cal) . Now you have the calories that you'll be in taking from each serving, as well as the amount of fat calories. Use both to determine the quality and health content of your food. If a serving has 100 calories and 60 of those are fat calories, it's probably best to put that back on the shelf and opt for a healthier choice.

% DAILY VALUE

The %DV helps you determine if a serving of food is high or low in a nutrient, and luckily part of the math is already done for you. The %DV is calculated off of a 2,000 calorie diet. Focus first on the percentage of nutrients in a serving to determine how much you're getting in your food. As a guide, if you want to consume less of a nutrient (such as saturated fat or sodium), choose foods with a lower % DV — 5 percent or less. If you want to consume more of a nutrient (such as fiber), seek foods with a higher % DV — 20 percent or more. And certain foods, like protein do not list a %DV, but rather only grams are listed. Know how much protein you need and then do a simple calculation to determine how many grams are in your food. For example, a container of plain yogurt (175 ml) might list the protein content at 5.6 grams per serving, with 1 serving being the entire container, whereas a cup of milk (230 ml) has 9 grams per serving, with 1 serving being a cup.

FATS

Beware of trans fat and saturated fat; these are the ones that raise the bad cholesterol and lower the good cholesterol, which is not good any way you look at it. And don't be fooled by a label that lists 0 grams (g) trans fat. These guys have found a loophole in labeling regulations,any product that contains up to 0.5g trans fat per serving, can label there product as 0% trans fat. So the best way is to check the ingredient list: If it includes partially hydrogenated oil or shortening, then there is trans fat in there - don't be fooled!

VITAMINS & MINERALS

The Daily Value (DV) is the amount of each nutrient that's considered sufficient for most healthy adults, but for active swimmers and athletes in training, you may need more of certain nutrients like vitamin D or iron, depending on your body composition, gender, and recommendations from your trainer. Look for at least 10-20% of each vitamin or mineral in your foods.

PROTEIN

According to the League of Nations (1936) who advocate that a level of 1g of protein per 1 kilogram of weight be the standard daily value for many, each country seems to have there recommended daily value. What we do know is although there is a recommended dose, those that are athletes, kids going through puberty and growth spurt, even though looking to build muscle mass, will need a bit more protein for muscle recovery and repair, pay attention to the amount of protein that you're getting in each serving of food. For example, one serving of our Performance shake mixed with water has 12 grams of protein. And definitely eat moderate portions of lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese, plus beans, peanut butter and nuts.

FIBER

While you don't want to have too much fiber in your diet, especially on race day, or before an important event. It is an important nutrition component for overall health and each individual should aim to have around 3 grams per serving in your breads, pastas, and rice to ensure that you're not eating empty carbs. Other great food sources of natural fiber are vegetables and fruits, so mix those into your meal plan for a balanced diet.

SUGARS

This part of the nutrition label can be deceptive since labels don't really need to differentiate between the types of sugar; you'll have to look at on the ingredient list.for an accurate idea of what's in your food. Beware of anything that ends in -ose, i.e. glucose, fructose and the words "syrup", "sweetener", and of course, "sugar". For swimmers, it's best to stick to natural sugars from fruits since sugar can sabotage your training performance.

CALCIUM

Look at the %DV for calcium on food packages so you know how much one serving contributes to the total amount you need per day since there is no weight guide provided on a nutrition label. For certain populations, it is advised that adolescents, especially girls, consume 1,300mg (130%DV). So if you're a teenage girl, you'll need to consume more calcium rich foods, so pay attention to this number.

SODIUM

Your body does need some sodium to function properly and avoid cramps, but too much can put you at risk for heart disease and high blood pressure. Pay close attention to this part of the nutrition label and stay away from processed foods, canned foods, and foods that have a lot of sauces, artificial flavorings, and preservatives. This is where sodium sneaks in and sabotages your nutrition plan.

With these simple guidelines, you can make better informed food choices while you're planning your swimming nutrition plan and put yourself on the path to optimal performance!

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