1. Presented by Natasha S. Hescott
PROCESSED FOODS & YOU
Presented by Natasha S. Hescott

2. INTRODUCTION Processed Foods Facts about the Nutrition Facts Label
Review
Questions
References

3. WHAT IS PROCESSED FOOD?
Any food taken through a series of deliberate change to produce a specific result before it is made available to eat.
Any food that is packaged is processed – from apples to T.V dinners.
Some are minimally processed while others are heavily processed.
Processed foods are available everywhere!!

4. WHAT IS MINIMALLY PROCESSED FOODS?
Pre-prepped foods for convenience:
Bagged fruits & vegetables – apples, bananas, carrots, spinach
Sprouted breads - Ezekiel sprouted bread, brown rice burrito wraps
Nut milks – almond, soy
Flours – almond, coconut
Sweeteners – stevia, honey

5. WHAT IS HEAVILY PROCESSED FOODS?
Are very convenience for consumption and are readily available. See list below:
Fruits & vegetables – jellies, jams, French fries, ketchup
Breads – bagels, pizza crust, rolls
Flours – cake mix, cookie dough, white flour
Sweeteners – white sugar, corn syrup, soft candies
Drinks - soda, fruit flavored, instant breakfast

6. The Facts About the Nutrition Facts Label

7. WHAT ARE NUTRITION FACTS?
List of nutrients on the back of a food package
Includes: calories, fat, carbohydrates, protein, sodium, vitamins, minerals & ingredient list.

8. WHERE IS THE SERVING SIZE?
Located on the top of the food label
Tells you how much to eat of the product/item
The serving size will influence the amount of calories and other nutrients listed on the food label

9. WHAT ARE CALORIES?
Measures how much “energy” you get from a serving of food
Looking at the amount of calories per serving can help with controlling your weight

10. HOW MANY CALORIES ARE YOU EATING?
#1 - Look at the serving size
#2 - Look at the number of servings
In this package there are 250 calories per serving
If you ate the whole package, how many calories did you eat?
500 calories (because 250 x 2 = 500)

11. WHAT IS PERCENT DAILY VALUE?
Percent Daily Value (%DV) shows how much of a nutrient is in one serving of the food
The %DV is the percentage of the Daily Value (the amounts of key nutrients recommended per day for Americans 4 years of age and older) for each nutrient in one serving of a food

12. LIMIT FAT & SODIUM INTAKE
American Heart Association (per day)
Less 14 grams (<7%) of saturated fats
Less 2 grams (<1%) of trans fat
Less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol
Less than 2,300 mg sodium
Eating too much of these nutrients may lead to heart disease

13. WHERE CAN WE FIND TRANS-FAT?
Found in fried foods, cookies, donuts, margarines & shortening
Look for “partially hydrogenated” on food packages
Packages are not required to list trans-fat if <1 gram per serving!
Eat less than 1% (2 grams) of total calories

14. IMPORTANCE OF HEALTHY FATS
Our bodies require fat for energy, vitamin absorption and protection
We need fat in our diet and not all fats are bad!
Here is a list of foods with healthy fats:
Salmon
Sardine
Avocado
Olive oil
Nuts/peanut butter
Pumpkin seeds
Cheese (low sodium)

15. LIMIT SODIUM INTAKE
Did you know most Americans eat 3,400mg/day of sodium – almost double the recommended amount!
Ways to reduce sodium:
Cooking from scratch with fresh ingredients is better
Avoid pre-meals - frozen, canned, deli meats and microwavable dinners
If these are chosen – look for LOW sodium options
Reduce salt when cooking and season foods with herbs and spices instead.
Eat from home as much as possible – you can control the amount of salt you eat.
Avoid fast food as much as possible!

16. SODIUM Here are some approximate amounts of sodium in table salt:
1/4 teaspoon salt = 575 mg sodium
1/2 teaspoon salt = 1,150 mg sodium
3/4 teaspoon salt = 1,725 mg sodium
1 teaspoon salt = 2,300 mg sodium

17. SODIUM-RELATED TERMS
Sodium-free – Less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving and contains no sodium chloride
Very low sodium – 35 milligrams or less per serving
Low sodium – 140 milligrams or less per serving
Reduced (or less) sodium – At least 25 percent less sodium per serving than the usual sodium level
Light in sodium – If sodium is reduced by at least 50 percent per serving

18. TYPES OF CARBOHYDRATES
Both fiber and sugar are types of carbohydrates
High fiber (>5g/serving) can help with digestion and lower blood sugar
Look at the total carbohydrate to understand how it will impact your blood sugar

19. HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO YOU NEED?
Most Americans eat lots of protein – the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for healthy adults are 0.8 grams/kilograms per body weight
Most get it from high fat and fried foods
Choose protein products that are lean
Examples:
Skinless, white meat poultry (chicken, turkey)
Lean beef (90/10), pork chops, fish, eggs
Skim (0%) or 1%/2% milk
Low fat/fat free plain yogurt
Cheese (low sodium)
Peanut butter/nuts
Cottage cheese

20. KNOW YOUR VITAMINS & MINERALS
On the Nutrition Facts Label, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron must be included
Foods with 20% or more of the daily value is considered high, so eat foods that contain vitamins, minerals and fiber.

21. WHAT IS THE INGREDIENT LIST?
It shows each ingredient in the food package by its common name in descending order by weight.
The first food listed is the main ingredient.
This list is usually located below the Nutrition Facts Label.

22. Lets compare…
Reduced fat milk – 2%
Nonfat/skim milk

23. REVIEW What are some healthier fats to eat?
What is another name for “partially hydrogenated”?
On the nutrition facts label, which foods should we limit to 5% or less?
Which heavily processed foods should be avoided?
How can we lower salt intake?
What to look for on the Nutrition Facts Label to determine the number of servings in a product?
How many milligram of sodium is considered “low sodium”?
Minerals, vitamins and fibers are important to the diet, what percent daily value should we aim for?

24. Any Questions????

25. THANK YOU!

26. REFERENCES
American Heart Association r/HeartSmartShopping/Reading-Food-Nutrition- Labels_UCM_300132_Article.jsp
tionTreatmentofHighCholesterol/Know-Your- Fats_UCM_305628_Article.jsp#.WAgCP_72bct
Food & Drug Administration
actLabel/factsheets/Whats_On_The_Nutrition_Facts_Label.pdf
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