1. Elizabeth Mellott Sodexo Dietetic Intern

2. Serving Size Most important information on a food label! All of the information on a food label is for one serving.

3. Serving Size May be listed in ounces or grams Digital kitchen scale may be helpful

4. Calories Know your daily calorie goal. Most Females: 1500-1800 calories Most Males: 1800- 2000 calories Too many calories can lead to weight gain.

5. Total Fat Includes trans fat, saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, & monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are not required to be listed on the food label. Choose foods that contain less than 5 grams of total fat per serving. 50-65 grams of total fat per day

6. Trans Fats Trans fats raise your bad LDL cholesterol level and lower your good HDL cholesterol. No more than 1% of calories from trans fat or 2 grams/day If food has less than 0.5 gram per serving, the label may still say trans fat-free. Other names for trans fats: partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated vegetable oils.

7. Saturated Fat Choose foods with less than 3 grams per serving. Eat no more than 11 grams per day. Saturated fats raise your bad LDL cholesterol level, but have no effect on your good HDL cholesterol.

8. Polyunsaturated Fats Reduce your total blood cholesterol level, but also decrease good HDL cholesterol. Manufacturers can choose whether or not to list on the food label. Soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil

9. Monounsaturated Fats Reduce cholesterol levels, and do not decrease good HDL cholesterol. Manufacturers can choose whether or not to list on the food label. Nuts, canola oil, olive oil, avocado, peanut oil

10. Cholesterol Eat no more than 200 milligrams per day if you have risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Comes from animal products- beef, pork, poultry, cheese, egg yolks, shellfish Bad fats (saturated and trans) impact your cholesterol level more than dietary cholesterol

11. Sodium Your body needs only 500 milligrams per day to function properly Eat less than a total of 1500 milligrams per day Avoid products with more than 400 milligrams per serving Choose foods with less than 200 milligrams per serving

12. Sodium Food Claims Low-Sodium- less than 140 mg per serving Very- Low Sodium- less than 35 mg per serving Sodium Free- less than 5 mg per serving Reduced Sodium: 25 % less than original product Lower in Sodium: 25 % less than comparable product Lightly Salted: at least 50% less sodium than comparable product No added sodium: no sodium added during processing

13. Potassium http://nutrition.edublogs.org/2009/02/24/more-potassium- less-sodium/ Potassium is not always found on the food label

14. Carbohydrate Includes sugars and dietary fiber The grams of sugars includes both added and natural sugars 55%-65% of total calories should come from carbohydrate

15. Fiber Try to get 25 – 30 grams of fiber per day. To meet this goal, choose high fiber foods with at least 5 grams of fiber per serving. Soluble Fiber can help to lower bad LDL cholesterol. Soluble Fiber Foods: fruits, vegetables, legumes, lentils, dried beans, whole grain foods made with oats, barley, and rye

16. Protein Your needs : 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight Soy Protein is an alternative source of protein instead of meat and cheese, which can be high in saturated fat. Soy Protein sources: soy milk, soy nuts, edamame, tofu, soy burger, soy cheese

17. Vitamins & Minerals Only 4 are required to be displayed on the label Vitamin A Vitamin C Calcium Iron Other vitamins and minerals may also be listed

18. Calories per Gram Fat: 9 calories per gram Carbohydrate: 4 calories per gram Protein: 4 calories per gram

19. Ingredient List Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight Always check the ingredient list to see what the label does not tell you Remember, the fewer ingredients the better!

20. Organic Labeling Organic does not mean that a product is more healthful than conventionally produced food Still need to read the food label for nutrient content Organic is about how food is produced and handled 100% Organic may use USDA seal Natural does not mean Organic

21. Recipe Resources Keep the Beat heart-healthy recipes (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/ktb_recipebk/kt b_recipebk.pdf) Stay Young at Heart (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/syah/index. htm) Heart-Healthy Home Cooking African-American Style (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/chdblack/cooki ng.pdf) Delicious Heart Healthy Latino Recipes (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/sp_recip.pdf) DASH Recipes (http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/nhbpep_kit/recipes.htm)

22. Additional Resources For more shopping tips, visit the American Heart Association’s Delicious Decisions Web page (http://www.deliciousdecisions.org).

23. Questions?

24. References http://nutritioncaremanual.org/ http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/N utritionCenter/Nutrition- Center_UCM_001188_SubHomePage.jsp http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/N utritionCenter/Nutrition- Center_UCM_001188_SubHomePage.jsp http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_c enter=4&tax_level=2&tax_subject=256&topic_id=1342 http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_c enter=4&tax_level=2&tax_subject=256&topic_id=1342 http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/dietaryguidelines.htm