Calculate the Nutritional Value of the Food You Eat

Understanding the nutritional value of food vital if you want to choose a healthy diet. By calculating the nutritional value of the food that you eat will gain a better understanding of the kinds of food that you need to eat to ensure optimal health.

There are two different ways that you can quickly and easily determine the nutritional value of your food and you won’t need any special equipment in order to do this – you can research nutritional values i.e.. on the internet or in books or you can read the labels that are now printed on the majority of packaged foods.

Following are a few tips to help you understand the nutritional value of a variety of foods.

Nutritional Tips

Most packaged foods will have a white rectangular label on the side, top or bottom of the package or tin that gives the nutritional value of the contents.

Usually the label will have the title "Nutrition Facts” at the top, followed by essential nutritional information about the food.

Here you can find out more about the number of calories in the food, levels of sugar and fat and any vitamins or minerals that are added to it. Pay attention to the overall size of the packaged food i.e.. the nutritional value label may be per xxx grams, rather than for the whole item and if you are planning a meal with several combined packaged foods, you will need to add the numbers in each nutritional value category together.

If you find that you have bought packaged food that does not have a nutritional value label on it, you can usually research nutritional values in other places i.e.. online using websites or by reading information in nutritional-related books, leaflets and other reference materials.

This may apply when you are buying raw and unprocessed foods or if you eat in restaurants, therefore you do not know the nutritional value of the meal that you order. If you do eat in restaurants, it can be good idea to speak with restaurant staff; they may be able to help you understand the nutritional values in certain foods.

By gaining a better understanding of the nutritional value of the foods that you are eating, you can make better, informed diet choices. In the long run, this can be of huge benefit to your health, especially if you have any health conditions such as diabetes or if you are trying to lose weight.