Building Healthy Habits from Nutritional Labels
Trying to live a healthier life? Start with the obvious, eat healthier. I guess the next question would be: where do I start?
We all know that eating vegetables is good for your health, drinking water is necessary, and exercise is also a major part of your health. However, we continue to miss one very basic, yet confusing, strategy: Reading a Nutrition Label.
Build a foundation for healthy living by knowing how to read nutrition labels. By learning this skill you will be more capable of making healthy choices when it comes to selecting pre-packaged foods and snacks. This is where calories we consume are "hidden."
Important Note: The confusion about what is healthy and unhealthy stems from how our food industry is structured.
The Truth: There are several health claims on food packages that are often misleading. Check out this video that more profoundly exemplifies my point. Here is another video from a Canadian Network that discusses food claims and how we often people get duped into thinking we are eating healthy.
One way to not getting duped is to learn how to read a nutritional label. Use the 5-10-20 rule:
I can not stress enough how much value there is in learning this particular skill, especially when creating a healthier lifestyle. If you haven't figured out how your weight and health got out of control this may be a critical reason why. It's true what they say: "Knowledge is Power."
Test this out next time you go to the grocery store or go into your kitchen right now and grab an item with a food label. Look at the front and see if there are any health claims such as "all natural" or "low sodium."
These items may be lower in sodium but may be higher in fat or higher in sugar. Treat your body well and you will feel well; take control of your health. You can bet that the current food industry and health education system either has not caught up with how to inform people on how to eat healthily or, more disheartening, they don't care. I can't tell you how many people I have met that thought they were eating healthy and ended up buying foods that were actually bad for their health. Hopefully, this piece of information is helpful in helping you recognize what foods you may need to cut back on to get healthy. If you would like more information or had any other questions about nutrition, health, and wellness leave a comment below, check out my Instagram @strengthinhealth or FACEBOOK for more health tips and motivation.
Our lack of knowledge of how to read a nutritional label illustrates why we have rising obesity rates nationally and globally. (check out my last blog here). Luckily there are resources out there to help you take control of your health again, you do not need to go at it alone and when in doubt ask questions! I have not detailed what it is that I do yet, so here is my late introduction:
My Name is Jorge Belmonte I am a health coach and my passion is people, specifically helping people achieve optimal health. My greatest professional joy over the last 5 years has been working as a weight loss counselor helping people reach their health goals and giving as much FREE health education information as possible. Check out the links below to get a jump start on living a healthier life.
If you found value in this post, do me a solid, comment and share with others who you feel would benefit from this particular post and those that will follow. I would really appreciate your support.
Resources for Health:
Start With Small Changes -
Healthy Eating Plans -
Shopping Tips -
Health Coach for Specialized Weight Loss Programs
Having said that we also need to recognize the importance of what else in your life needs attention. I will be adding more to the blog soon: Balancing 8 Dimensions of Health - Under Construction...
We all know that eating vegetables is good for your health, drinking water is necessary, and exercise is also a major part of your health. However, we continue to miss one very basic, yet confusing, strategy: Reading a Nutrition Label.
Build a foundation for healthy living by knowing how to read nutrition labels. By learning this skill you will be more capable of making healthy choices when it comes to selecting pre-packaged foods and snacks. This is where calories we consume are "hidden."
Important Note: The confusion about what is healthy and unhealthy stems from how our food industry is structured.
The Truth: There are several health claims on food packages that are often misleading. Check out this video that more profoundly exemplifies my point. Here is another video from a Canadian Network that discusses food claims and how we often people get duped into thinking we are eating healthy.
One way to not getting duped is to learn how to read a nutritional label. Use the 5-10-20 rule:
Here is a great visual of what to look for:
I can not stress enough how much value there is in learning this particular skill, especially when creating a healthier lifestyle. If you haven't figured out how your weight and health got out of control this may be a critical reason why. It's true what they say: "Knowledge is Power."
5% = Less10% = Moderate20% or more = High
Test this out next time you go to the grocery store or go into your kitchen right now and grab an item with a food label. Look at the front and see if there are any health claims such as "all natural" or "low sodium."
These items may be lower in sodium but may be higher in fat or higher in sugar. Treat your body well and you will feel well; take control of your health. You can bet that the current food industry and health education system either has not caught up with how to inform people on how to eat healthily or, more disheartening, they don't care. I can't tell you how many people I have met that thought they were eating healthy and ended up buying foods that were actually bad for their health. Hopefully, this piece of information is helpful in helping you recognize what foods you may need to cut back on to get healthy. If you would like more information or had any other questions about nutrition, health, and wellness leave a comment below, check out my Instagram @strengthinhealth or FACEBOOK for more health tips and motivation.
Our lack of knowledge of how to read a nutritional label illustrates why we have rising obesity rates nationally and globally. (check out my last blog here). Luckily there are resources out there to help you take control of your health again, you do not need to go at it alone and when in doubt ask questions! I have not detailed what it is that I do yet, so here is my late introduction:
My Name is Jorge Belmonte I am a health coach and my passion is people, specifically helping people achieve optimal health. My greatest professional joy over the last 5 years has been working as a weight loss counselor helping people reach their health goals and giving as much FREE health education information as possible. Check out the links below to get a jump start on living a healthier life.
If you found value in this post, do me a solid, comment and share with others who you feel would benefit from this particular post and those that will follow. I would really appreciate your support.
Resources for Health:
Start With Small Changes -
Healthy Eating Plans -
Shopping Tips -
Health Coach for Specialized Weight Loss Programs
Having said that we also need to recognize the importance of what else in your life needs attention. I will be adding more to the blog soon: Balancing 8 Dimensions of Health - Under Construction...
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