Ldl Cholesterol

We’ve been looking at the charts and ingredient lists on the back of our food for years without really seeing it. These days, more information is on those labels than ever before. Learning how to read them can help you find your way to good health and lower cholesterol over all.

Each portion of the label means something different to your health. The first and biggest clue you receive is the portion size. Portion size is never what you think it is. Generally the portion size that the facts are based on is much smaller than you would think it is. Take Ben and Jerry’s ice cream pints for example. To look at them, you’d think they were maybe two servings. In reality they are four servings each. That means that those 250 calories per serving listed is for four servings, not two, making that pint a whopping 1000 calories.

Next on the food chart is the total calories and number of calories from fat. The number of total calories is important in watching your weight, but for most people the number of calories from fat is more important, especially if you are trying to watch your cholesterol. Just as important as the number of calories from fat are the numbers under total fat. These number break out the different kinds of fat. A food high in trans fats, like Oreos or potato chips, is worse for you than one higher in good fat like omega 3s or monounsaturated fat, like olive oil or fish.

If you are trying to lower your blood pressure or have problems with retaining water, you want to watch your sodium. Sodium is high in most processed foods, and naturally occurs in many other foods like eggs and chicken. Once you start paying attention to how much sodium in on your food chart, you’ll be surprised how fast the total adds up each day, quickly reaching your 2000 milligram recommended limit.

Many foods on the market now list the cholesterol content on the label. Because there aren’t many regulations on this portion of the food chart, how they break out the listing can vary. For now, you might do your self a better service by relying on both the regular food chart listings and the cholesterol count, just in case a company’s information is unreliable or unclear.

Key for diabetics is the portion of the chart listing carbohydrates and sugars. These can throw your delicate balance completely out of whack if you aren’t careful with them. Paying attention to your food labels and seeking out low sugar, low carbohydrate foods can help you manage your diabetes.

Some food charts now list proteins as well as vitamins and minerals, and many are now required to list allergens such as shellfish, wheat, caseins, gluten and nuts. These usually come at the end of the label, just before the 2000 calorie daily recommendation fine print. Eating foods with a high protein and vitamin count can also help fight high cholesterol. The higher in protein and vitamins and lower in fat your food is, the better your health will be.