By Elena Voropay 

How often do you sit there with a container of desired food and a measuring cup? Not too often, I hope. If you do, please get help. For the rest of us, learning from a Nutrition Label might be as hard as a crash chemistry course. If you know the basics of nutrients, there are things so often overlooked that the whole knowledge about carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins and minerals goes to waste.

Just because the food label lists a certain number of calories per serving doesn't mean that's how much we usually like to eat. In fact, just about everybody consumes much more than the serving size. Many times the amounts are just not realistic, and most people -- rather than counting out 15 chips or measuring a three-ounce serving -- either fool themselves into thinking they're eating the "right amount" or ignore it altogether. And because the ENTIRE Nutrition Facts panel is based on the "serving size," it's very important to get it right or all the information will be inaccurate. Learn a few quick "eyeball" estimators -- for instance, you can use the size of your fist as a guideline for measuring a half cup of cooked pasta.

Serving Size

The nutrition information provided is for the serving size identified on the label. However, the serving on the food label may not be the same as the serving size in your food plan or the serving you normally eat. So, to get the full picture, you need to know how many servings of a certain food you usually eat. Measure ONCE volumes of each cup and bowl you use with a measuring cup and tap water. Take a mental picture and use it as a future reference.

Payoff Next time if you choose to eat five servings of ice-cream after dinner, at least you will know why you can't lose weight. Or, on the other hand, really enjoy the dessert abundance and forget dieting for one night.

Calories

Probably the most important part of the label where energy consumed becomes either energy used or energy stored. Try not to eat any more than 500 calories in one sitting (this is approximately how much you can store as glycogen in your liver and muscles). Any more than that will show up as your spare tire and cottage cheese on your hips. Remember to watch for serving sizes.

A serving with 20 calories or less is called a free food. You will not find it on the label, but with such a negligible amount of energy there is no need to worry about it. It represents roughly 1 percent of all calories burned in one day. However, watch out when you eat 10 servings or more (which you may with such things as jello or jam, since it is "free" food with under 20 calories per teaspoon)

Payoff If you obsess with counting every bit of food, you will become even more stressed and eat more than you actually want. But don't forget your long term goal either - become the very best healthy you.

Total Fat

Look at the grams of total fat in a serving. A low fat food is defined as containing 3 grams of fat or less per serving. Try to choose foods with less than 10g of fat per serving size. Remember to look at your whole meal and not just one ingredient of the dish. Your best fats are Omega-3, found in Flaxseed and fish, so these can be consumed liberally. Other polyunsaturated and saturated fats are best in moderation.

Payoff One gram of fat has 9 calories (twice as much as protein or carbs). You can save yourself a lot of empty calories by simply choosing foods that are naturally lower in fat. A good satisfying meal should have at least 10 grams of fat, where snacks can be lower than that.

Sodium

Sodium does not affect blood glucose levels and doesn't have calories. Sodium is naturally present in many foods, but processing adds several times more salt to preserve the product for a long time. One of the many side effects of eating salt more than needed is water retention and thirst, as well as elevated blood pressure. The recommended intake of sodium for healthy adults is 2400 - 3000 mg per day, if you have high blood pressure, it be may be helpful to consume less. Another factor to consider is that salt increases appetite so you may end up eating more.

Payoff Not only you will not wake up with puffy panda eyes, but you may actually lose some weight that was previously retained by water. You will also find yourself eating less and feeling more satisfied with low sodium foods.

Total Carbohydrates

This is your primary energy source, your brain food. Look at the grams of total carbohydrate, rather than the indented grams of sugar. If you look only at the sugar number, you may end up excluding foods such as fruits and milks thinking they are too high in sugar, while you may overeat foods such as cereals that have no sugar, but do contain significant amounts of carbohydrates.

The grams of sugar and fiber are counted as part of the grams of total carbohydrate. If a food has 5 grams or more fiber in a serving, subtract the fiber grams from the total grams of carbohydrate for a more accurate estimate of the carbohydrate content. The more fiber - the better. But always drink plenty of water to regulate digestion and prevent constipation.

Sugar alcohols (also known as polyols) include sorbitol, xylitol and mannitol, and have fewer calories than sugars and starches, although use of the sugar alcohols in a product does not necessarily mean the product is low in carbohydrate. Always remember to check the label for the grams of carbohydrate.

The grams of sugar alcohols are indented under the total carbohydrate heading and aligned under dietary fiber and sugars. The grams of sugar alcohols are required on the label only when a claim is made about sugar alcohols or sugars when sugar alcohols are present.

Payoff If you are carbophobic educate yourself on the subject. If you can't live without sugar, choose natural fruit and fibrous breads and cereals. After a week you will crave less sugar and more wholesome products.

% Daily Value

Indicates how much of a specific nutrient a serving of food contains compared to a 2000-calorie diet. A product is considered a good source of a particular nutrient if one serving provides 10 to 19% of the Daily Value, and is considered high in a given nutrient if it contains 20% or more of the Daily Value. If the Daily Value is 5% or less, it is low in that nutrient.

Payoff Remember that these are guidelines for general population and your individual demands for any nutrients may be different. Some nutrients consumed together may not be as well absorbed as if they were eaten or supplemented separately. Look at the big picture.

Reduced

This means that the product has been nutritionally altered so that it now contains 25% less of a specific nutrient such as fat, calories, sugar or sodium. Most fat reduced foods contain more sugar and salt than the original products, and maybe even more calories. Don't be fooled by the label tricks and compare labels before you make a purchase.

Payoff Make sure that reduction of one doesn't come at the price of another nutrient. Lower salt and sugar amounts are better fulfilled with high fiber than with high fat content. And if anything, 'less' does not necessarily mean 'better'. On the other hand, you may find some foods with reduced amounts of fat, sugar and salt to taste better and be more satisfying. Experiment with your taste and choices.

Free

This means that the product contains none or almost none of the specified nutrient. For example, sugar-free foods have less than 0.5 gram of sugars per serving. However, sugar-free does not mean carbohydrate free. Compare the total carbohydrate content of a sugar-free food with that of the standard product. If there is a big difference in carbohydrate content between the two foods, buy the sugar-free food. If there is little difference in the total grams of carbohydrate between the two foods, choose the one you want based on price and taste.

Payoff Same as with "Reduced" foods, free is definitely an individual preference.

No sugar added foods do not have any form of sugar added during processing or packaging, and do not contain high-sugar ingredients. But remember, they may still be high in carbohydrate, so you have to check the label.

Fat-free foods are often higher in carbohydrate than the foods they replace, so they are not necessarily a better choice than the standard product.