Food labels can tell you a lot about what’s in your food. The law requires packaged food labels to list calories, fat, sodium, carbs, and protein. Some nutrients must be listed, too, like vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron.
By 2021, all food labels will have to tell you how much potassium is in a food. This change will be a big help. In the meantime, it can be hard information to find.
How can you balance all of these nutrients and sort out what to eat and what not to? Your dietitian can help. There are three ways for you to learn. Which one you choose will depend on what you want to know—and how much work you are willing to do to learn it.
- Your dietitian can give you a list of common foods. These may be foods to eat, foods to avoid, or both. We’ll give you some lists at the end of this module, too. If the foods on these lists are the ones you like to eat, this may be all the help you need.
- You can look up or ask for the values of foods you love that are not on the lists. This way, you can make good choices. You may find that a slice or two of pizza is a treat you can fit into your meal plan.
- You can design your own plan. Look up foods in a food value book or an app and make a daily chart. This can help you feel more in control—and lets you eat foods that are not on the lists. Looking up foods takes a lot of time at first, but you’ll start to learn which foods to enjoy in small amounts and which ones you can safely eat more of. If you make your own plan, ask your dietitian to look it over to be sure you haven’t missed anything.
Finding Food Values
At the end of this module, we’ll list some resources, like the Bowes & Church food value book and an app. Also, many chain restaurants share their menu details online.
