Convenience Food Nutrition
Convenience foods can save you time and money. This only leaves one attribute — nutrition — in question. Here's where we can run into problems. Many convenience foods are high in fat and sodium. There are two ways to deal with this issue.
First, you can look for a low-fat and low-sodium version of the same product. Almost every product has a low-fat and/or low-sodium equivalent, since manufacturers are sensitive to this issue.
Second, you can make your own convenience foods and reduce or omit the sodium completely. You can use less fat or use fat substitutes, like refrigerated egg product in casseroles, vegetarian cheese or meat substitute in cooking, or applesauce and prune purée in baking.
Many convenience foods are enriched with additional vitamins and minerals. Cake mixes, for instance, usually have vitamins and minerals added.
Calories
Make sure you understand the number of calories per serving. Serving size for each product is an important benchmark you can use to compare products. Next to the calorie amount is usually the number of calories from fat. This is calculated by multiplying the fat grams per serving by 9, the amount of energy in 1 gram of fat.
Emerging research shows that medium chain saturated fats, found in coconut oil and palm oil, are actually good for you. These oils aren't stored in the liver, but are immediately made available for energy by your body. These oils also can contain lots of antioxidants and possess antiviral properties.
Total Fat
Fat adds flavor and moisture to the food, helps stabilize sauces, and carries flavor. The important piece of information about fat is the amount of saturated and trans fat the food contains.
Look for products that contain 35 percent or less fat by calories. The total fat in grams most people should consume per day is about 65 to 70 grams. The total fat number doesn't tell you anything about the breakdown between saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fats.
Saturated Fat
Saturated fat is the type of fat found in animal products. In chemical terms, it means that all of the carbon molecules are bound with a hydrogen molecule. Saturated fat has been portrayed as the villain in food and health studies, but some evidence now indicates that trans fat, not saturated fat, has been the villain all along.
Still, if your doctor recommends that you limit saturated fat in your diet, look for products that contain less saturated fat. In a typical diet of 2,200 calories per day, saturated fat intake should be no more than 24 grams.
If you follow the new, revised food pyramid, your diet will automatically be lower in fats and cholesterol. The base of the pyramid is made up of foods like beans, grains, and fruits and vegetables, which are cholesterol-free and naturally low in fat. These foods are also lower in sodium and you'll reduce your intake of preservatives and artificial ingredients.
Trans Fat
Trans fat is of particular concern because of recent revelations that this food is completely bad for you, with no health benefits whatsoever. The labels are slightly deceptive on this point. If a food has less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving, the manufacturer can list the amount of trans fat as zero.
If you carefully follow the serving size of the product, you'll eat less than 0.5 grams trans fat. But if you, like most people, eat more than the recommended serving amount, you may be consuming a large amount of trans fat. Read labels carefully and look for foods that are marked “trans fat free.”
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is found only in animal fats. It's a soft, waxy substance that your body uses to make hormones and regulate body functions. Your body produces all of the cholesterol you need each day; there's no need to consume any.
The cholesterol you eat usually doesn't affect your blood cholesterol; in other words, your body produces far more cholesterol every day than you could ever eat. High cholesterol levels can be indicators of health problems, but some researchers are finding that cholesterol levels respond to inflammation, caused by free radicals and oxidation. Eat more foods high in antioxidants, like fruits and vegetables, to lower cholesterol.
Sodium
Salt is a preservative and a flavor enhancer. It helps your body regulate blood pressure. Many convenience foods are very high in sodium, but most manufacturers do make low-sodium varieties of their best-selling foods.
The daily limit on sodium is around 2,000 mg. If you read the labels of some convenience foods, you'll see that each serving may provide as much as 1,000 mg of sodium, or half the daily limit. Avoid these products. You can also help reduce the sodium in foods like canned beans by rinsing them very well before use; this helps rinse away some of the salt.
United States law carefully regulates the ingredients, statistics, and information on food labels. These laws are frequently updated to address ongoing research findings, to change with the times, and to include new ingredients. You can depend on the labels for accurate information about the food.
Protein
Your body requires some protein every day — about 10 to 20 percent of your total caloric intake. To figure out the percentage of protein in a food product, multiply the grams of protein by four. Then divide that by the total number of calories.
High-protein foods include meats, seafood, dairy products, and combinations of plant materials, like beans and grains or legumes and corn. Americans usually get enough protein in a typical diet.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates can be simple or complex. Simple carbohydrates are short chain and are burned for quick energy. The short-chain carbs are also known as sugar. Natural simple carbohydrates are found in fruits like apples, cherries, melon, and peaches. Processed simple carbohydrates are found in sugar, cookies, ice cream, and candy.
Complex carbohydrates, or long-chain molecules, include starch. They are found in foods like breads, oats, and cereals. This nutrient is an important part of your food intake. They are broken down by your body gradually to provide a steady stream of energy. Most complex carbohydrates are found in pasta, breads, whole-wheat cereals, potatoes, and brown rice.
Fiber
Fiber comes in two forms: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is found in fruits and vegetables, and is necessary for good health. Insoluble fiber is found in bran, whole-wheat flours, and vegetables. Your daily intake of fiber should be at least 25 grams of dietary fiber. If you eat lots of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, your fiber intake should be adequate. Still, using ingredient labels is a good way to keep track of your total intake.
Sugar
Sugar is a short-chain carbohydrate. There are several different types of sugar: fructose, glucose, and sucrose are the most common. Your brain uses glucose for fuel, so your body breaks down and transforms other sugars and carbohydrates for that purpose.
Some scientists think that consuming too much high fructose corn syrup may play a part in the development of Type II diabetes. Recent research has also found that HFCS may have high levels of mercury, produced during processing. It's a good idea to avoid this ingredient; look for it on food labels.
Sucrose is also known as table sugar. Most dietitians recommend that you limit your intake of processed sugar and avoid products that contain a lot of it, like cookies, ice cream, candy, and sweet snacks.
Fructose is the sugar found in fruits, but natural, unprocessed fruits have a fairly low amount of the molecule. Too much fructose, especially in the form of high fructose corn syrup, can be damaging to your body. It is found in sodas, juices, yogurt, and jelly. High fructose corn syrup is not the same thing as the regular corn syrup you buy in the grocery store; it's used in manufacturing.
Glucose is another simple sugar, a basic molecule in food production. It is the basic building block for all carbohydrates. It is not a common ingredient in processed foods.
