In general, diet plans fit into one of a number of diet types each with a different underlying theory.

Carbohydrate-Controlled

Restricting carbohydrates, generally to between 20-60 g per day, helps you maintain a stable blood sugar level which is responsible for helping the body break down fat. It is believed that by controlling the highs and lows of your body’s response to carbohydrates that it will work at peak performance and maximize weight loss.

To compensate for fewer carbohydrates, most of these types of diets increase your calories from fat and protein. And since protein helps make you feel more full than carbohydrates, people tend to eat less and consumer fewer calories. Eating fewer calories than you burn will result in weight loss.

Examples:

• South Beach Diet Plan
• Atkins Diet Plan
• Zone Diet Plan

Controlling Portion Sizes

Based on claims that large portion size is responsible for weight gain and obesity, these types of diets aim to reduce the size of your portions without feeling hungry. They use a variety of methods to educate people on how to eat less and minimize unhealthy choices. Methods include eating more slowly, reading labels and eating only until you feel full.

Examples:

• Portion Teller Diet Plan

Detox / Body Cleanse

Detoxification or cleansing aims to eliminate toxins and rid the body of accumulated harmful substances. Medical professionals argue that it is often unnecessary and unscientific. Detox is based on the theory that a healthy liver burns fat more efficiently thus aiding weight loss.

Detox diets vary widely in duration and strictness. Traditionally dieters drank only liquids from fruits and vegetables (also known as, juice fasts). These offered minimal nutrition and rapid weight loss. Newer cleanses use a restricted diet and claim to rebalance the body, purify the liver and regulate the digestive tract’s PH balance.

Examples:

• Detox Diet

Glycemic Index (GI)

GI diets believe eating low-glycemic-index foods can control insulin levels and weight. The glycemic index or GI ranks carbohydrates from 1 to 100 according to the amount it raises blood sugar levels after eating. Low-GI foods produce small, gradual rises and their slow digestion and absorption helps control appetite and delay hunger.

Studies indicate that diseases such as type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease are related to the overall GI in people’s diet. In 1999, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommended diets based on low-GI foods to prevent coronary heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Examples:

• GI Diet Plan

Low-Fat

Diets contain a minimum amount of fat, often resulting in high-fibre, mainly vegetarian diets. Because high-fibre foods tend to contain fewer calories and less are needed to make you feel full, you’ll eat fewer calories. Consume fewer calories than you burn and you lose weight.

The popularity of low-fat diets can be partly attributed to studies since the 1980s which reveal the hazards of eating high-fat, high-cholesterol foods and the benefits of less saturated fat and LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol foods. Low-fat, low-cholesterol diets are rich in whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and legumes while limiting or excluding processed oils, dairy products, nuts, seeds and meat.

Examples:

• Full Plate Diet Plan

Quick Weight Loss

Severe calorie restricted diets aim to produce maximum weight loss over a very short period of time. Diets use a variety of methods such as a single food, calorie shifting and consuming lots of fluids. Attempts, based on different theories, are made with each diet to control food cravings and overcome hunger.

These diets should only be undertaken under medical supervision and for a short period of time. Many are not nutritionally sound diets. We have attempted to rate these diets based on this type of diet but none should ever be considered a healthy long term diet.

Examples:

• Fat Loss 4 Idiots

Low-Calorie, Liquid Meal Replacement

Based on eating very low-calorie, liquid meal replacements instead of normal meals or snacks. Most use a commercially manufactured product supplying 100 percent of the recommended daily vitamins and minerals.

Food-Combining

Based on the theory that different foods are digested in different ways and thus some foods should not be eaten together. These diets avoid the wrong food combinations and encourage the right combinations. By aiding and improving digestion, through the promotion of efficient food combinations, it is believed to help weight loss.

Metabolic Typing

Based on the theory that different genetically-based body types react differently, these diets create unique programs for each body type. Classification of body types is different depending on the system used but range from simple blood types to metabolic typing based on genetic physiological and biochemical levels.

These types of diets attempt to optimize the body’s reaction to food and nutrients for each body type. Eating the right foods, in the right proportions of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, for your type, will properly convert nutrients into energy and aid weight loss.

Weight-Loss Centers

Weight-loss programs, both commercial and non-profit, supported by advice, regular meetings and group support. Predominately regular weekly meetings hosted in your local area are used but some online programs exist.

These programs tend to be comprehensive and offer counselling, information, emotional support and accountability. Providing a range of support tools ensures these programs can help dieters overcome difficulties and motivate them to achieve their weight loss goals.

The type of diet and underlying theory will vary depending on the program. Some advocate certain prepared foods or special menus, while others educate dieters to make healthy choices.

Examples:

• Weight Watchers
• Slimming World
• eDiet (Online)

Remember to seek medical advice before starting any diet. Your doctor can advise you on the best diet plan, recommend any vitamins and supplements, monitor your progress and determine how much and what type of exercise is appropriate for you. This is especially important if you are currently on any medications or considering a very low calorie or quick weight-loss plan.

Myth: Weight Loss is Caused by Exercising

Exercise alone cannot cause weight loss – especially if you are not monitoring what you eat.

Weight loss is simple math. In order to lose a pound of fat, you need to consume fewer calories than you use. As long as there is more going out than is coming into your body, then you will lose weight.

Exercise can help you lose weight but it can be harder to lose weight with exercise than diet. It takes moments to consume 400 calories but an hour to burn it. Your choices to lose weight are to reduce your food intake by 500 calories a day, exercise to burn an additional 500 calories, or use a combination of diet and exercise to reduce overall calories by 500.

Myth: After Exercising the Effects of Exercise Keep Going and Our Body Continues to Burn Calories at a Faster Rate

While you exercise you burn calories, but afterward your ability to burn calories is no more than if you were sedentary.

A new report, published in the journal Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, concluded that people’s ability to continue to burn fat over the next 24 hours after exercising is not increased. Many health and fitness experts have found these results shocking.

Further research needs to be performed to confirm these findings. For instance, in the study participants cycled for under an hour burning up to 400 calories. So, there is a possibility that longer, harder or different types of exercise could lead to a post-workout fat burn.

Myth: Weight Training Dramatically Increases Your Metabolism

The evidence, from the study above, shows that weight training, by adding muscle, does not boost your metabolism as much as widely believed.

It is true that a pound of muscle burns more calories than a pound of fat. The range is approximately 7-10 calories a day versus 2 calories. However, most people do not gain enough muscle mass to make much of a difference.

Myth: Everyone Needs the Same Amount of Exercise

The US government revised their guidelines in 2008 stating that people “vary a great deal in how much physical activity they need to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Some need more physical activity than others to maintain a healthy body weight, to lose weight or to keep weight off once it has been lost.”

The best advice is to use the daily guidelines as an estimate of what you should do to achieve your goals. Monitor your progress and adjust your program depending on your results.

Gradually increasing your intensity will also help. For instance, running burns more calories and is a higher intensity exercise than walking. The good news is that the more fit you become the harder you can work out. So, during the same amount of time, you can burn more calories.

Physical activity refers to all body movements that result in energy expenditure. It can include planned activities such as walking, running, sports, stretching and weight training. And it can also include other daily activities such as household chores, yard work and walking the dog.

Exercise refers to planned and structured repetitive movements designed specifically to improve health and fitness. These activities can include walking, running, sports, yoga and weight training.

Not everyone uses these terms correctly but now you know the difference.

Benefits of Physical Activity

All physical activity is beneficial. And from government campaigns and health experts, we all know there are huge benefits to be gained by being active. Here is a reminder of some of the key benefits.

Physical Benefits

• Reduced risk of life threatening conditions, such as, heart disease, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and obesity
• Reduces blood pressure
• Improves cardiovascular system
• Increased strength
• Increased flexibility
• Weight loss, in combination with diet
• Increase athletic skills

Mental and Emotional Health Benefits

• Increased energy and enjoyment of life
• Stress reduction and relaxation
• Maintains and promotes positive self-esteem
• Better body image
• Improves your outlook on life

Better Quality of Life

• Easier to move
• Better physical ability later in life
• Sleep better

Not everyone benefits equally from exercise, but from this list, we can easily see that we should all participate. You get a lot for a little effort.

Everyday Activity to Regular Exercise

Being active every day in our daily lives can be easy. Here are some opportunities and simple changes that can make a big difference:

• Walk whenever you can. For instance, park further away from your destination. Or, get off the bus one stop before your normal stop and walk the rest of the way home.
• Leave the car at home. Walk or cycle instead.
• Use the stairs at home, at work or when you’re out.
• Shovel the walk in winter and garden in summer.
• Plan an activity with friends instead of going to the movies.

Starting an exercise routine may feel like a big challenge. So, here are our tips to help you make the transition:

1. Select an activity you enjoy.
2. Start slowly.
3. Stick with it.

Fortunately, exercise makes you feel good so it is self-reinforcing.

Learn more about the types of exercises available to you.

Knowing the differences and benefits between the three types allows you to develop an effective workout.

Aerobic Exercise (Endurance, Cardiovascular or Cardio)

Any physical exercise in which the body uses oxygen to generate energy. Your body requires a great deal of oxygen in the process of generating energy (aka aerobic metabolic process) causing your heart and lungs to work harder. Sources of energy are carbohydrates, fats and then proteins, in that order.

Aerobic exercises use large muscle groups continuously over a relatively long period of time to improve the cardiovascular system’s intake of oxygen by cells. To be effective, it needs to be sustained for at least 15 minutes while you maintain 65-85 percent of your maximum heart rate.

Examples:

• Walking
• Running (long distance)
• Dancing
• Cycling

The health benefits from aerobic exercises are numerous. They include improved cardiovascular function, lower blood pressure, higher HDL (and decreased LDL), lower body fat, improved weight control, and improved glucose tolerance and reduced insulin resistance.

Anaerobic Exercise (Strengthening)

Any intensive, short burst exercise that causes your muscles to work without oxygen. Energy comes from stored sources since oxygen is used up more quickly than it can be replenished in the working muscle. Stored sources include glycogen (stored carbohydrates), ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate), and CP (Creatine Phosphate). This type of exercise can cause fatigue.

Due to the muscle’s reduced ability to function without oxygen, anaerobic exercises are high intensity activities with a short duration lasting less than two minutes followed by periods of rest. Any activity longer than approximately two minutes will have an aerobic metabolic component.

Examples:

• Weight lifting
• Sprinting
• Power lifting

Anaerobic exercises helps build muscle mass, strengthens bones, develops muscle strength, increases speed, improves power and increases metabolic rate. While it doesn’t burn fat, it contributes to weight loss because bigger muscles burn more calories per unit than any other tissue in your body and they burn more even at rest. (Further reading: Myths & Facts About Exercise Benefits and Weight Loss)

Stretching Exercise (Flexibility)

Stretching exercises are designed to help your muscles move further, more easily and more freely. It produces a feeling of increased muscle control, flexibility and range of motion.

Athletes and fitness enthusiasts mainly use stretching exercises before and after aerobic and anaerobic activity. During the warm-up, gentle stretching can begin the process of blood flowing to muscles, reduce the risk of injury during activity and increase individual performance. Cool-down stretching can help prevent post exercise muscle soreness and stiffness.

Stretching can be an important part of rehabilitation for people recovering from an injury or surgery, and some diseases, such as arthritis. Stretching improves and maintains a good range of motion in the joints. By repeatedly stretching, with the needs of specific joints in mind, people can usually regain their full range of motion generally over a period of weeks or months.

Examples:

• Warm-up / Cool-down
• Yoga

While they may not have a direct effect on health, it can enhance your quality of life by improving your posture and body alignment. Neither anaerobic nor aerobic exercises stimulate muscles in a way to become more limber.

Why You Need All Three Exercise Types in Your Workout

Each type of exercise promotes different responses from our body. Even though we may want to focus on the benefits from one type of exercise, we need all three types to attain higher levels of fitness and prevent injuries from overtraining which can happen when a workout program only uses one type of exercise.

Your goal should be to include all three types to enhance your health benefits and lead to greater performance.

Benefits of Walking

Walking can not only help you lose weight but also lead you to a healthier lifestyle.

It improves your posture, strengthens your cardiovascular system, tones you all over, elevates your mood, delays signs of aging, and disease prevention. As with any good exercise program, it helps reduce your risk of various cancers, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes and more.

Walking has the added benefit of being a low impact activity. It produces minimal weight-bearing stress on your joints. Many other activities can increase your risk of injury.

Shoes are the only piece of equipment you need. Choose good running or walking shoes that fit properly and ideally ones that provide some arch- and ankle-support. In a pinch, you can use your regular shoes provided they cushion your feet and support your ankle.

How to Start Walking

Start small and easy. Some walking programs ask you to walk a certain distance and at a certain pace. Depending on your fitness level, this may be too much, too soon. Instead walk a distance and at a pace that is comfortable to you. Your main goal should be to just get out and walk on a regular basis.

Initially walking may consist of 10, 15 or 30 minute sessions throughout the day. Don’t worry too much about your session length or distance – it all counts. In time, you can increase your duration and distance. For the best results, the goal is to have a “walking workout” three to five times a week for 30 to 60 minutes or 4,000 steps at your optimum pace. Obviously, five times a week for 60 minutes is best.

Over time, you’ll start to notice that walking the same distance starts to take less time to complete. You may feel comfortable with what you are doing and start to see some of the benefits of walking. At this point, you may want to increase your distance and intensity, and start to set some weekly goals to further increase your progress.

Exercise Walking

Walking for exercise is best achieved by recording your progress. By knowing how much you are currently walking on a daily basis, you can set weekly goals and increase your weekly target.

Start by using a pedometer to record how many steps you take over the course of a week. Divide that number by 7 so you get an average baseline number on a per day basis.

In week one, you should aim to walk your baseline number of steps every day. Each week, you should add between 500 to 1000 steps to your daily target. Ultimately, the goal is to walk between 7,500 to 8,000 steps every day.

To get your heart rate up, aim to walk faster than a stroll. Picking up the pace increases the intensity of your workouts. A moderate pace burns stored fat and can help build muscle to speed up your metabolism.

Whether you walk or run a mile, you lose virtually the same amount of calories. As with most cardiovascular activity the calories burned walking is about the distance and not the effort. A quicker pace will only burn calories faster.

How does The Full Plate Diet plan work?

According to The Full Plate Diet, weight loss targets can be achieved and kept off long-term by eating a diet high in fiber.
Fiber contains very few calories but it makes you feel full. The Full Plate Diet believes that most diets fail because they ask you to eat smaller portions and weights of food instead of changing the kinds of foods you’re eating. By increasing dietary fiber, dieters will feel full and eat fewer high-calorie foods.

Consuming fewer calories than you burn will lead to weight loss. Instead of tiny portions, The Full Plate Diet believes that dieters would prefer to eat a full plate with more high fiber foods to avoid feeling hungry and achieve the goal of eating fewer calories.

A typical American diet probably consumes 10 grams of fiber per day. The Full Plate Diet recommends 40 or more grams per day. Increasing your fiber intake is accomplished through their three stages and making more informed choices.

Sustainable weight loss can be achieved by simply buying healthy foods from the grocery store, ordering the right foods on the menu and only eating if you are hungry.

What food can I eat?

Fiber includes not only non-soluble fiber, “roughage”, like bran, but also soluble fiber. Both types of fiber are found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and nuts.

No foods are forbidden. For instance, meat and dairy products which contain no fiber are still included. But The Full Plate Diet aims to teach you how to make healthier choices and pay attention to eating more fiber.

Is it a Healthy Diet?

The Full Plate Diet is extremely healthy. And increasing your intake of dietary fiber is supported by the Institute of Medicine, the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association.

Medical research supports high-fiber diets. It has positive long-term benefits in terms of heart health, cancer, diabetes, sex and longevity. Consuming plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans and whole grains) significantly lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke by up to 40%. Fruit and vegetables have positive effects for cancers of the stomach, esophagus, lung, oral cavity and pharynx, endometrium, pancreas and colon. The vitamins D, B-12, C, A and selenium, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables also protect against cancer. Fiber reduces the risk of diabetes, aids digestion, reduces heartburn, boosts energy, and more.

Top Marks

• Medical research scientifically proves the benefits of high-fiber diets.
• High-fiber foods are cheap and readily available from grocery stores.
• Not a deprivation diet.
• Plenty of advice on high-fiber foods, making higher fiber choices and recipes.
• Advice on eating out.
• Online resources and support is available.

Potential Problems

• Not all concepts are fully explained. For instance, exercise is encouraged but advice is limited to a paragraph in the book. Further reading and support may be necessary.

Will I lose weight?

General weight loss claims from fiber are supported by studies from Harvard School of Public Health, Cornell and National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

According to results from their clinical practice “weight loss of 5 to 10 pounds in the first month and 50 to 75 pounds after one year are not uncommon”. Individual results will vary and depend on activity level and adherence to The Full Plate Diet principles.

Our Rating:

How to Get Started

Begin following The Full Plate Diet with these resources:

Disclaimer: The “typical” visitor will not change their behavior as a result of reading or purchasing any products. Resulting in no weight loss. A few may read the material and not act on it. And a small minority will read and follow the program. This small minority actually has a chance of losing weight. Be different. Take action.

While not actually measuring the percentage of body fat, it is used to calculate whether a person is underweight, a healthy weight, overweight or obese for their height. It allows for natural variations in body shape, giving a healthy weight range for a particular height.

The calculation divides the adult’s weight in kilograms by their height in meters squared.

BMI Calculator

Numerous tools are available for calculating BMI. But we prefer this tool from the NHS and can calculate BMI for children.

NHS Healthy Weight Calculator

Note: Most widely available BMI calculators are for adults only.

BMI Categories

• BMI 16.5 or below: Severely underweight
• BMI 16.5-18.4: Underweight
• BMI 18.5-24.9: Healthy weight
• BMI 25-29.9: Overweight
• BMI 30-34.9: Obesity
• BMI 35 or higher: Extremely obese

Children’s BMI Results

For children, BMI is interpreted differently.

While the calculation is the same as for adults, the age and sex of the child are also taken into account. Instead of set ranges (as shown in the BMI Categories above), children’s BMI uses percentiles to assign whether a BMI is within a healthy range according to height, weight, age and sex.

By comparing the values to other children of the same age and sex, an overweight BMI means it is higher than average for a child of their age and sex.

Limitations of BMI

BMI is a simplistic calculation dependent on weight and height only. Therefore it does not take into account many factors, such as, muscle and bone mass. While widely used and respected, the medical community generally acknowledges these shortcomings.

Individuals who may be given an inaccurate BMI are athletes, children, the elderly, the infirm and naturally endomorphic or ectomorphic people ( people who do not have a medium frame).

According to their BMI, children and the elderly tend to be “underweight” because of the differences in bone density. To factor in the proportion of bone to total weight, their BMI should be adjusted downward or the use of a special scale for determining BMI (as described in Children’s BMI Results above).

Athletes tend to be “overweight” or “obese” according to their BMI. Because muscle weighs more than fat, a modified version is sometimes used to adjust the ranges upward. Alternatively, there are better methods for determining the body composition of athletes. For instance, body fat can be calculated using techniques, such skinfold measurements or underwater weighing.

Other BMI inaccuracies can occur. For instance, a tall person with a small frame and excess fat around the waist may show a normal BMI. Therefore, if you have any questions about your results, consult your doctor who may want to employ another measuring device to double-check your findings.

No calorie counting. No forbidden foods. No weighing food. Sensible eating and learning how to “smartsize” your portions are the key to finding the right balance for healthy eating.

How does the Portion Teller diet plan work?

Dr. Young points to an example of nutritionists not being able to accurately guess the calorie or fat content of several restaurant meals. Given the difficulty in accurately counting, her portion teller approach uses visual guides designed to teach dieters how to understand the correct portion size of foods.

Depending on a dieter’s portion personality – the mindless muncher, the breakfast hater, the volume eater, the special occasion victim – Young has devised formulas for each type to help dieters find the right balance of their daily food servings. Dieters will be able to eat out, eat in and even cheat, without overeating.

Learning a simple system of visuals – a deck of cards, a baseball, your own hand – helps dieters gauge portion size. Initially a food diary is used until dieters learn how to size up their favourite foods with the visuals. Dieters can track and chart their diet course by employing line drawings, charts, The Portion Teller Plan pyramid, and portion diaries.

Her understanding of the underlying reasons for bad eating habits has also lead her to develop a cheat’s guide, a survival guide for eating out and daily meal plans.

Successful weight loss using this plan comes from applying Dr Young’s real-life principles. She believes deprivation, calorie counting or eliminating foods doesn’t work.

What food can I eat?

Instead of giving up your favourite foods, nutritionist, Lisa Young, believes the answer to losing weight is portion size.

How people eat depends on their portion personality. For instance, a Special Occasion Victim finds it hard to resist a cake at an office party and a Volume Eater needs their plate to be full. Her nutrition counselling experience has led her to develop techniques to help each type successfully overcome their food weakness.

Is it a Healthy Diet?

Dr. Lisa Young is a nutritionist and known by millions as the portion control expert in the film Super Size Me. The principles in the Portion Teller diet follow healthy eating guidelines and will help dieters make healthy choices and overcome potential sources of bad eating habits.

Top Marks

• Simple visuals are easy to learn and employ in different situations.
• Focuses on making healthy choices and limiting food intake to the correct daily amounts.
• Recommended daily intake is based on activity level.

Potential Problems

• Can be overly simplistic.
• Not all concepts are fully explained. For instance, what activity level would be considered “extremely active”?

Will I lose weight?

Dieters will likely need to eat less than their current portion size. Provided you follow the principles of eating the correct portions according to the recommended amount for your activity level then you should be able to lose weight on this diet plan.

Our Rating:

How to Get Started

Begin following the Portion Teller Diet with these resources:

Disclaimer: The “typical” visitor will not change their behavior as a result of reading or purchasing any products. Resulting in no weight loss. A few may read the material and not act on it. And a small minority will read and follow the program. This small minority actually has a chance of losing weight. Be different. Take action.

Energy/Calories

Calories measured in kcals (kilocalories) and kilojoules (kj). In a food, calories can come from fat, protein, or carbohydrate. Your recommended daily guidelines will specify how many calories you should consume. If you eat more calories than your body uses, you will gain weight.

Protein

Shown in grams, good sources of dietary protein are meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk and milk products. The advantages of nutrients from these sources should be considered against undesirable fat content, and potential lack of carbohydrates and dietary fiber. Choose lean, low-fat, or fat free sources.

Carbohydrates

Fiber and sugar are types of carbohydrates. The best sources of carbohydrates are fruits, vegetables, beans and whole-grain foods like cereals, breads, pasta, and brown rice.

Total carbohydrates sometimes further list the carbohydrates from sugar separately. This measure will not distinguish between naturally occurring sugars and added sugar.

Fat

Fat is an important nutrient your body uses for growth and development. Our bodies need some fat every day. Although eating too much fat can lead to obesity and health problems.

A good rule of thumb is to limit your total fat intake to about 30% of calories. For every 100 calories in a serving, food should have less than 3 grams of fat.

Fiber/Fibre

Fiber helps keep your digestive system healthy and help reduce cholesterol levels. A food is considered a source of fiber if it contains 3 g or more. If it contains 6 g or more then it is a good source of fiber.

Sodium

Sodium is a component of salt. A gram of sodium is equal to 2.5 g of salt. Sodium adds flavour and helps preserve foods consequently processed, packaged and canned foods contain more than fresh foods.

Vitamins and Minerals

Choose foods high in a variety of vitamins and minerals. They help promote good health and may protect you from disease.

If we make our decisions about our food choices based on what foods contain – and sometimes what they don’t contain – food labels can help us make healthier choices.

Information on Food Labels

Food labels generally have the following information:

• Name of the food or description
• Ingredients – listed from highest weight to lowest
• Nutritional values – energy/calories, protein, carbohydrate, fat, fibre, sodium, vitamins and minerals
• Weight of the food
• How long the food can be kept – a “use-by” or “best-before” date
• How to store the food
• How to prepare and cook it
• Additional information such as suitability for dietary restrictions, such as vegetarians, or food allergies or intolerances, such as nuts
• Daily guideline amounts

Ingredient Lists

The list reveals the presence of ingredients, the order of ingredients by weight, and can alert you to ingredients you might be allergic to.

When an ingredient is listed first, second, or third, the food probably contains a lot of it. Ingredients mentioned at the end of the list will be contained in the food in smaller amounts.

With this in mind, choose foods that list healthy ingredients first and less healthy ingredients last. For instance, if you were looking for a whole wheat bread, choose one that has whole wheat flour listed first. Limit foods that mention sugar in the first few ingredients. And check the kinds of fat, sources of salt/sodium, and the enrichment of vitamins or minerals.

Serving Size

Always look at the value that the nutritional information is based on. It is usually not based on the contents of the container and portion sizes can vary.

Another way to use serving size is to help you understand how much you are eating. For instance, if a serving size is 6 crackers and you ate 12 then you’ve eaten two portions.

Nutrients

This section lists the amount of each nutrient in the food. For an explanation on what to look for, read our article on Understanding Nutrition Facts on Food Labels.

Product Claims

Nutrition claims used on food packages may point out a key nutrition feature of the food. These claims are defined and regulated by the government but can appear misleading.

For a more complete picture, be sure to look not only at the “whole grains” wording on the packaging but also the ingredient list, fat levels and sugar levels.

Who Decides What is On Our Food Labels?

Food labels are governed by the laws where you live.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (DFA) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulate the information on food labels and claims made by companies. In the United Kingdom, the Food Standards Agency regulates foods labels and uses a standard format set by a European Directive. Nutrition claims are approved under the EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation. Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) have the regulatory role in Canada.

Examples of Labels

Eat Well Label (United Kingdom)
FDA Nutrition Facts Label (PDF format) (United States)