Quick Check Food Facts. B.E.S. Editorial Staff
Baby Foods/Beverages
Baby Foods/Baby Formulas
Restaurant Chains
Applebee’s
Blimpie
Carvel
CiCi’s Pizza
Coldstone Creamery
Dunkin’ Donuts
KFC
Long John Silver’s
McDonald’s
Moe’s Southwest
Pizza Hut
Red Mango
Subway
Taco Bell
Tasti D-Lite
TCBY
Wendy’s
White Castle
Misc. Restaurant Items
The information in this work (excluding the nutritional counts of selected menu items from national restaurant chains) is based on the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 23, published in computer-readable form by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The original database is very large and unwieldy, and we have extracted just the most useful information for publication here.
For each food we list serving size, and then, per serving:
Total calories (kcal)
Total fat (grams)
Saturated fat (grams)
Cholesterol (milligrams)
Carbohydrates (grams)
Fiber (grams)
Sugar (grams)
Protein (grams)
Sodium (milligrams)
In a very few cases, numbers were missing from the USDA database. They are left blank here.
About the Author
Linda McDonald, MS, RD, LD, owns SUPERMARKET SAVVY, an information and resource service focused on making healthy shopping easy. Her national newsletter, teaching tools, and website (www.supermarketsavvy.com) assist health professionals and consumers to shop healthy.
Mrs. McDonald is a graduate of the University of Houston with a Master of Science from the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. She works with Dietetic Interns from the University of Houston, Texas Women's University, and University of Texas School of Public Health.
Food is a fact of life! In fact, you can’t live long without food. And the food decisions you make affect the health of you and your family. So, you want to make the best food choices. This book will help you with those decisions.
Healthy Eating Tips
1. Think Variety
There are over 40 essential nutrients that you can only get from the foods you eat. Since each food contains only a few of these nutrients in limited amounts, you can see why eating a variety of foods is important. Not only do you need to eat foods from each of the food categories—grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, proteins—but within each food category, you should eat a variety of foods. For instance, eating a rainbow of colors of fruits and vegetables will provide a variety of different nutrients—vitamins A, C, and other antioxidants.
2. Slash Sodium
The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Heart Association recommend limiting sodium to less than 2,300 mg a day (the amount in 1 teaspoon of salt) for healthy adults and 1,500 mg per day for those who are salt sensitive—individuals who have high blood pressure, are 40 years of age or older, or who are African-Americans. More than two-thirds of the adult population falls into one or more of these categories.
3. Choose Healthy Fats
Research has shown that it is the type of fat, not the amount, that has the biggest effect on your health. Fats are essential because they deliver essential fatty acids that your body can’t manufacture, such as omega-3 fats. Also, certain vitamins are fat-soluble (vitamins A, D, E, and K), meaning they need fat to be digested and metabolized. However, fats are high in calories and should be enjoyed in moderation. The good fats are those that are poly- or monounsaturated. The unhealthy fats include saturated and trans fats.
4. Practice Portion Control
It is not just what you eat but how much you eat that determines a healthy diet. Most people eat more than they need. Start by paying attention to the serving sizes recommended by the Choose MyPlate program and those given in the Nutrition Facts Boxes on food labels. You may also want to measure foods and beverages with a scale, measuring cups, or spoon. Use the MyPlate recommendation to make half your plate fruits and vegetables, a quarter of your plate grains, and the final quarter protein. Use the suggested portion sizes given in this book to help you with portion control.
5. Go for Whole Grains
The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend that you make half your grains whole. Research has shown that eating 2½ servings of grains per day is enough to lower your risk of heart disease. And it appears that a greater whole grain intake is associated with reduced obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. All grains contains three components—the germ, endosperm and bran but during processing one or more of these components are lost. The bran is full of fiber, while the germ and endosperm contain valuable phytonutrients. Eat the whole grain for the best nutrition.
6. Cut Added Sugar
We are drowning in sugar! The U.S.D.A. recommends we get no more than 10 teaspoons a day, while the average American downs about 34 teaspoons. In fact, the amount of sugar we eat and drink every year has soared nearly 30 percent since 1983 and is a major contributor to the soaring rates of overweight and obesity. Sugar often hides under several names and turns up in the most innocuous foods like bread, crackers, salad dressing, ketchup, and mustard. Check the ingredients list for added sugars.
7. Go Fish
Seafood contains a variety of nutrients, notably the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA, and DHA. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend eating about 8 ounces per week. Eating seafood contributes to the prevention of heart disease. Seafood varieties that are commonly consumed that are higher in EPA and DHA and lower in mercury include salmon, anchovies, herring, sardines, Pacific oysters, trout, and Atlantic and Pacific mackerel.
8. Use MyPlate
The U.S. Dietary Guidelines form the basis for the federal government’s nutrition education program, ChooseMyPlate. This program uses a portioned plate logo to divide food choices into five food groups. This logo shows that half your plate should be fruits and vegetables, one quarter grain, and the last quarter protein with a glass of milk. The ChooseMyPlate program provides recommended food plans, food lists, serving sizes, health benefits, nutrients, and tips for making wise choices. Find MyPlate diet recommendations, serving sizes, and tips throughout this work.
Healthy Shopping Tips
1. Shop with a List
Planning ahead is important