Do your read the nutricional information on the food you eat?

[Dave McClung]

I have been using a program called "loseit.com" as a part of my plan to get back to the weight I was when I lef the USAF. The program already has the nutricional information on a lot of foods, but many times their data base doesn't match what I am eating exactly. When I eat something that isn't in their data base, I have to add the information. This has forced me to pay more attention to the information. Some things I have noticed:

1. The foods I like most have more calories.
2. The foods I like most have too much salt.
3. The quantities of food I like are more than a "serving."

[Bud Pugh]

Dave, while exercising at the gym yesterday I saw a news piece that said that women who read the nutrition information at the grocery store weigh 10 pounds less than women who do not.

This article says that it is closer to 9 lbs. but that men who read the labels are not as different from men who do not.

[Mike Schutz]

Portion distortion is a major issue for me in getting down to the weight I was when I was 30. Two-thirds of the way there.

Prepared and restaurant foods can be a real issue, which is one of the reasons why we eat out a whole lot less, and have dramatically cut down on prepared foods. We buy a lot of foods directly from the farmers, and mostly organic. Still, because I read all of the ingredients of everything I buy, shopping takes a lot longer.

[Kevin Rector]

I do not typically read the labels as often as I should, but I do generally try to be aware of what I'm putting in my body. It's not foolproof, but it helps. I have used tracking software in the past (like loseit.com but a different brand). As I have been running these last two months (to build endurance for a Grand Canyon hike with you someday) I have been especially conscious of my diet (not that I am always eating what I should) because running is easier with less weight to lug around. I have lost about 20 lbs. in about 3 months. They are coming off slowly now, but surely they are coming off.

[Pete Vecchi]

In answer to the question on the title, I rarely pay attention to these things.

[Gene Tatsch]

Based on a recent NazNet thread that I can't locate, I began using http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ ... it seems to be very comprehensive.
And, yes, if it tastes good, it's quite "expensive" in terms of things I want to avoid.
It's helping me learn to decide ...

What gets measured, gets managed

[Dana Grant]

I must read labels because I have to know the carb content in order to adjust my insulin dosage. So I read all of it, since I have to read some of it!! ha ha

[Billy Cox]

I have been using a program called "loseit.com" as a part of my plan to get back to the weight I was when I lef the USAF. The program already has the nutricional information on a lot of foods, but many times their data base doesn't match what I am eating exactly. When I eat something that isn't in their data base, I have to add the information. This has forced me to pay more attention to the information. Some things I have noticed:

1. The foods I like most have more calories.
2. The foods I like most have too much salt.
3. The quantities of food I like are more than a "serving."

Salt is typically used as a flavor enhancer even in foods that are not salty tasting. Those foods are yummy because salt makes them taste better.

Holding back on the salt shaker is good, but foods like cheese, deli meats, breads, boxed and canned foods already have considerable sodium content.

[Paul DeBaufer]

I read the nutritional information then ignore it.

[Gina Stevenson]

Dave, while exercising at the gym yesterday I saw a news piece that said that women who read the nutrition information at the grocery store weigh 10 pounds less than women who do not.

Been a label reader for ages. & it does take a bit longer but is worth it. Can talk myself right out of quite a few things that look good ... until you read the label. Then, too, there are things that change now & then. Produce shopping is the faster way, & better for you, too.

[Steven Martinez]

Prior to my transplant, I knew the sodium content of nearly everything I ate. I looked at every label and then memorized the amounts. I was on a strict diet for several years. The side benefit is that my wife lowered her blood pressure

[Gina Stevenson]

Dave, while exercising at the gym yesterday I saw a news piece that said that women who read the nutrition information at the grocery store weigh 10 pounds less than women who do not.

Been a label reader for ages. & it does take a bit longer but is worth it. Can talk myself right out of quite a few things that look good ... until you read the label. Then, too, there are things that change now & then. Produce shopping is the faster way, & better for you, too.

ETA: as for the claim that "store brands are usually just the same, but with different packaging & cheaper," don't exactly buy that after reading a lot. Can think of no other reason for what I find that it is not always all packaging that makes for price difference other than their trying too hard to cut corners:

There have been countless store brands where we have found much more salt (sometimes sugar count ~~ often corn syrup) than the brand name. Only thing I can figure is that they are reducing the spice/flavoring content, & the extra salt (cheaper than spices) is supposed to make up for it. Chintzy/sleazy, especially when trying to say it's only the price that is different ....

Read those labels!

[Mark Bolerjack]

Now that some in our house have gone gluten free, I read a lot of the labels. I do a lot of the cooking and most of the shopping. The critical things to look for are the high fructose corn syrup and MSG or other "natural seasonings" (not good) and carb count (keep it low). Not as important are the fats and sodium. I know that most of you will argue against this, but I have come to the decision that anybody can prove any food good or bad - the information is found just by doing a Google search,. Watching the carbs have helped both of us in the past to lose the weight.

[Bill Morrison]

One of the most shocking things for many foods is to find out how small a "portion size" really is

BILL

[John Kennedy]

I have been using a program called "loseit.com" as a part of my plan to get back to the weight I was when I lef the USAF. The program already has the nutricional information on a lot of foods, but many times their data base doesn't match what I am eating exactly. When I eat something that isn't in their data base, I have to add the information. This has forced me to pay more attention to the information. Some things I have noticed:

1. The foods I like most have more calories.
2. The foods I like most have too much salt.
3. The quantities of food I like are more than a "serving."

Dave-
There appears to be nothing 'immoral' or 'illegal' about the types of food you cited in 1-3. There is a phrase (the alternate one that Nazarenes don't sing) in "Come, thou fount of every blessing...." that says 'Prone to wander, Lord I feel it....'.

Don't!

Best of luck!!

[David Parker]

As a diabetic, I always look for the carb and sugar contents. Don't track the salt as much as I should, but I sure can tell when I am eating too much salt.

[Dave McClung]

I have been using a program called "loseit.com" as a part of my plan to get back to the weight I was when I lef the USAF. The program already has the nutricional information on a lot of foods, but many times their data base doesn't match what I am eating exactly. When I eat something that isn't in their data base, I have to add the information. This has forced me to pay more attention to the information. Some things I have noticed:

1. The foods I like most have more calories.
2. The foods I like most have too much salt.
3. The quantities of food I like are more than a "serving."

By the way, I really do know how to spell nutrition. I just had a lapse this morning.

[Ryan Scott]

I look primarily at the salt content and how complicated the ingredients list is.

We eat more prepared food than we like - we also eat less healthy things than we like. I was thinking today that one of the real drawbacks of having a limited budget is not being able to eat as health as we'd like to eat.

I just find it sad that you generally have to spend more money to eat healthier. Has it always been that way?

[Benjamin Burch]

I do a pretty good job, I just eat out too much. I work out a lot, currently, running about 5 miles a week and lifting 5 days a week. So, my diet is pretty strict and particular in terms of the number of carbs and the amount of protein and fat that I take in, and when I take it in. Soon I'm hoping to up it to 8-10 miles a week, which will hopefully help me regulate my fat a little better since my diet is so high calorie and high carb.

[Dave McClung]

I look primarily at the salt content and how complicated the ingredients list is.

We eat more prepared food than we like - we also eat less healthy things than we like. I was thinking today that one of the real drawbacks of having a limited budget is not being able to eat as health as we'd like to eat.

I just find it sad that you generally have to spend more money to eat healthier. Has it always been that way?

No. Most Americans used to raise, hunt or catch a much larger percentage of what they ate. That was particularly true for "parsonage families." My father never made much money but almost every Sunday people brought home grown food for the pastor. Several times a year, churches would have "poundings" for the pastor. That meant that every family brought a pound of some food for the pastor. And, pastor's wives rarely worked outside the home. All of the meals were home cooked. When I was growing up, we ate in resturants only when we traveled. That was usually going to or coming from a church camp. So, it hasn't always been that way.

[Nate Pruitt]

I do not read the nutritional information because it isn't on the tiny individual wrappers around the Starbust candy once you pour them all out of the bag.

[Jim Franklin]

Now I would have to carry a magnifying glass with me to get groceries, what ever is cheapest for me. Last June I bought wha were supposed to be beefsteak tomato plant and a specifically identified watermelon to supplement a couple of our favorites at Walmart and what is just ripening now, two plants of cherry tomatos. Didn't do me any good to read the labels.

[Wes Smith]

You all need to move to Costa Rica. I weigh approximately the same as when Colleen and I were first married 39 years ago, which means I have lost nearly 30 lbs. since moving here 11 months ago. My diet consists mostly of fruits and vegetables with very limited portions of meat. Plus, all my working and walking is done on rather extreme slopes. With weight loss, dramatic decrease in blood pressure and Yoga 3 times per week, I feel better than I have in many years.

One little side note: I lost my ability to do pushups about 15 years ago when I had a pinched nerve in my neck (C-5 & 6) that caused so much pain, I quit trying to do them. With the help of Yoga, I am now able to do 4 pushups. I consider that amazing! Eager to get that total up to 10!

By the way, whatever the spiritual (Eastern) implications of Yoga, everyone in my class gets prayed for in each class session...in the name of Jesus! I kind of feel like what students must feel like when the pray in school!

Friend,

Wes

[Gina Stevenson]

Wes, the food sounds fantastic (as well as the prices for the same from what we read) ... but again have to ask about those property prices. Where would one on low income even begin to live while eating like this!?

[Steve Mershon]

What gets measured, gets managed

Have heard this forever, but never in the context of weight control. Makes sense.

[Wes Smith]

Wes, the food sounds fantastic (as well as the prices for the same from what we read) ... but again have to ask about those property prices. Where would one on low income even begin to live while eating like this!?

Gina,

Life down here is a mixed bag financially. I just paid our property taxes a couple days ago...$440.00 for the year. Compared to $3,600 in WA.

Homes can be rented from $200 per month to whatever one wants to pay. Our climate allows food to be grown the entire year. A person with a small backyard could raise a significant amount of food. The cost of food at the grocery stores is as much or more than in the States. We benefit from our "self-sustaining community food bank" because we pay in $150.00 per month. That allows us to take home all the fruits, veggies, tilapia, eggs, etc. that we want. The list of things available is always growing because the food supply is growing. Many of the people here believe that there is going to be a global financial collapse and that we will benefit from having food gardens that are adequate to take care of everyone in Osa Mountain Village.

There is a piece of advertising on the Osa Mountain Village web site that says it is possible to live here for $500.00 per month. I would say it is theoretically possible, but somewhat unlikely. Everyone who lives here pays cash for their home. So, there is no house payment. We do pay homeowner's association fee of $150.00 per month. That leaves $350.00 to live on (using the theory that living on $500 p/month is possible). Out of the $350.00 one would have to come up with gas for the car...$5.50 per gallon, foods that have to be purchased at the store, insurances, property tax, etc. It would probably be more true that it is possible to live for $750-$1000 per month.

I just walked back in the house from picking 3 bananas from a bunch I harvested a couple weeks ago. We have 3 avocado trees on the property here, 1 mango tree and 25 banana trees. My next task will be to plant gardens on our property where I can raise veggies. This food will be in addition to what we get from the village.

Hope this helps.

Friend,

Wes

[Gina Stevenson]

Well, we saw nothing re rental prices at the links you posted, you see ... only those high-priced houses. $200/mo rent wiuld be goos, a bit less than what one must pay here at 30% of their income. Where are there rentals that are associated w/this grow-your-own-food village, or is that an exclusive home owners ONLY place???

[Bob Carabbio]

Nope, I never give it a second thought, and wouldn't know the significance of it if I did.

[Mike Smiley]

No. There is no such info on the jars of the vegetables we can from our garden. There is also no such info on the pork and beef we raise.