How To Make Nutritious Food Choices For Your Family

 

When it comes to your family, you want to give them only the best! With today’s fast-paced world and many options, it can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to making nutritious food choices. Did you know that many packaged food options have little to no nutritional value at all?

How To Make Nutritious Food Choices For Your Family

How To Make Nutritious Food Choices For Your Family

Even when you look at the back for nutritious facts, the numbers may be confusing. Here’s how you can make nutritious food choices for your family using the Nutritious Facts Table (NFT):

Look at the Serving Size

When you go to purchase a packaged food item, the first thing you want to look at is the serving size of the NFT. The serving size is based on the quantity of food. If you eat more or less of the serving size it suggests, you will need to adjust the rest of the nutritional value to accommodate your specific serving size. For example, if the serving size is a ¼ cup and you eat 1 cup, you will need to multiply other nutritious facts by 4.

Know What Percent Daily Value Means

The percent daily value tells you if the serving size has a little or a lot of nutrition. These numbers can be tricky if you don’t know what to look for. If the serving size has 5% daily percent value or less, it is not a very nutritious food choice. If the packaged food contains 15% of the daily value or more, it is more nutritious food choice.

How To Make Nutritious Food Choices For Your Family

Choose Food with Nutrients You Need

Nutrients like saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium you don’t need a lot of in your diet. Many foods may come with a high percent daily value in the nutrients you don’t need and low nutritional value in nutrients you do need like:

  • Calcium: Bone health
  • Fiber: Intestinal health
  • Vitamin C: Immune health
  • Potassium: Heart health

 

Choose Whole Food Options

Foods with the most nutritional value are those that are not packaged or processed. Choose whole food options like fruits, vegetables, and nuts more often than packaged foods. Whole foods you eat, the healthier you will be.

Test Your Knowledge of the NFT

Practice makes perfect, right? When it comes to your families’ health, it is always important to test your knowledge. The Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC), Healthy Canada, Retail Council of Canada (RCC), and the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers wants to increase Canadian awareness, and help you Focus onthe Facts! Test your skills of the NFT, and be entered for a chance to win a $100 grocery card, here!How To Make Nutritious Food Choices For Your Family

How did you do on the NFT quiz? How will use the NFT help you and your family to eat more nutritiously? Share your tips, suggestions, and test results in the comments below!

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