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Grocery
stores are packed with aisle after aisle of different types and brands of
foods. The food label can help you to make sense of how to choose foods that
fit into the TLC Diet. Here are some tips on how to use the food label to
choose foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
Here are some
tips that will help you to stick to your low saturated fat, low cholesterol
diet (TLC Diet):
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Free. This claim means that a food contains no
amount (or a very small amount) of the these nutrients: fat, saturated fat,
cholesterol, sodium, sugar, and calories.
- "Calorie-free" means fewer than 5 calories per
serving.
- "Fat-free" means less than 0.5 grams of fat
per serving.
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Low. This claim can be used on all foods that
can be eaten often without going over the limit for one or more of these
nutrients: saturated fat, cholesterol, fat, sodium, and calories.
- "Low-saturated fat": 1 gram or less per
serving.
- "Low-fat": 3 grams or less per
serving.
- "Low-cholesterol": 20 milligrams or less and 2
grams or less saturated fat per serving.
- "Low-sodium": 140 milligrams or less per
serving.
- "Low calorie": 40 calories or less per
serving.
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Other words
that mean "low," include: "little," "few," and
"low source of."
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Lean and extra lean. These claims can be used
to describe the saturated fat and fat content of meat, poultry, seafood and
game meats.
- "Lean": less than 10 grams of fat and 4.5
grams or less of saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per
serving.
- "Extra lean": less than 5 grams of fat, less
than 2 grams saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per
serving.
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Watching your
serving size is still important. Just because
something is "reduced fat" or "lighter" in calories, does
not mean that you can eat more of it. Choosing foods lower in saturated fat and
cholesterol will help you to lower your blood cholesterol. By eating a larger
portion of a food low in saturated fat, you may eat more or just as much
saturated fat and fat as the regular variety.
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