Year 2, Day 162, I Went to a Chinese Restaurant

From the South Beach Diet Newsletter: Get Nutrition-Label Savvy

Do you have a hard time making heads or tails of the nutrition-facts panel on food packages? You're not alone. While it may seem as though the nutrition label is designed to confuse and mystify, with a little education and a handy primer, you can become an instant nutrition-label expert.

Here's a breakdown of some key label items and how they relate to The South Beach Diet® from top to bottom:

Serving Size. Serving sizes are standardized by product type and based on the amount of food a typical person consumes. For example, a can of diet soda will always contain one serving no matter who manufactures it. Many products contain more than one serving size within the package. While The South Beach Diet® doesn't require you to count servings for most foods, there are certain exceptions, like nuts. That's why it's helpful to understand serving sizes. Also, if you are experiencing a weight-loss stall, our nutritionists suggest cutting back on certain foods, such as reduced-fat cheeses. Again, this is where serving sizes come into play on The South Beach Diet®.
Carbohydrates, Dietary Fiber, and Sugars. If you're following The South Beach Diet®, you already know you don't need to count carbs. On the other hand, you do need to be aware of dietary fiber — a listing that appears beneath carbohydrates on the food label. Choose whole-grain breads that contain at least 3 grams of fiber and cold cereals in the 3 to 4.9 grams range or higher. When it comes to sugars (also listed below carbohydrates on the label), this number represents the sum of sugars that occur naturally (like lactose and glucose) plus added sugars. Rather than focusing on this number, take a peek at the ingredient list to check for added sugars — and avoid products made with them.
Fat. This section is always broken down into saturated and trans-fat content. Unsaturated fats may be listed voluntarily, but manufacturers are not required to list them; they are included in the total fat calculations. Avoid products with 20 percent or more of the daily recommended value of saturated fat, as well as those that contain trans fats. You can determine which products contain good fats, like canola and extra-virgin olive oil, by checking for these oils in the ingredient list.
Calories. This is a measure of how much energy you get from a serving of the product. The South Beach Diet® does not require you to count calories, so don't dwell on this panel.
Cholesterol and Sodium. While Dr. Agatston does not require you to limit your intake of these two items, your physician may suggest it. If this is the case, follow your doctor's recommendations.
Educate yourself and your family about these nutritional guidelines, and you'll be better able to make healthy choices when buying food.

Breakfast
4 slices of Ham
1 slice Balthazar Multi-Grain bread
Green Tea

Snack
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
1 stick Honey Pepper Beef Jerky
2 Sticks Beef Jerky

Lunch: Chinese
Hot and Sour Soup
Pork with Cabbage
Moo Shi Pork (2 pancakes, hoisin sauce)
Sliced chicken with spinach

Dinner
Chicken (cooked after its sell by date)
Emily's Leeks

After what felt like more than a responsible amount of Chinese food and all kinds of beef jerky, I thought I would come home and just eat leafy green salads, but Emily had made our chicken (that we were unsure about throwing out or not) so we ate it, and without incident. I guess three days is okay, but you always wonder, don't you? Well I do. I try to make anything more than three days from the day I got it at the store. But I must say that Emily and I have come a long way from where I used to be. I bought a lot of stuff that eventually got thrown out. I suspect everyone has some product that they continue to buy, even though it simply will not get eaten. For me it was (obviously) deli turkey. It took a few years for me to realize I'm not going to eat this turkey. Luckily for me and my children, that's all behind me now.