Holy Cross Parish Community
225 Purchase Street South Easton, MA 02375
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Information from Diabetes Workshop
The Health Ministry recently co-sponsored a diabetes workshop at Immaculate Conception Church and learned a lot about how important it is to read food labels. With obesity and diabetes at epidemic levels in our country, we can all evaluate our eating styles with a quick review of the labels on our food.
- Serving Size: This tells how much of this product, has the values listed, and is a suggestion of a healthy portion.
- Calories: These are "units of energy" our body needs daily to function; eating more than we use up by basic body metabolism and exercise can cause weight gain, just as eliminating some will result in weight loss. Calories are made up from fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.
- Total Fat: We hear a lot about "good" fat and "bad" fat and now "trans" fats; basically, we need fat for healthy cell function, to maintain hair and skin, protect vital organs, and many other reasons. Too much adds excess calories, increasing the risk for not only obesity and diabetes, but coronary artery disease, cancer, osteoarthritis, and more as well. Healthy fats are liquid at room temperature and include monounsaturated (olive, peanut and canola oils), polyunsaturated fats (safflower, corn, sunflower, and soy oils) and omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, mackerel, and herring as well as flaxseed flaxoil and walnuts). Bad fats are solid at room temperature and most often found in animal products (red meats, poultry, butter and whole milk). Trans fat is the result of adding hydrogen to vegetable oil to make the fat more solid and to prolong shelf life. Hydrogenated fat is a common ingredient found in commercial baked goods and in fried foods.
- Cholesterol: Your body normally makes all the cholesterol you need, but it does come from animal products, such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, and butter.
- Sodium: This is salt, another essential element for our bodies, but too much can cause problems in people with hypertension, kidney disease, and other ailments. Sodium is very high in processed foods (canned foods, deli meats, cheeses).
- Total Carbohydrate: This indicates how many grams of carbs there are in one serving. Carbohydrates can be simple, which can be easily digested (fruits, processed foods, refined sugar) or complex, takes longer for the body to break down (plant-based foods, breads, pasta, rice, and vegetables). Their job is to provide all cells with energy. This number is especially important for those who have diabetes and who need to lose weight.
- Dietary Fiber: This is the non-soluble fiber that makes you feel full, yet does not add carbs or calories because it is excreted and not absorbed.
- Protein: This is the third way we get our daily calories. Protein is as important as fats and carbohydrates and is used for building, maintaining, and repairing muscle, skin, blood, and other tissues. Best sources of protein are eggs, milk and meat; some vegetables contain proteins, which also have essential amino acids (beans, grains).
This is a very basic overview of what is listed on a label for the food we eat. There is plenty of information available on the Internet and in the library. It is so important as consumers and parents to know what is in our food and how to eat a healthy diet and also to be aware of what the daily requirements are for you and those you love. Please contact the Health Ministry office at (508) 238-2235, if you have any questions.
Thanks to the following websites and organizations:
American Diabetes Association
Revised: 11/30/06
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