Read The Label - It's Important

Have you noticed in recent years that there are more low fat, no fat, low carb, no carb, low calorie and reduced calories foods made available than ever before? It is not just your supermarkets where you can find them either. I have even seen such food choices at quick markets and convenience stores. It was on a recent trip to one of the convenience stores while pumping gas in my vehicle that I saw something that I considered an oxy-moron of sorts.

Could there be such a thing as low-fat chocolate milk that could be good for you? After reading the nutritional guide I found that there were 158 calories per 8 ounce serving. But upon further checking I saw the servings per container were 2-1/2. So at first glance you may think "Wow, I could really enjoy some tasty low-fat chocolate milk and it would only cost me 158 of my 1400 calories." But as I discovered that would have been a very costly mistake. (Remember my nutritional guide mis-read at Dairy Queen over the Memorial Day weekend?) This chocolate drink would have been a full 395 of wasted calories! Why do I say "wasted"? Let me explain.

I have learned on my journey to a new me that when you choose a four hundred calorie drink, you are getting very little nutritional value to help sustain you for the long haul. Although milk and milk products are important, you need to weigh how much that chocolate low fat milk drink is costing you in the scheme of things. There is a lot more sugar in that low fat chocolate drink than you may realize. Now don't get me wrong, you do need dairy in your daily food intake or diet (but oh how I hate to use that word!) I average 10% or less of my daily food intake on dairy products. So with my current calories set at 1400 per day that yields 140 calories for milk or milk products. I try to get this in skim milk, 2% milk, or yogurt. But don't be fooled just because yogurt "sounds" healthy, does not make it so.

Have you looked at your grocery store recently for yogurt? There are as many types of yogurt as there are ice cream, but let's not go there right now. In the yogurt corner you have regular fully loaded with sugar, granola, sprinkles, fruit, and other toppings that you can add before eating. Then you will find low fat, no fat, low sugar, reduced sugar, no sugar, whipped, Greek and the list goes on and on. And to make moms feel like they are giving their children a "healthy" snack they even offer Trix with yogurt!

I just want to say to the world, "Please Read The Label! Make a more informed choice! Think of all the other things you could be eating for the same calorie value." Please don't misunderstand, I do like yogurt and I eat yogurt, on occasion. The problem for me is that in order to eat it and enjoy it I have to be able to buy the lite and low fat sweetened with Splenda because I am unable to eat products with aspartame without getting a serious headache. While researching calorie counts I found one that sounded really good for you. "Yoplait Light Fat Free blueberry, strawberry or peach has 170 calories. How many of you thought this sounded like a winner as well? (Wow, so much for Having that "diet" sound in the title.)

So I just want to challenge everyone who is on this journey to a new me with me. Please take a minute to read the label. Make sure you KNOW how many calories you are eating, and Always double check the number of servings per container.

p.s.
My mom always tells me that you must drink milk or consume milk products and for them to be considered "healthy" milk calories it must provide at least 25% of your daily allowance. This rule of thumb comes from her many years as a life time member of Weight Watchers. I don't know how true this is but it sounded like another piece of the equation so I wanted to include it.