• 1.  Don’t be fooled by the BIG letters on the front of the package.  It’s the itty bitty letters on the back that count. For example, “No Trans Fat” means there is under ½ gram of trans fat per serving.  That certainly isn’t “No Trans Fat” given that even 1 gram of trans fat in the diet daily increases cardiovascular disease by 20%. 

• 2.  The first ingredient is always the biggest.    This is especially relevant for many “fruit” drinks, where sugar is the first ingredient. 

• 3.  Avoid “partially hydrogenated oils” and “high fructose corn syrup” These 2 ingredients tend to be hidden in the midst of long ingredient list.  You don’t have to read every ingredient.  Simply scan the ingredients and if you see one of these, leave it on the shelf. 

• 4.  Avoid lists with long ingredient lists. Chances are that a food with a long list of ingredients is mostly chemicals rather than real food. 

• 5.  Fiber is your friend.  Choose breads, cereals, granola bars, crackers & pasta with at least 2 grams fiber per 100 calories. 

 This information is provided by nutritiondetectives.com (created by Yale’s Dr. Katz), a free, simple, 30-minute, interactive program that can be implemented in schools.  For more information, visit www.nutritiondetectives.com.