Diet Plans, Diet Plan Information, Popular Diet Plans for Weight Loss

Keeping this illustration in mind (the candy bar serving size - not Tommy's blown-out britches) it goes to show just how confusing those darn labels can be. Furthermore, how can a candy bar be a serving when it isn't even in one of the official food groups? Even if it contains a teensy bit of egg and milk, it's a good mile from the Pyramid. How can one fight obesity with a crooked sword?

To illustrate another hole in our food label program, let's get a little closer to Big Joe who is suddenly experiencing another diet issue. It's that darn little label thing again. The candy bar is but a remnant in his mouth and he has an empty spot in his tummy as big as Texas. His eyes are locked onto a bag of chips, a bottle of fizzy and a package of cheese-covered objects containing peanut butter. Joe studies each label (good for Joe!) and sees that each package provides a serving size.

So Joe has a serving size of each. That's okay, right? I mean, Joe can continue to rummage through his pantry, enjoying a serving of everything there, right? As long as he doesn't exceed the recommended serving on the label, he can't do any harm to his weight scales, right?

Our labels need a BIG UPGRADE - much more than magnification. The average Joe is rightfully left with the impression that as long as the package lists the recommended serving size, he's okay. Rather than listing "SERVING SIZE" our labels would better serve their healthy purpose if they read "1 CUP (OR 1 TABLESPOON, 1/3 CUP, ETC.) CONTAINS X-AMOUNT OF CALORIES" - and simply abolish the 'Serving Size'. And none of this 'Package Contains 1,200 Calories' business either. Consumers need to know how much equals x-amount of calories.

In our opinion, there isn't such a thing as 'SERVING SIZE' for most packaged items because most are obtrusive modifications of once-healthy foods put on the Consumer Auction Block. We've gotten so use to salt, sugar and fat that we don't even know what a healthy potato tastes like anymore, much less the forbidden fruit, the all-important apple.

Applying Labels to the Simple Diet Life

1. Knowing the amount of calories that your body requires to maintain your current weight - no matter what you weigh is one of the most valuable keys in managing weight.

If our small woman Jill above weighs 110 pounds, a 300-calorie candy bar is going to take a large chunk out of her daily calorie requirements. On the other hand, if Big Joe is 6'6" and weighs 250 pounds, that 300-calorie candy bar isn't going to demolish daily calorie requirements.

By knowing the amount of daily calories that your body requires, it will assist you in keeping tabs on potential hot spots when examining product labels.

2. When a product leaves the tree, vine or bush and goes through a processed stage where it is combined with other ingredients, the calorie content of that food increases greatly. The closer we snuggle to Mother Nature, the better for our health.

3. Not all packages are Diet Evil. Take healthy rice, pasta and beans. Now these are products that are just begging for more information - such as, "The good old USDA recommends 6-11 servings of grains each day for optimum health." And serving size is definitely a plus on these-type labels.

Before long, the consumer gets to thinking, "Six to eleven servings of grain daily? Hum. I wonder how many servings that my body requires? I need to find that out - do a bit of investigating. Maybe I should ask my doctor about that..." As a health note, you can get a great idea of just how many servings of the food group that your body requires by following the links on this page.

There are a lot of healthy choices at the market - if one knows how to make mincemeat out of dough wads.