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With nearly 4,000 new beverage choices hitting the shelves in the past year, checking labels for drink choices is more important than ever. To spot healthy options and get the biggest nutrition bang for their buck, shoppers must learn the language of the labels. Check out these translations to become fluent in nutrition labeling lingo: Fat Free: The product has less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving. Organic: The beverage is made up of at least 95 percent organic ingredients. Sodium Free: The drink has less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving. 100 Percent Juice: The beverage only contains 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice. Selecting a beverage in the juice aisle can be confusing. While fruit juices such as 100 percent orange juice provide a variety of essential vitamins and minerals, they are often shelved right alongside various juice imposters. These orange-colored "drinks" are made to look like orange juice, but contain added sugars and do not have the same nutrient profile as orange juice. To make sure you're getting real juice, compare the percent of pure juice, nutrients and ingredients. Look for "100 percent juice," and avoid juices with added sugar. Serving size and servings per container are also important facts to consider. Remember, the label always gives the nutrition facts for one serving, but some beverages have more than one serving per container. "It's so easy to mistake juice 'cocktails' or 'punches' for 100 percent fruit juice. Orange juice is a perfect example of why it's so important to learn to decipher labels," explains nutrition expert Elizabeth Ward M.S., R.D. and author of "The Pocket Idiot's Guide to The New Food Pyramids." "Identifying and choosing real 100 percent orange juice can provide your family with a variety of essential vitamins and minerals," she adds. A recent study showed 100 percent orange juice is more nutrient dense than many commonly consumed fruit juices, such as apple, grape, pineapple and prune. Overall, citrus juices stand out as nutrition champions because they are higher in essential nutrients, including vitamin C, potassium and folate, when compared to other 100 percent fruit juices. Like many products, knowing the language of beverage labels is the key to separating the healthy options. Learning how to read food labels and knowing those key items to look for will help you become an expert at spotting the best beverages for your family in no time. For more information, visit www.floridajuice.com/breakfasthabit. Courtesy of ARAcontent |
