Evelyn Tribole, a nutritionist, reveals the hidden fat, salt and sugar in foods. Salt is commonly used as preservative, and fat and sugar are inexpensive additives. Therefore, it's in more foods than you think.
Concerns with sodium:
- There is a strong relationship with too much salt and high blood pressure.
- Too much salt can kick calcium out of the body, which can affect the bones.
- Try not to exceed 2,400 milligrams of sodium per day.
- Packaged lunch meals average more than 1,000 milligrams of sodium--close to half of the daily allowance--in one small snack.
Concerns with fat:
- Fat lurks in many foods that may not seem so fatty. Think a fast-food burger is the worst one out there? Yes, a small burger contains around nine grams of fat, but a bowl of Ramen noodles has 16 grams (the noodles are fried).
- A turkey hot dog sounds a bit healthier than a normal hot dog, but still contains 10 grams of fat. Even banana chips aren't immune, as a serving contains 11 grams of fat (the chips are fried, as well).
- Try not to exceed 65 grams of fat per day.
Concerns with sugar:
- Eight to 12 teaspoons is plenty of sugar on a daily average, but Americans typically consume much more than that.
- Sweetened iced tea can contain 48 grams of sugar, far more than a serving of chocolate candy, which has around 18 grams.
- You might find it surprising that frosted cereal averages around 24 grams of sugar per serving, while granola-style cereal averages 32 grams of sugar. Thinking that granola has less sugar is a common mistake and further makes the point to always be aware of the food-product label.
Resources Stealth Health: How to Sneak Nutrition Painlessly into Your Diet
by Evelyn Tribole
Viking Press, 1998
Order this title from Amazon.com.
Guests Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD
Registered Dietitian
4482 Barranca Parkway, Suite 252
Irvine, CA 92604
Phone: 949-654-9904
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