MHVI HomeOwners ManualAnatomyDiagnosticsConditionsMedicationsProceduresLifestyle ManagementSearch
Lifestyle Management
   
Nutrition
 
Carbohydrates
Fiber
Protien
Soy
Fats
What about Supplements
Should You Worry About Sodium
If You Need to Lose Weight
Label Reading Guide
Sample Menu
Making Exercise a Part of Your Life
Managing Stress
Smoking Cessation
Coping with Cardiovascular Disease
Lifestyle Management
 


The Label Reading guide
 
Snack Crackers
  1. Check out the serving size. How many crackers would you eat?
  2. Keep the calories in mind. There is a lot of emphasis on fat these days, however, calories do still count!
  3. Look at the grams of fat. This number (4g) indicates the grams (g) of fat per serving. So every 5 crackers contains 4 grams of fat. The daily recommendation for fat is 30 grams.
  4. For people who need to reduce their sodium intake, the usual recommendation is 2,000 to 3,000 mg/day
  5. Fiber intake for the day should be 25 - 40 grams.
  6. These percentages should be higher to provide your daily requirements.
  7. For more detail: Ideally, calories from fat should provide less than 20% of total calories. 35/80 = .44.100 = 44%. In this case 44% calories come from fat.
  8. The % Daily Value numbers are very confusing, It is best to ignore them!
Overall evaluation of "Snack Crackers"

They are too high in fat. At nearly 4 grams fat/5 crackers, the fat grams will add up quickly (1,3). If you eat 10 crackers you will take in 8 grams of fat. On a budget 30 grams a day, that is a lot of fat!

Further more, the lack much nutritional value (6). They provide no vitamin A or C, very little calcium or iron, and virtually no fiber (5).


Choose a topic at left and click for more information on Nutrition.



Copyright ©2005 Michigan Heart & Vascular Institute. All rights reserved.