Hidden Calories in Food Make You Fat

You cannot even think of going on a diet without first educating yourself about what specific nutritional values are contained in the food you will eat. The Agricultural Department is required by law to accurately list all the ingredients, the size of the serving and the percentage of calories per serving for fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, and protein.

One of the most important ingredients to note on the label is sodium. If you are on a diet, then you need to know that excessive amounts of sodium will cause you to retain water. Thus your weight will be a boated weight.

The second most important ingredient to note on the label is total carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are units of sugar in many forms. Carbohydrates can give you energy, but an excessive amount of carbohydrates, or sugars that your body cannot use quickly, are stored as fat.

The third most important ingredient to note on the label is protein. Protein comes mostly in the form of eggs, meats, poultry, fish and some dairy products. Protein is the amino acid that your body needs to form muscle, hair, fingernails, and core bones and teeth. It helps heal wounds, and also gives you energy. It builds up and keeps up all the tissue fibers of your body.

The fourth most important ingredient to note on the label is fat. Fat also gives you energy. If you do not get adequate energy or fuel for your body to operate from carbohydrates, or protein or a combination thereof, then your body will use the fat stored in your body to supply you with normal operating functions.

So let's summarize these nutritional values that your body needs on a daily basis in order to operate: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. There are so many diets on the market that fail to teach you how to read the nutritional labels on food products, and this is the main reason that a well meaning person who really wants to lose weight fails to lose weight. Keeping this in mind, there is a very basic principal for you to remember if you want to lose weight. Foods high in protein and low in carbohydrates and fats will cause you to lose weight. The converse if also true, that foods high in protein and high in carbohydrates and fats will cause you to gain weight. The secret of a good, healthy diet is to aim for a balanced ingestion of sugars, fats and protein.

Always try to buy foods that contain only only ingredient. For instance lettuce has no hidden calories, it is a single food the same as celery, or tomatoes, or eggs, or meats. On the other hand, some canned foods such as chili, or a processed food such as sausage or hot dogs, contain huge amounts of fats, sugars, chemicals, and salt. One serving could possibly account for your entire day's allotment of calories. Be wise about nutritional values in the food you eat. You want to be healthy so you must learn the basics when you shop for food. Check every single packaged food before you put it in your shopping cart.