What's really in your food?

In class this week I passed around close to 50 different bags.  Each bag contained a food label of a specific food item.  It also contained the measured out amount of fat, sodium, and carbohydrates in each item of food based off of the nutritional fact.  Here are a few foods that we looked at.

***NOTE:  The reason we represent the carbohydrates instead of sugars is because carbohydrates when they are digested are turned into sugars.  Each one of these pictures you will find 2-3 containers.  One fat, one carbohydrate and one sodium.

 Taco bell 7 layer burrito. Left to right: Carbohydrates:66 grams
Sodium: 1300 mg
 Fat: 22 grams

 8 oz. bag of Lays potato chips. Carbohydrates:120 grams
 Sodium: 1346 mg
Fat: 79 grams

 

 32 oz. regular coke. Carbohydrates: 81 grams
Sodium: 30 mg

Medium order of french fries. Fat: 20 grams
Sodium: 532 mg
Carbohydrates: 49 grams

1 slice of cherry pie. Fat: 22 grams
Sodium: 344 mg
Carbohydrates: 69 grams
 ***NOTE: Besides the sugar in this pie you get carbohydrates from the cherries and crust.

1 plate of spaghetti; this is a restaurant portion. Carbohydrates: 146 grams
Sodium: 1888 mg
Fat: 57 grams

 1 package of twix candy bars. Carbohydrates: 37 grams
Sodium: 113 mg
Fat: 14 grams

Double BK burger.  Fat: 68 grams
Sodium: 1544 mg
Carbohydrates: 61 grams

Below are the measured out amounts of what is recommended based off of a 2,000 calorie diet:

 This is what 78 grams of fat looks like.   ***Remember this is what is recommended for a 2,000 calories diet.  So this would be one days worth of fat.

Men's daily allowance of carbohydrates.  It's 225 grams of carbohydrates.

Women's daily allowance of carbohydrates.  It's 180 grams of carbohydrates.

The left tube is the recommendation for someone with a diagnosis of hypertension or pre-hypertension (high blood pressure). Which is 1500 mg of sodium.  The right tube is what is recommended for a person at no risk for hypertension; which is 2300 mg of sodium. The other 2 containers are some examples of what you could use in place of regular table salt to help lower your daily sodium intake. 

****Now go back and compare the recommended daily allowance to the photos of the different food items with there measured amounts of each value. ****