Nutrition is so confusing.

It seems like every time I scroll through social media, there are more “health experts” out there, scaring you about certain foods or ingredients and convincing you to do this or that with your diet. Even trying to navigate a nutrition facts label is confusing.

But what you eat does matter, and there are specific things that are more important than others that you pay attention to, especially as a woman in midlife if you want to have energy everyday, a good metabolism, healthy body fat composition and even joints that feel good.

So by the end of this episode, you’re going to know what to look for on those nutrition labels and what you simply don’t need to worry about for now.

Common Misconceptions About Nutrition Labels

Quick story about Mary, she’s 52 and really wants to eat better and take better care of her health. Every time she picks up a packaged food item at the store, her eyes immediately scan for the total calories, the fat content, cholesterol and sodium content.

But despite her careful label reading, Mary finds herself feeling sluggish and gaining weight. She can’t understand why, considering she’s following what she believes are the most critical aspects of nutrition labels.

Since I heard Mary’s story, I’ve asked a handful of ladies, out of curiosity, what they primarily look at on a nutrition label. And almost all of them have said the same thing.

• If the food is low in calories and fat, low in cholesterol and sodium, then it goes in the cart. And they feel like they made a healthy food choice.

But just focusing on calories, cholesterol, sodium, and fat can be so misleading.

• First of all, that’s a lot to look at (no wonder it’s overwhelming!) and it’s ALL about the avoidance mindset.
• Second of all, there are two other things on that label that are actually far more important and will have a much greater impact on your health.

The Importance of Protein and Added Sugars

The two things you should be paying attention to on the label is Proteins and Added Sugars.

• Here’s why Protein Matters:
  • If you’re a woman over 40, consuming enough protein each day should be the most important thing on your mind.
    • Protein helps maintain your muscles, improves your metabolism, improves your insulin sensitivity, and increases satiety (feel full and satisfied longer - whenever I eat a meal that’s low in protein I can bank on being hungry and craving not-so-healthy foods in almost exactly an hour)
  • When looking at the nutriton facts, the higher the amount of protein the better.
    • At your meals throughout the day, you’re going to feel and operate your best if you’re consuming around 20g or more per meal.
    • To get close to that number and beyond, try to choose foods that have the most amount of protein that you can find.
• Why Added Sugars Matter:
  • If you’re a woman over 40, your body is now more sensitive to the impacts of added sugars more than ever.
    • With too much added sugars in your diet, you’ll constantly struggle with weight maintenance, inflammation, and even cholesterol issues.
    • (Having high blood cholesterol is more closely connected to a diet that’s high in added sugars and processed carbs than eating foods that are high in dietary cholesterol. You’ll crank up your cholesterol levels far more with low fat wheat thins than with eating eggs everyday.)
  • Recommend keeping added sugars to less than 5g per item (25g total of added sugars per day)
• Balancing Protein and Added Sugars:
  • When your protein is high and your sugars are low, this ensures that the calories that you are consuming are high quality calories. I’ve learned to care far less about the calories in food and far more about how much protein and sugars that food has. If the protein is high and the sugars are low, I know the calories will shake out close to what I need.

The Best Foods Don't Have Labels

But you know what? The best foods don’t have labels on them.

Whole, Unprocessed Foods are the most important things for you to be eating everyday:

• What does this look like? Fruits, vegetables, lean meats and fish, nuts and seeds, whole grains and beans
• If it has a label on it, then it means it’s in a wrapper, package, box or can, and it has undergone a certain amount of processing.
• Unprocessed foods will naturally have the least amount of sodium, cholesterol, sugar, unhealthy fats, preservatives, etc.

I used to eat granola bars for breakfast, Lean Cuisines for lunch, low fat Wheat Thins for snack, and lo-cal Hamburger Helper for dinner and drink Diet Coke a couple times a day. I thought I was making healthy choices, but my health was a mess. I had gut issues constantly and I weighed 15 pounds more than I do now.

I gradually shifted my meals so that they included mainly just PRO’s - Protein and produce, and barely anything that’s processed, maybe only once a day I’ll have something that comes out of a wrapper. I feel SO much better.

Real-Life Results

Back to the story about Mary that I shared in the beginning. In the middle of feeling unhealthy and miserable, she had a really great conversation with a friend that told her about looking at just the proteins and the added sugars on the nutrition labels, and then really trying to eat fewer foods in general that have labels on them.

Within 3 weeks, she lost a few pounds, had noticeably more energy, her joint pain was beginning to go away, and she had zero gut pain and bloating.

Your Big Takeaway

So to recap, if you’re looking at a nutrition label, start looking for just the protein and added sugars, but then really try to focus mostly on whole foods.

Call to Action: I’ve got a challenge for you: take a peek at the labels of your favorite snacks and meals and look at JUST the proteins and sugars. How do those foods measure up?

More Resources & Links

Episode 376. Is Sugar Really That Bad?

Episode 370. Overcome Sugar Cravings & Processed Food Addiction with Mia Rigden

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