Hi guys, Kris from Custom Fitness here, your Amarillo personal trainer. Today we’re going to be wrapping up the two part series on food labels. Now be sure to read part one if you haven’t already at the link here: And as always, if you have any questions about today’s blog then please give us a call at (806)-322-3188
So back on our topic today on the serving sizes, that also is a part of that. So you’re looking at a package of something, and you’re seeing that it has so many servings per that package. The question is not did you read that part, because you probably skimmed over it at least. But the question is, are you willing to separate that package into it’s appropriate serving sizes?
So what made me think of this today was that I opened up a box of salad, or a box of lettuce if you will. It was actually pea leaves and pea sprouts. And so I opened it up. And on the front of it, it’s just really big, “Superfood,” and tells what all is in it, and it talks about the fact that it’s got a higher protein level than all these other things, and it’s so great for you and wonderful.
Now we’re talking like a 16 oz box of leaves, right? And you know, I get all different kinds of leaves to kind of mix things up, and mix and match and do different things. But I had to laugh, when I’m gonna turn it over, because I thought, “You know, I wanna see just how much protein is in this, for them to be claiming this on the front with exclamation marks in red.” They were making a big thing of it. So I flipped the thing over, and you’re gonna get a total of five grams of protein from these leaves, which is awesome, right? Until you see that the serving size is the entire box. You’re supposed to eat that whole box at one sitting in order to get that five grams of protein.
So yes, it may be protein packed. But if you’re not ready to eat an entire box of lettuce, then you might want to choose some other options. It’s kind of like I was saying, for me, I mix and match different leaves together for their different nutritional benefits as well as add things to that. So this morning it was some eggs with some pea leaves and spinach, you know, little bit of everything to kinda add in some extra variety in there, so that’s something to kinda consider. So in that case, you would have to eat the entire container, and you might not be willing to do that.
In most cases though, which is where they get you, is that you should be dividing that container by anywhere from two servings up to 16 servings, depending on what you’re buying. And so, like if you consider most of the time, the kombucha that everybody loves, right? Those are actually a two serving drink most of the time. But who’s gonna open it and drink half of it, put it away, and then drink the other half? It’s not as fresh the second time, right? And most of the time, we just don’t even think about it.
Whenever people buy great big bags of nuts or cans of nuts, that one’s one of the worst because it’s so high in fat that yes, we need those fats, and they’re great for us. But when you’re eating an entire can throughout the day, we might have some problems. The body might not need that much healthy fat. So the best way to do things like that is to go ahead and look at the labels whenever you buy the product.
Think about, “Am I willing to divide this into what it needs to be?” And if you are, go ahead and divide it. Get some snack bags, get some little Glasslock containers, get some little glass containers, whatever you need to divide it out. And go ahead and get it in the right portion sizes. Because if left to your own devices, as humans, we will eat until the container’s empty.
So I used to have a client long ago. He was in his late 70s whenever I was training him. And just a wonderful man. But his habit was to go to Sam’s and buy the enormous cans of animal crackers. Not your best food. But you know at some point in life, you get to enjoy life and do what you wanna do when you’re doing well on the rest of it. So he would buy those, and then instead of taking a handful out or getting a bag full or a plate full or something, he would set it beside his recliner while he watched TV. And he went through three of those containers every single week.
His wife came to me, and discussed some options, and we came up with some ways to kind of change that. But the first thing that we did was we made a smaller container to put them in, and we set them on the table beside his chair instead of on the floor beside him because that other one was so tall. We put them on the table, and he was able to minimize his portions. And that alone helped him to start to see some health benefits, from weight loss to fat loss, to just overall feeling better. He wasn’t feeling quite so fatigued and having constipation all the time, and things like that, as you can imagine that animal crackers might do to you.
But just changing that serving size. So if you see a package that has more than one serving per package, double check and make sure that it’s something that you’re willing to separate. Because if not, you’re probably gonna get way more calories than what you were wanting out of it.
So I hope that gives you a little bit of an insight into food labels. So, if you are wanting the accountability and help with creating an action plan to see results, or are wanting to someone to help create a workout plan to push you to your greatest potential, then that’s what we’re here for. We work with our clients not just on fitness, but also nutrition. What we do is we will ensure that you are supported throughout every aspect of your health and wellness journey, and that includes making those eating changes. We have an entire team of dedicated professionals to help you with your health and fitness goals. To get your consultation set up, give us a call at 806-322-3188 or email us at info@customfitness.biz At Custom Fitness, we are YOUR personal trainers in Amarillo, Texas. Have a great day.