Be Serving
Size Wise!
Food Group/Item
One serving is…
Which looks like…
1 ounce or 1 small
handful (1/4 cup)
½ cupped hand
2 tablespoons
1 ping-pong ball
NUTS
Dry nuts
Peanut butter or other nut butters
TOPPINGS, SALAD DRESSING, AND SPREADS
Butter/trans fat free margarine
1 teaspoon
Fingertip
Salad dressing
2 tablespoons
1 ping-pong ball
Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon
Thumb tip
Cooked or cut-up raw vegetables
½ cup
1 cupped hand
Raw, leafy, green vegetables/salads
1 cup
2 cupped hands
Starchy vegetables (peas, white
potatoes, corn)
½ cup
1 cupped hand
Vegetable juice
½ cup
½ a fist
1 small sized
1 small apple or ½ banana
Fresh/canned/frozen
½ cup
1 cupped hand
Fruit juice
½ cup
½ a fist
¼ cup dried
½ a cupped hand
½ cup
1 cupped hand
VEGETABLES
FRUIT
Whole fruit
Dry fruit
BREADS, GRAINS, AND CEREALS
Grains (like rice and pasta)
Cereals (hot)
½ cup oatmeal
Cereals (cold)
½ -1 cup
1 cupped hand
1 slice
1-2 cupped hands
Bread
Tortillas (corn or flour)
Rolls
Biscuits
Cornbread
1 tortilla (6 inches across)
1 roll
1 biscuit
1 2” square slice
BEANS
Cooked beans
½ cup
1 cupped hand
Continued ➔
Healthy Eating: Additional Information C-65
Be Serving
Size Wise!
Food Group/Item
One serving is…
Which looks like…
8 fluid ounces or 1 cup
1 fist
BEVERAGES AND DRINKS*
Beverages and drinks
SWEETS AND SNACKS
Doughnuts/sweet rolls
1 piece
Cakes/pies
1 small slice
Cookies
4 small cookies
Candy bars
1 regular candy bar
Ice cream, sherbet, frozen yogurt, sorbet
½ cup
Snack foods (chips, crackers, pretzels)
1 cupped hand
1 small handful
FISH, RED MEAT, AND POULTRY
Bacon
2 strips
Sausage patties/links
2 pieces
Lunch meats
2 slices
Hotdogs
1 hotdog
Red meat, chicken/turkey, fish
3 ounces
Deck of cards
8 fluid ounces or 1 cup
1 fist
8 ounces or 1 cup
1 fist
MILK AND DAIRY FOODS
Milk
Yogurt
Hard cheeses (like cheddar, mozzarella,
Swiss, jack)
1 ounce (1/3 cup grated or 1
slice processed cheese)
Cottage cheese
½ cup
1 cupped hand
Ricotta cheese
¼ cup
½ cupped hand
Cream cheese
2 tablespoons
1 ping-pong ball
Heavy cream or half and half
1 tablespoon
Thumb tip
Sour cream
2 tablespoons
1 ping-pong ball
8 ounces (1 cup)
1 fist
1 tablespoon
Thumb tip
OTHER
Soups
Sugar/jelly/jam
*A regular can of soda is 12 oz. or 1½ cups.
C-66 Healthy Eating: Additional Information
Cooking at Home
Cooking at home is a great way to start
eating healthier, and it can also save you
money and time. Restaurant food often
has a lot of added salt and sugar and may
contain trans fats. When you cook at home
you choose the ingredients. If you are not
used to cooking at home, start slow with
simple dishes.
Here are some tips to get you started:
ÛÛ Try simple one-pot dishes like soups,
chili, and rice dishes. These dishes are
inexpensive, can be made in less than
30 minutes, and make great leftovers.
Often they taste better the second or
third day after flavors blend. See the Cookbook
for ideas:
✦✦ Chili—p. 32
✦✦ Red Beans and Rice—p. 35
✦✦ Lentil Soup—p. 65
ÛÛ Eat fish. Fish is easy and fast to prepare, even
for beginner cooks. Here’s a quick recipe:
✦✦ Baked fish: Rinse a four to six oz. fresh fish
filet and place on a piece of tin foil (about
12 inches long). Drizzle with olive oil,
lemon juice, and your favorite seasoning.
Bring the edges of the foil over the fish so
it forms a tent and bake for 10–12 minutes
at 400 degrees. Serve with your favorite
vegetables and grains.
✦✦ Healthy fried fish: Save stale bread,
chips, and crackers in the freezer, toast
on low heat, and use the blender to make
breadcrumbs. Mix an egg with buttermilk,
dip the fish filet, coat with crumbs, and
fry in healthy oil on medium heat turning
once (see “What are the best oils for
cooking?” on pages C-75 and C-76).
✦✦ Eat breakfast at home. Eating breakfast
at home will save you time and money
and will give you a good start to your
day. Try whole grain cereal with milk
or yogurt and fresh fruit. Keep your
pantry stocked with your favorite healthy
breakfast items.
ÛÛ Pack your lunch as often as you can. The
more you do it, the easier it becomes to pull
together quick easy lunches that are healthy
and will save you money. Try preparing
something simple the night before, or you
can bring leftovers from your home made
dinners. See the Cookbook for some ideas for
lunches:
✦✦ Terrific Tuna Salad—p. 23
✦✦ Tangy Broccoli Salad—p. 53
✦✦ Mom’s Vegetable Soup—p. 60
Healthy Eating: Additional Information C-67
Tips for Eating Out
Breakfast
Burgers and Sandwiches
ÛÛ Avoid biscuits,
hash browns, or
fried potatoes,
which may have
trans fat. If you
know these
foods are made
without trans
fats, they are
OK to eat in moderation.
ÛÛ Subway-type sandwiches on whole wheat
bread can be a healthy choice. Add plenty of
vegetables and consider an oil-based topping
or mayonnaise.
ÛÛ Choose lean meat or plain eggs.
ÛÛ Try fruit and yogurt.
ÛÛ Unsweetened cereal with milk can be a good
choice.
ÛÛ If you order toast, English muffins, pancakes, or
waffles, ask for butter or trans fat free margarine
on the side. Use half or less of the syrup packet.
Salads
ÛÛ Salads are a great way to eat more vegetables!
ÛÛ Salads can also be a good way to eat some
protein. Try ordering a salad with a small
amount of lean meat, chicken, or cheese.
ÛÛ Use regular salad dressing. The fat-free salad
dressings are high in salt.
French Fries and Other
Fried Side Dishes
ÛÛ Try a grilled chicken sandwich.
ÛÛ Order burgers and sandwiches with lettuce
and tomato and choose whole wheat bread
when possible.
Chicken and Fish
ÛÛ Order grilled chicken or fish if you don’t know
what type of oil is used for frying.
ÛÛ Baked or oven-roasted chicken can also be
good options.
ÛÛ Fried chicken or fish is a good choice if you
know that vegetable oils without trans fats are
used for frying.
ÛÛ Try fish with lettuce and tomato and a splash
of lemon.
Pizza
ÛÛ Don’t eat more than one to two pieces of pizza
for your meal. Add a side salad to fill you up.
ÛÛ Order vegetable toppings like onions, green
peppers, tomatoes, and mushrooms.
ÛÛ Skip the high-salt meat toppings like sausage
and pepperoni.
ÛÛ Skip the fries, onion rings, fried cheese sticks,
and fried jalapeños—they may contain trans fats
and are often heavily salted.
ÛÛ Instead, order a baked potato and top it with
trans fat free margarine or cheese.
ÛÛ If you do order fries, share a small order with a
friend instead of eating them all yourself.
Continued ➔
Healthy Eating: Additional Information C-69
Tips for Eating Out
Food Bars
ÛÛ Enjoy a large salad with plenty of dark, leafy greens and other vegetables like broccoli or carrots.
ÛÛ Add sunflower seeds or nuts to your salad.
ÛÛ Select several vegetable choices. Remember the importance of variety!
ÛÛ Consider fruit or frozen yogurt for dessert.
Desserts
ÛÛ Choose yogurt instead of milkshakes, apple turnovers, and cookies.
ÛÛ A small amount of dark chocolate (about one oz.) is a good choice.
ÛÛ Bring a piece of fresh fruit from home.
C-70 Healthy Eating: Additional Information
Best Oils for Cooking
Which Oils Are Best for Frying,
Sautéing, Baking, Salad Dressings,
or Dipping?
Vegetable oils, like olive, canola, corn, peanut
and soybean oil, contain healthy fats and are part
of a healthy diet, but it can be hard to know which
oil to use when preparing and serving food. Below,
we offer tips on use of vegetable oils.
When selecting an oil for food preparation,
it is important to match the type of oil to the
temperature that will be used in preparing the food.
The section below provides suggestions on which
oils to use for frying or sautéing, salad dressings,
and dipping. Note: if an oil starts to smoke it is too
hot and the heat should be lowered promptly.
ÛÛ Oils for low to medium heat cooking, such as a
light sauté, or a slow oven roast (230-375°F):
✦✦ Extra virgin olive oil adds flavor to foods
such as meats, fish, potatoes, and other
vegetables, but should be used at low to
medium heat. Regular olive oil or “light”
olive oil is less expensive, adds less flavor,
and can be used at higher heat settings.
✦✦ Canola oil has a neutral flavor and can be
used at medium heat (it can withstand heat
up to 375°F).
✦✦ Trans fat free spreads and butter substitutes
are generally made with a combination of
oils. These can be used for a low heat sauté.
ÛÛ Oils for medium to high heat cooking, such as
a stir fry, searing, browning, and deep frying
(400-450°F):
✦✦ Peanut, soybean or corn oil can all handle
higher temperatures up to 450°F. It is
important to be aware of nut allergies when
using peanut oil (or any nut based oil). Also,
“vegetable oil” sold in stores is usually a
combination of soybean and corn oil.
ÛÛ Oils for salad dressing or dipping:
✦✦ Extra virgin olive oil adds great flavor to
dressing and dips and is best used for this
purpose. However, less expensive options
like canola and soybean oil are good choices
for oil and vinegar dressings and for other
homemade salad dressing recipes.
ÛÛ Tips for oil storage:
✦✦ Store oils in cool, airtight, dark spaces
(like a cupboard), or in the refrigerator if
instructed. Many oils will turn a cloudy color
when refrigerated but will return to their
normal color at room temperature.
Continued ➔
Healthy Eating: Additional Information C-71
Best Oils for Cooking
It Is Also Important to Select the
Right Types of Oil for Baking.
ÛÛ Baking at low to medium heat (230-375°F):
✦✦ Canola oil has a neutral flavor and is a good
choice for baking at low to medium heat (it
can withstand heat up to 375°F).
✦✦ Trans fat free spreads and butter substitutes
are generally made with a combination
of oils and can be used when baking as a
butter substitute.
ÛÛ Baking at high temperatures (up to 450°F):
✦✦ Peanut, soybean or corn oil have neutral
flavors and are good choices for baking at
high heat.
C-72 Healthy Eating: Additional Information
Spice It Up Without Salt
Too much salt (also called sodium) causes high blood pressure in some
people. High blood pressure is bad for your heart. Most of the salt that
Americans eat comes from the salt that is added to processed and restaurant
foods. To keep your heart healthy and your blood pressure normal, use the
following tips.
1. Check Food Labels for Salt or Sodium.
✦✦ One level teaspoon of salt is about 2300 milligrams of sodium. Try
not to go over this amount in one day. Be sure to think about ALL
the sources of salt in your diet including the salt already added to
processed foods as well as the salt that you add to food when you
cook or at the table.
✦✦ Look for foods that have less than 300 milligrams of sodium in a serving.
✦✦ A food is HIGH in salt if a serving has over 400 milligrams of sodium.
✦✦ Look for foods that say “no salt added” or “low or reduced sodium.”
2. Watch Out for Salty Foods.
Boxed dinners (like macaroni & cheese or Hamburger Helper®), canned soups and vegetables, frozen
vegetables with sauces, and cheese sauces are often HIGH in salt (sodium). Look for foods that have
less sodium.
✦✦ If you eat frozen dinners, buy low-salt or low sodium meals or have regular frozen dinners no more
than once a week. Better still, make your own frozen dinners—cook larger amounts of food and
freeze the extra in containers to reheat later. (You’ll save money too!)
✦✦ Go easy on hot dogs, lunchmeats, and cured meats like bacon, ham, sausage, and beef sticks.
✦✦ Don’t overdo fast foods and salty chips and snacks (these may also have a lot of trans fats).
✦✦ Choose carefully at restaurants—even
“healthy” menu items often have lots of salt.
3. Break the Salt Shaker Habit.
✦✦ ALL the salt you have in one day should fit in
one level teaspoon. Remember that most of
your salt is in the foods already, so only add a
very small amount.
✦✦ Taste your food first, before adding salt.
✦✦ If a recipe calls for salt, add less than half the
amount.
Continued ➔
Healthy Eating: Additional Information C-73
Spice It Up Without Salt
4. Try Herbs and Spices.
✦✦ Try herbs and spices to bring out the
flavor in your foods without adding salt.
✦✦ For beef: Use sage, garlic, thyme, pepper,
or turmeric.
✦✦ For chicken: Use paprika, rosemary,
curry, or garlic or onion powder.
✦✦ For pork: Use thyme, basil, sage, pepper,
curry, or garlic or onion powder.
✦✦ For fish: Use lemon or lime juice, dill, or
garlic or onion powder.
✦✦ Try Mrs. Dash® or make your own herb
and spice mixture. Keep it in a shaker
and use when cooking or at the table.
✦✦ Be careful! Some seasonings and sauces have lots of salt: garlic and onion salts, poultry seasoning,
soy sauce, barbecue sauce, ketchup, some hot sauces, and spaghetti and tomato sauces.
Added Salt Adds Up!
Watch out for the salt in snack and convenience foods. Compare the salt (sodium) in a
baked potato versus one serving of potato chips:
One half baked potato (one serving)
Calories: 60
Salt (sodium): 2.5 mg
Versus
20 potato chips (one serving)
Calories: 150
Salt (sodium): 333 mg
C-74 Healthy Eating: Additional Information
Cooking for One
or on the Run
It might seem like a lot of trouble to make a regular
meal when you’re the only one eating or when you’re
rushing from one thing to the next. But even if you’re in
a hurry, you can still choose a healthy eating plan.
Here are five ideas for fixing quick, balanced meals:
ÛÛ Keep frozen or canned vegetables on hand for easy
additions to soups, sauces, and stews.
✦✦ Combine canned goods with fresh ingredients.
✦✦ Buy low-salt canned goods when possible.
✦✦ Buy frozen vegetables in bags, not boxes—it’s
easier to take out a small amount.
ÛÛ Buy nuts and fresh fruit for quick and healthy snacks.
ÛÛ Cook large batches of food and freeze leftovers.
ÛÛ Use leftovers to save time and money. Toss leftover meat or vegetables in soups, spaghetti sauces, or
homemade burritos.
ÛÛ Plan a week’s meals around a few main ingredients, like lean meats or fish, whole grains, vegetables, and
beans (see Easy Balanced Meals below and Making the Most of Beans, next page).
Easy Balanced Meals
On Sunday, cook a pot of brown rice. Mix the rice with vegetables and lean meat, poultry, fish, or eggs to
build your week’s meals…
Monday
Add vegetables and some brown rice to low-salt chicken broth to make a
hearty soup.
Tuesday
Sauté onion with two cups of fresh or frozen vegetables in vegetable oil, mix
in brown rice, and stir in a beaten egg for quick and easy stir-fried rice. A
little low sodium soy sauce will make it taste like delicious Asian fried rice.
Wednesday
Make your own hamburger helper: brown ground turkey or ground beef
with onions and green pepper, then add a scoop of brown rice from your pot.
Add extra sautéed or frozen vegetables.
Thursday
Open canned salmon, and eat with brown rice and steamed vegetables.
Friday
Make a quick “stir-fry” with mixed vegetables and cut-up chicken, and serve
over brown rice.
Continued ➔
Healthy Eating: Additional Information C-75
Cooking for One
or on the Run
Making the Most of Beans
Beans make a great-tasting, low-cost, healthy main dish, and have lots of fiber. There are many kinds
of beans: pinto, kidney beans, black beans, navy beans, chickpeas (also called garbanzos), lentils,
black-eyed peas, split peas, and others.
ÛÛ If beans are hard on your system, use these cooking tips:
✦✦ Soak the beans overnight, then rinse.
✦✦ Change the water before cooking the next day and skim the foam off the top.
✦✦ Make sure the beans are cooked completely.
✦✦ Use onions, garlic, vinegar, or a taste of lean ham for seasoning.
ÛÛ Serving beans with vegetables or a whole grain can help you feel full.
✦✦ Use canned beans to save time, but make sure you drain and rinse the beans several times to get rid
of the added salt (sodium).
ÛÛ Try cooking a pot of beans on Sunday and using the beans during the week. You can:
✦✦ Spoon the beans over brown rice, whole grain noodles, or potatoes.
✦✦ Mix beans and
ground turkey or
beef with spaghetti
sauce to make
hearty chili.
✦✦ Add beans to canned
or homemade
vegetable soup.
✦✦ Mix three kinds of
beans with a healthy
salad dressing for
a cold three-bean
salad.
✦✦ Spoon beans, lettuce,
tomatoes, onions,
and cheese onto a
soft whole wheat
tortilla and roll up
into a burrito.
C-76 Healthy Eating: Additional Information
Read the Label
It’s easier to make good choices when you know how to read food labels. Everything on the label is
based on ONE serving. Here’s what to look for:
Serving Size
Total Carbohydrate
Look at the serving size and ask yourself, “How
many servings am I eating?” In the example label
below, a serving is one cup. If you ate two servings
(two cups), you would have 16 g of fat (8+8),
1180 mg of sodium (590+590), and 560 calories
(280+280).
Whole grain breads, fruits, and vegetables are
some of the best kinds of carbohydrates because
they are high in fiber.
Calories
Eating too many calories per day is linked to
overweight and obesity. Looking at the calories
in a serving can help you manage your weight. In
general, 40 calories per serving is low calorie, 100
calories per serving is moderate, and 400 or more
is high.
Trans Fat
These are some of the worst fats for your heart.
Try not to eat any! Be careful: The food label may
say “trans fat = 0 grams” but if the ingredient list
shows “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” then
eating lots of servings still could add up to lots of
trans fat!
Sodium (salt)
Salt can be a problem for people with high blood
pressure. A good goal for sodium is about 2,300
mg (about one level teaspoon of salt) a day. One
serving of this food would give you 26% (one
fourth) of the sodium that you should get for
the whole day!
Dietary Fiber
Try to get at least 25–35 grams each day. Fiber
lowers your cholesterol and keeps you regular.
Here, you get four grams of fiber per serving.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup (228)
Servings Per Container 8
Amount Per Serving
Caloires 280 Calories from Fat 70
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 8 g
Sat. Fat 4 g
Trans Fat 1.5 g
Cholesterol 60 mg
Sodium 590 mg
Total Carbohydrate 29 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugars 2 g
Protein 4 g
12%
20%
18%
26%
10%
15%
Vitamin A
4%
Vitamin C
0%
Calcium15%
Iron15%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000
calorie diet. You Daily Values may be higher
or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Continued ➔
Healthy Eating: Additional Information C-77
Read the Label
Vitamins and Minerals
Your goal should be to get 100% of the Vitamin
A,Vitamin C, calcium, and iron that you need each day.
Eat a variety of foods, especially fruits, vegetables, and
dairy products to reach this goal.
% Daily Value (DV)
The percent daily value shows you
what percent of your daily goals are
contained in one serving of a given
food. A few nutrients, like trans fat,
sugars, and protein, do not have a %
DV. Try to eat almost no trans fats.
Note that the % daily values are
based on a 2,000 calorie diet—your
own values may be higher or lower
depending on your calorie needs.
In general, 5% DV or less is low
and 20% DV or more is high.
C-78 Healthy Eating: Additional Information
1. How many grams of saturated fat
would you get if you ate only 1/2
a cup (1/2 a serving size) of
this food?
2. With 1 cup (1 serving) of this
food, how many grams of trans
fat would you be eating?
3. What is the total amount of
dietary fiber you would get if
you ate 2 servings (2 cups) of
this food?
Answers:
Most Americans get enough protein.
Use the information in the food label
on page C-81 to answer the following
questions:
1. 2g of saturated fat
Protein
Now You Try It!
Food Label Quiz
2. 1.5g of trans fat
These include naturally occurring sugars (like those in
fruit and milk) but also sugars added to foods or drinks.
Read the ingredients list and avoid foods that contain
high fructose corn syrup or other added sugars (such
as fruit juice concentrate, sugar, maltose, dextrose, or
sucrose) as one of the first few ingredients.
3. 8g of dietary fiber
Sugars
Eating Healthy on a Budget
Healthy foods don’t have to cost more. By choosing carefully you can eat healthy AND keep your food
costs down. You will have more money to buy healthy foods because you will save money not buying
unhealthy foods!
Shop Wisely.
ÛÛ Compare prices and ingredients: store brands are often cheaper and just as good.
ÛÛ Look for day-old whole wheat bread or reduced price fruits and vegetables—but only buy what you will
use quickly!
ÛÛ Do the work yourself—trim the fat from meat and debone chicken at home. Wash and cut fruits and
vegetables instead of buying them prewashed or precut.
ÛÛ Eat before you go shopping to avoid impulse buying!
Buy a Larger Amount for Less Money.
ÛÛ Buy big bags of inexpensive fruits and vegetables like apples, oranges, and carrots—but don’t let them go
to waste.
ÛÛ Get a bushel of produce from a farmer (pick-your-own, roadside stand, or someone you know), then
can or freeze it in smaller servings. (Your local Cooperative Extension Service can tell you how to
do this.)
ÛÛ Stock up on healthy
foods when they are on
sale—foods like canned
fish, canned beans, nuts,
brown rice, and whole
grain pasta.
ÛÛ Shop with a friend and
split larger packages of
food when you get home.
ÛÛ Buy a large container
of yogurt or cottage
cheese and use it all week
(instead of several small
containers).
Continued ➔
Healthy Eating: Additional Information C-79
Eating Healthy on a Budget
Buy Fruits and Vegetables in Season.
ÛÛ Fruits and vegetables cost more (and don’t taste as good) when
they’re out of season. Enjoy seasonal fruits and vegetables over
the year.
ÛÛ Watch for produce sales at the supermarket, or look for roadside
stands or farmers markets where you may get better prices.
ÛÛ Try a“pick-your-own” farm. You can get fresh produce at a
good price, and some exercise too! (Call your local Cooperative
Extension Service for a list of farms near you.)
ÛÛ When you can’t find what you want in season, buy canned or
frozen—but stay away from added sugars, syrups, salt, and sauces.
Get Creative With Main Dishes.
ÛÛ Stretch your food dollar by using beans more often (see Making the Most of Beans on page C-80).
ÛÛ Have eggs for dinner. Make a vegetable omelet and eat it with whole wheat toast.
ÛÛ Eat a large salad. A yummy salad might include: romaine lettuce or spinach, tomatoes, other vegetables,
hard-boiled eggs, tuna, cheese, sunflower seeds or nuts (see Lower-cost Ways to Eat More Nuts, below),
and a homemade oil and vinegar dressing.
ÛÛ Buy canned fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines, or freeze extra fish caught fresh. See salmon patty and
tuna salad recipes in the Cookbook, pages 23–24.
Bring Food From Home (and Eat Out Less Often).
ÛÛ Bring easy-to-pack sandwiches, soups, hard-boiled eggs, fruit, or leftovers to work.
ÛÛ Get a reusable plastic container or thermos for your drink.
ÛÛ Store leftovers in clear containers so they won’t spoil before you can take them for lunch.
Lower-cost Ways to Eat More Nuts
ÛÛ Look for nuts and nut butters on sale.
ÛÛ Buy nuts in bulk,when possible.
ÛÛ Get pecans from a neighbor’s (or your own) tree.
ÛÛ Peanut butter makes a good snack or lunch food.
C-80 Healthy Eating: Additional Information
A Shopping List to
Improve Fat Quality
By making simple substitutions you
can make major improvements in your
selection of healthier fats.
Purchase This
Instead of this
Because
Cost
Regular salad
dressing, or
make your own
(see cookbook
pages 98-100)
Low-fat or
nonfat
dressing
Regular salad dressing has high quality
fats (usually soybean and canola oils)
and nonfat dressing is much higher in
sugar, simple starch and sodium
No difference
Regular
mayonnaise
Low-fat or
nonfat
mayonnaise
As for salads, above. Regular
mayonnaise has high quality fats
(usually soybean and/or canola oils)
and nonfat mayonnaise is higher in
sugar, simple starch and sodium
No difference
Vegetable oil
Shortening
Some shortenings still have trans fat
Most vegetable oils are
less expensive per serving.
Tub margarine
Stick
margarine
Stick margarine has trans fats. Most
tub margarine is trans fat free (should
confirm by reading the label)
No difference
Healthy Eating: Additional Information C-81
Salad Dressing
Information is given on regular as compared to low- or nonfat salad dressing or mayonnaise. The first
ingredient for the full-fat product is either soybean or canola oil, both of which are “good fats.” We
recommend 2 to 6 servings a day of these types of fats. The low- and nonfat versions have a minimal
amount of fat and have high fructose corn syrup as a major ingredient. High fructose corn syrup is a sugar
with little nutritional value and should be minimized in the diet. The full-fat products have high-quality fat,
and the low- or nonfat products have a lot more sugar and bit more salt. Most people think regular salad
dressing and mayonnaise tastes better than the low- or nonfat products. So, make these changes and enjoy
these foods.
✔
Store Brand Regular
Ranch Dressing
Ingredients: Vegetable oil (soybean
and/or canola), water egg yolk,
sugar, salt, buttermilk, distilled
vinegar, contains less than 1% of
dried garlic, dried onion, phosphoric
acid, monosodium glutamate,
xanthan gum, modified food starch,
natural and artificial flavors, spice,
potassium sorbate and calcium
disodium EDTA (As preservatives),
disodium phosphate, disodium
inosinate, and disodium guanylate.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 2 Tbsp (30ml)
Calories 140 Calories from Fat 130
✕
Store Brand Fat-Free
Ranch Dressing
Ingredients: Water, CORN SYRUP,
cultured low fat buttermilk*, distilled
vinegar, onion juice, garlic juice, salt,
food starch-modified, contains less
than 2% of sugar, vegetable oil*
(canola and/or soybean), xanthan
gum, propylene glycol alginate,
phosphoric acid, artificial color,
natural flavor, monosodium glutamate,
potassium sorbate and calcium
disodium EDTA as preservatives, dried
parsley, spice, vitamin E acetate, dried
green onion, yellow #5. *Adds a trivial
source of fat
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 2 Tbsp (30ml)
Calories 45
Calories from Fat 0
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 14 g
Sat. Fat 2.5 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 10 mg
Sodium 260 mg
Total Carbohydrate 2 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 1 g
Protein <1 g
Vitamin A, Vitamin C,
Calcium, Iron
Vitamin E
22%
12%
3%
11%
1%
0%
0%
N/A
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000
calorie diet. You Daily Values may be higher
or lower depending on your calorie needs.
✕
Store Brand Light
Ranch Dressing
Ingredients: Water, vegetable oil
(soybean and/or canola), buttermilk,
maltodextrin, SUGAR, contains less
than 2% salt, spices, dried garlic,
natural flavor, egg yolk, modified
food starch, dried onion, onion puree,
phosphoric acid, distilled vinegar,
disodium phosphate, xanthan gum,
monosodium glutamate, artificial
color, disodium isonate, and disodium
guanylate, potassium sorbate
and calcium disodium EDTA (as
preservatives)..
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 2 Tbsp (30ml)
Calories 80
Calories from Fat 70
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 0 g
Sat. Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 350 mg
Total Carbohydrate 10 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 3 g
Protein 0 g
0%
0%
0%
15%
3%
0%
Vitamin A, Vitamin C,
Calcium, Iron
Vitamin E
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000
calorie diet. You Daily Values may be higher
or lower depending on your calorie needs.
C-82 Healthy Eating: Additional Information
0%
6%
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 7 g
Sat. Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 5 mg
Sodium 290 mg
Total Carbohydrate 3 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 2 g
Protein 0 g
Vitamin A, Vitamin C,
Calcium, Iron
Vitamin E
11%
5%
2%
12%
1%
0%
0%
N/A
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000
calorie diet. You Daily Values may be higher
or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Mayonnaise
Store Brand Lite
Mayonnaise
Brand Regular
✔ Store
Mayonnaise
✕
Ingredients: Soybean oil, distilled
vinegar, egg yolks, water, sugar,
salt, calcium disodium EDTA as a
preservative and natural flavors
Ingredients: Water, CORN SYRUP
solids, soybean oil, modified food
starch, distilled vinegar, egg yolk, salt,
sugar, cellulose gel (microcrystalline
cellulose)*, xanthan gum*, mustard
seed*, titanium dioxide*, citric acid,
cellulose gum*, potassium sorbate,
sodium benzoate, calcium disodium
EDTA as preservatives, natural
flavors.*Ingredients not in regular
mayonnaise
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 Tbsp (15ml)
Calories 100 Calories from Fat 100
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 11 g
Sat. Fat 1.5 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 10 mg
Sodium 80 mg
Total Carbohydrate 0 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 0 g
17%
9%
Not a significant source of Dietary
Fiber, Sugars, Vitamin A, Vitamin C,
Calcium, Iron.
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000
calorie diet. You Daily Values may be higher
or lower depending on your calorie needs.
3%
3%
0%
0%
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 Tbsp (15ml)
Calories 25
Calories from Fat 10
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 1 g
Sat. Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol <5 mg
Sodium 140 mg
Total Carbohydrate 4 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 1 g
Protein 0 g
1%
0%
1%
6%
1%
0%
Not a significant source of Dietary
Fiber, Sugars, Vitamin A, Vitamin C,
Calcium, Iron.
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000
calorie diet. You Daily Values may be higher
or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Healthy Eating: Additional Information C-83