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Registered Dietitian Maria Kinirons describes how food labels can help women lose weight.
Registered Dietitian Maria Kinirons:
Labels are key educational sources for women trying to lose weight. First of all, they have calorie information on there. You need to know calorie amounts so that you can figure out how much weight you need to lose. Usually, people, to lose about a pound of weight, need to cut back around 500 calories a day. So from that perspective, calories are important.
Fat content of course is huge because a fat is a concentrated source of calories, having 9 calories per gram as opposed to 4 calories for like carbohydrates and protein. So fat content on a label is key for people trying to lose weight. Obviously the higher fat it is, the more calories it has, and also from the points system, to figure out how to get a points value, absolutely have to read labels because you need the calories, fat, and the fiber information. The more fiber a food has, it tends to be a healthier food as with the fruits, vegetables, whole grains.
About Maria Kinirons, R.D.:
Maria Kinirons, R.D., is the senior nutritionist for Weight Watchers International. She works in the program development department and creates the materials members can receive when they attend Weight Watchers' meetings.