blog #41 analyze your food choice

In my nutrition education class last Tuesday some classmates were talking about snack choices. A couple students said:

 "its better to eat a banana and nuts opposed to a bannana nut muffin (as a snack.)" 

Of course I agree. But how do you know what's best to eat? Where do you get you info? When you grab a snack what do you eat and why?

I use FREE online tools to analyze food choices but both tools have their pros and cons.


I found this new feautre from the food guide pyramid that allows you to COMPARE FOODS so you can make the BEST SELECTION based on calorie content.

I pasted the analysis of muffin, banana and nuts.
Pros:
quick and free
side by side analysis
shows food group (in case you use the site to login and track progress)

cons:
The side by side analysis ONLY shows calories which is extreemly lacking
fat free berry -or banna muffin

Mypyramid Food Groups and Calories
Grain Group	2 1/2 oz.
Fruit Group	1/4 cup
Total Calories	313 calories
Extras*	125 calories
*(solid fats, added sugars, and alcohol)

nuts

Mypyramid Food Groups and Calories
Meat & Beans Group	2 oz.
Oils	3 tsp
Total Calories	185 calories

banana

Mypyramid Food Groups and Calories
Fruit Group	3/4 cup
Total Calories	105 calories

BUT THIS WASNT ENOUGH......i didnt like this tool to much because all it gave me were calories. I want more so i went to another free site calorie counter and I found a more accurate analysis:

Calorie Counter pros:
breaks down nutritents beyond caloric intake
grades the food
shows "good" and "bad" points about the foods so the consumer can make better choices based on more information

calorie counter cons:
doesnt show a side by side analysis like the food guide "food-a-pedia"

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size BANANA

 1 cup, mashed (225.0 g) 1 cup, sliced (150.0 g) 1 extra small (less than 6" long) (81.0 g) 1 small (6" to 6-7/8" long) (101.0 g) 1 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long) (118.0 g) 1 large (8" to 8-7/8" long) (136.0 g) 1 extra large (9" or longer) (152.0 g) 1 NLEA serving (126.0 g) 

Amount Per Serving

Calories 

105

Calories from Fat 

4

% Daily Value^*

Total Fat 

0.4g

1%

Saturated Fat 

0.1g

1%

Polyunsaturated Fat 

0.1g

Monounsaturated Fat 

0.0g

Cholesterol 

0mg

0%

Sodium 

1mg

0%

Total Carbohydrates 

27.0g

9%

Dietary Fiber 

3.1g

12%

Sugars 

14.4g

Protein 

1.3g

Vitamin A 2%	•	Vitamin C 17%
Calcium 1%	•	Iron 2%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Good points

• Very low in saturated fat
• No cholesterol
• Very low in sodium
• High in dietary fiber
• High in potassium
• Very high in vitamin B6
• High in vitamin C

Bad points

• Very high in sugar

so check it out guys....tell me what works for you! This tool isn't limited to just snacks you can analyze anything but start small and work your way up.......