Nutrition of Foods

You can find out a lot about the nutrition of foods on the product label, but sometimes the labels don’t tell you everything. Here are a few facts about two foods that seem to be getting a lot of attention these days – cheese and salmon.

Eaten in moderation, cheese is a very nutritious snack. Most of us know that cheese, along with most dairy products, is a great source of calcium. It is also a good source of protein and the most recent research suggests that cheese is also great for neutralizing plaque acids in the mouth and consequently it may actually reduce the occurrence of dental cavities.

But before you get too excited and order that large pizza, remember that most cheese has a high ratio of fat to protein and therefore you should limit the amount of cheese you eat if you are trying to control your calorie or fat intake.

The calorie values given here are for one ounce of cheese, though be aware that one ounce is a very small amount, so weigh your cheese carefully if you want to be certain of keeping your fat or calorie intake under control.

While Cottage Cheese is the lowest in terms of calories, and is naturally low in fat, you should consider the overall nutrition of foods that are low in fat and calories to other foods. For example, Cottage cheese has less calcium than the other cheeses. 1 cup of cottage cheese contains about 138 milligrams of calcium whereas a comparable serving (8 ounces) of plain, low-fat yogurt contains 400 milligrams. Whereas, only two ounces of cheddar cheese contain about 400 milligrams of calcium.

We are hearing a lot these days about the omega-3 fatty-acids contained in salmon and other fish. But did you know that salmon is also a good source of selenium, phosphorous, magnesium and several B vitamins? Salmon has plenty of the things we look for when assessing the nutrition of foods. It is an excellent low fat protein. But be careful how you prepare it, because cooking fish in oil, butter or other fats or smothering it in sauces, increases the calorie content dramatically. The calorie content for a four ounce serving of poached salmon is about 240. But again, notice that four ounces is not a huge serving. The portions you get in restaurants are usually much bigger and may include the skin, which adds more calories.

While fresh fish and cheese are good for you in general, they need to be eaten in small quantities if you are watching your weight. Different types of cheese vary in density so you should weigh each kind of cheese until you understand exactly how much, or should we say, how little, one ounce really is. Salmon can also vary in calories depending on whether it is wild caught, and whether it is pink or red salmon, so go with information on the label, if one is provided, rather than a generic calorie counter. But don’t let the small portion sizes stop you from indulging. It is not necessary to eat large quantities in order to benefit from the nutrition of foods that are high in fat and calories.

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Nutrition of Foods We Eat Everyday