Are you aware how many calories you consume?

I think nowadays we are making ourselves much busier than before. Most days, we are eating out and/or eating snacks such as muffins, cookies, getting coffee to go etc. Do you really know how many extra calories you are consuming, most of the time without even realizing? And if you see a nutrition label on the snacks you’re buying, do you check it? If yes, which part do you look closely at — is it calories, fat, or something else? 

I normally don’t eat outside so often, but when I do I am careful not to consume any snacks. Because I know what’s good for me and what’s not. Well, actually, I thoughtI knew…! Why do I say that? Because I am still learning something new every day. It’s really almost impossible to find something that is really nutrient dense and beneficial for your body. 

Here’s some examples:

Banana bread, nutrition Facts Per Serving (125 g) — although our portion size is probably way more than 125…

Ingredients: bananas, enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, soybean and/or canola oil, eggs, walnuts, pecans, sea salt, sodium bicarbonate, baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, cornstarch, monocalcium phosphate), natural flavor, spice, soy lecithin. allergen statement: contains wheat, eggs, soy, walnuts and pecans. produced on equipment that is shared with milk and other tree nuts.

So in just 125g banana bread, we’re getting 22g fat, 6g protein, 52g carbs, and 30g sugar.

What about a medium sized classic cafe latte and with non-fat milk? It’s only 100 calories, but has 14 grams of sugar. 

And just to remind you, the suggested added sugar intake for women is 25 grams (or 6 tsp) per day, and for men it’s 37.5 grams (or 9 tsp) per day.

So with one small slice of banana bread and a medium latte, you’re already getting way more than your daily recommended amount of added sugar!

I know its really hard to avoid, but if you want to be healthier, and minimize your doctor visits, then I suggest you try to minimize eating out. 

If you’d like to know more about nutrition facts then here’s a couple links to the popular US & Canadian coffee shops: https://news.starbucks.com/uploads/documents/nutrition.pdf or http://blenz.com/menu/.