Hello all,

I am working on a healthy lifestyle (again) but I'm stuck when it comes to reading the nutrition labels. How much sugar is too much? Carbs? etc., I'm lost.

Any help would be highly appreciated!

Thanks!

That's a tough question. There is no hard and fast rule of how much you should have daily of anything - it depends on a lot of things.

As an starting point perhaps try to have a breakdown of 30% Fat, 30% Protein and 40% Carbs in your diet. It is an even spread of all nutrients. You may find down the track that you prefer more protein and less carbs or vice versa.

Try to use a program such as FitDay or CalorieKing where you can see a percentage of your daily intake.

As a general guide for me when it comes to carbs I look to see how many grams are coming from sugar and how many from fibre. You don't need refined sugar as part of your diet so I would not have a food that had a high level of sugar listed. By high I mean a large portion of the carbohydrate level.

Another good thing would be to eat as much food that is in its most natural state (ie, not processed) which negates the need for the nutrition label. Avoid overly processed foods.

There is no standard of recommended refined sugar intake although US guidelines recommend no more than 40g refined sugar for every 2000 calories consumed. I would assume this would be for a person maintaining their weight - not wanting to lose.

Daisy is absolutely right--there is no hard and fast "rule" that works for everyone. Personally, I don't pay attention to sugar or carbs at all, but I try to get at least 100g of protein in each day, so by increasing my protein, I am naturally (unintentionally) decreasing my carb intake anyway.

Just try to focus in the things you DO know--if you have an idea of how many calories to have in a day, and you know that things like sweets and sugary drinks/snacks are to be avoided, then things should work themselves out. I wouldn't really worry about sugar unless you are doing things like drinknig regular soda, eating cookies or candy or pastries, things like that.

The only other note ot make about carbs is that they are NOT evil as some may have you believe--just make sure the carbs you are eating are primarily GOOD carbs (i.e., from fruits and veggies and whole grain products like whole-grain pastas and breads and brown rice, etc.).