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5 and 20 Rule for Grocery Store Rush Hour

Categories: Nutrition & Supplements

You're flying through the grocery store at 5:30 pm and everyone is waiting at home for dinner. If you don't have time to analyze food labels, try this 5 and 20 Rule suggested by Julie's Health Club:

  • Find the Percent Daily Values (% DV) on right side of label. These are the Food and Drug Administration's recommendations for how much fat, carbs, fiber and vitamins/minerals you need if you're on a 2,000-calorie diet.
  • If the DV is five percent or less, it's considered "low" on nutrients. A 20 percent DV or more is "high."
  • For fat, sodium and cholesterol -- look for a DV of five or lower.
  • For carbs, dietary fiber and vitamins/minerals -- look for a DV of 20 or more.

Of course, if you're the rare one killing time at the grocery store, read the full article for a six-point checklist on how to properly read a food label. Also, don't miss Kristen's post on the 20 Worst Packaged Foods -- shoot, I like the worst cereal.

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