That's Fit

I've learned a lot about diet and nutrition over the past year. Still, I'm sometimes confused by food labels. Drawn to any product slapped with a health claim, I often wonder how good certain foods are for me. How low-fat is a low-fat item, for example? How trans-fat free is a trans-fat free treat? What exactly does it mean if my cereal box comes marked with a red heart and a white check mark?

Woman's Day magazine recently published a chart to help me decode label lingo. See if this helps you too.

"May reduce the risk of heart disease" or "Helps lower cholesterol"
The FDA says if eaten regularly as part of an overall healthy diet, this food may help prevent heart disease and/or lower LDL cholesterol. This labeling is usually found on produce and foods rich in whole grains, soluble fiber, soy protein, and/or plant sterols or stanols.

A red heart with a white check mark
The American Heart Association certifies that this item is low in cholesterol, total fat, saturated fat, and trans fat. It has less than 480 mg of sodium and naturally contains at least 10 percent of the daily value for vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, protein, or fiber.

A yellow and black "whole grain" icon that looks like a postage stamp
The Whole Grains Council verifies that this product has at least eight g of whole grains in 1/2 serving. If the stamp reads "100 percent whole grain," then it has at least 16 g of whole grains in one full serving. Three daily servings of whole grains are recommended.

"Low Sodium"
Low sodium foods have fewer than 140 mg per serving.

"Low Fat"
This one has less than three g of fat per serving.

"Low Saturated Fat"
Items touted as low in saturated fat have fewer than one g and less than 15 percent of calories from saturated fat per serving

"Low Cholesterol"
Fewer than 20 mg of cholesterol per serving.

"Trans Fat Free"
Fewer than 0.5 g trans fat per serving.

Have you ever found yourself talking to somebody at the gym and feeling completely lost because they were babbling on about eccentric and concentric contractions and anaerobic thresholds? Or maybe more common terms throw you for a loop even though you've heard them around before. A big part of getting fit is not only understanding why you want to be healthier and in better shape, but also understanding how exactly you plan to get that done. The workings of the human body are complicated, and although knowing every technical term and body process is hardly necessary to being healthy, understanding a key few can definitely help. Some of these are super simple, and others not so much, but here's a little mini-dictionary of common fitness terms, courtesty of eDiets: