Test Your Knowledge

People trying to choose healthy carbohydrates are encouraged to look for whole grain products. Whole grain products can be identified by reading the ingredient list on food labels. These ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. Even if a product claims that it is made with whole wheat, check the ingredient’s list to see where it appears on the list. If more than one grain product is listed, there is more of the first listed ingredient in the final product. Choose foods listing whole grain or whole wheat as the main ingredient, instead of products that are made with wheat flour, white flour or unbleached wheat flour.

Nutrition facts labels provide the amount of total carbohydrate, dietary fiber and sugars in one serving of a food product. Also, nutrient content claims provide additional information about the packaged product. It is important to become familiar with these nutrient content claims and what they mean. For example, foods that are labeled “sugar-free” may contain less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving and are not necessarily sugar- or calorie-free. Products labeled as “reduced sugar” or “less sugar” must contain at least 25 percent less sugar per serving compared to a standard serving of the traditional food.