Giveaways Health & Wellness

Nutrition Facts for Health and Fun!

Did you catch a glimpse of our visit to the Vancouver Home + Design Show last weekend on Facebook or Instagram? We had lots of fun, but wow, was it ever busy! We wandered up and down the aisles checking out the booths, collecting samples, entering all the draws, and basically trying not to lose the kids in the crowd. When we spotted giant cookies and the big Play & Win! sign at the Nutrition Facts Education Campaign (NFEC) booth, we all went over to check it out.

We visited the Nutrition Facts Education Campaign (NFEC) booth at the Vancouver Home + Design Show.

I was really happy to see this booth at the Home + Design Show because my family’s well being comes first in every decision I make. I take that responsibility seriously, and I believe that one of the most important things I can do for them is to provide them with healthy food choices. I do that by prioritizing fresh, unprocessed foods and home cooked meals, and when I use packaged foods, by using the Nutrition Facts table to make informed, healthy food choices.

It's so important to teach kids early on how to make wise food decisions.

I think it’s so important to teach kids early on how to make wise food decisions, which is why I brought Tee with me to an NFEC event last spring. That’s where she was first introduced to reading the Nutrition Facts table. Since then, she’s kept in practice when we go shopping so she was eager to try her hand at reading sample tables for the Nutrition FACT-O game last weekend.

Trevor was one of the friendly folks manning the booth that day. He showed us some sample foods and asked Tee to compare them. Which crackers had more iron? Which canned peaches had the least sugar? Which burger patties had the least sodium? She needed a little help comparing the serving sizes, but did well enough to earn herself some Focus on the Facts tokens.

It's so important to teach kids early on how to make wise food decisions.

Tee took her tokens over to the giant Focus on the Facts PLINKO board and dropped them in for chances to win a grocery card and other swag. Tee was nice enough to share her tokens with her little sister who thought this part of the game was very cool. We didn’t win the grocery card, but each of the girls did score a cloth bag to carry all their samples around in.

My family's well being comes first, and one of the most important things I can do is to provide them with healthy food choices.

3 Steps to Making Informed Food Choices

Now Tee knows that all the information we need to make informed food choices is right there on the label. When we’re grocery shopping, we can compare the Nutrition Facts tables on two or more products to pick the item with the best nutritional profile.

Follow these three easy steps to pick the foods that best suit your family’s needs:

  • Step 1: Start with the serving size to make sure you’re comparing equal amounts.
  • Step 2: Use the % Daily Value to determine how much of a nutrient is in each serving. A simple rule of thumb is that less than 5% DV is considered a little, more than 15% DV is a lot.
  • Step 3: Compare the nutrients to find your best choice. Look for foods high in protein, fiber, vitamin A, calcium, and iron, and foods low in sugar, sodium, and trans fats.

3 steps for using the Nutrition Facts table

Win a $100 Grocery Card!

I’ve got a fun giveaway for a $100 grocery card for my Canadian readers. Here’s your chance to practice reading the Nutrition Facts table with some free groceries! Enter in the giveaway widget below. This giveaway is open to residents of Canada only, 18+. All entries will be verified.

And here’s one more chance. Learn more about reading Nutrition Facts, then visit Focus on the Facts for a chance to win a $300 grocery card!

Click here to check out my other open giveaways and be sure to follow me on Facebook!

Disclosure: This conversation was sponsored by Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC), Health Canada, Retail Council of Canada (RCC), and the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG). Nevertheless, all opinions expressed are completely honest and my own, based on my personal experience. Your experience may differ.

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122 Comments

  • I pay the most attention to protein because protein is so key to general health, and too many Americans don’t get enough protein daily This causes cravings for sweets and carbs. Thanks for the giveaway!

  • I buy as little processed food as possible. When I have to buy boxed/canned goods, i get the ones with the least amount of ingredients. I try not to get anything with glucose, fructose, or anything like that!

  • As my husband is a cardiac patient, I always check labels. I look for the fat and sugar content. My daughter, who is on a restricted salt diet, reminded me to look for salt content, which is important –especially to those persons should be on a salt-restricted diet for varied reasons.
    I am amazed at the amount of sugar and fat in some foods.

  • It’s all about the fibre right now for our family so I look at that first as I’m really trying to increase our intake. Secondly I look at sugars. Some products are so deceiving.. they look like a healthy option but they are packed with sugar! Glad to have the nutrition facts table to clarify.

  • I am watching my sugar intake religiously so it is the first ingredient I check out..all the different types of sugar can be confusing.

  • I have celiac disease so I look for gluten, maltodextrin, yeast extract, etc. things that are known to have gluten or be made from gluten. I also look at the salt content and the sugar content. Much of the time though, I make it myself that’s why I could use this gift certificate, lol.

  • Mostly, I’m keeping an eye on calories, fat, sugar and fiber content, and making sure food has ingredients that I can pronounce, lol. I like seeing whole grains and no added sugar in my food choices!

  • I pay the most attention to carbohydrates because most of my family follows a lower carb diet. I do also pay attention to sodium as well.