NOTE: The following giveaway is open to Canadians only.
I’ll never forget when my family – and really, Canadians as a nation – learned about serving sizes.
The year was 2003. Before then, it was not mandatory for packaged goods sold in Canada to display nutritional information of the contents. And so, for many years, we simply helped ourselves to a portion we considered fit, without knowing exactly how we were impacted by our choices. When serving sizes were listed on the label – among other things, such as number of calories, amount of fat, etc. – we all took a step back.
Like, whoa.
Suddenly, many Canadians received a wake up call when it came to consumption habits. While the information on the nutrition facts label helped guide our understanding of portion sizes, it also helped us make better food choices. Suddenly, words like “calorie counting” become synonymous with dieting, and the demand for fat-free snacking foods and sugar-free beverages was at an all-time high. For better or for worse, we were informed.
Today, the Nutrition Facts table, found on most packaged food products in Canada, is key to making more informed food choices for you and your family. With the help of my little Nutrition Facts Finder (note the detective hat and magnifying glass!), we’re going to make it easy for you to focus on facts!
Step 1: Start with Serving Size. You can find the Serving Size under the header “Nutrition Facts”. Remember, if you eat a different amount than the serving size, you will need to adjust the corresponding information in the Nutrition Facts table. …