Look for the 'heart' sign
low-preparation snacks and meals may be an easy choice, making the
effort to determine their nutritional value can be exhausting.
With activities taking up more time in the evening, no- or low-preparation snacks and meals may be an easy choice, making the effort to determine their nutritional value can be exhausting. The American Heart Association offers its "heart-check" Food Certification Program. Products displaying the heart-check mark meet American Heart Association food criteria for saturated fat and cholesterol for healthy people over age 2. To be certified, a product must meet all of the following nutritional levels. These levels are based on a single serving size as specified by the US Food & Drug Administration for an individual food. A single serving of the food product must have low fat (less than or equal to 3 grams), low saturated fat (less than or equal to 1 gram), low cholesterol (less than or equal to 20 milligrams), a sodium value of less than or equal to 480 milligrams for individual foods, and at least 10 per cent of the Daily Value of one or more of the nutrients protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron or dietary fibre. Special levels for the above criteria are also in place for main dishes and meals. Meats must meet the standard for extra lean to be eligible for the heart-check mark.
