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Choosing sensibly means making healthy diet choices by Tihesha Jenkins Dietetic intern “How do I make sensible decisions about my diet and still enjoy eating?”  A healthy diet does not exclude all the delicious foods you take pleasure in eating. Choosing sensibly allows you to enjoy all food, but be mindful of the fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol content of the foods you consume.  Increased consumption of these nutrients are proven risk factors for chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Often, it seems difficult to be confident that the choices you make about food are the best for your health. With the oversaturation of health claims such as low fat, reduced calorie, and lean made on food packages, it is very simple to become confused.  The most reliable tool available to assist consumers in the selection of packaged food is the Nutrition Facts Label. With this tool, you can compare products and purchase brands that offer the nutritional content you value for your health. At first the label may seem confusing, but if you know what to look for, interpreting a label is simple.  The Nutrition Facts Label has several sections. Start at the top of the label, where the measurement of the serving size and the number of servings available in the package are provided. Consumers are sometimes amazed that what they perceive to be one serving, may actually be two or three servings according to the label.  Below this information is the amount of calories provided per serving as well as the amount of calories provided from fat per serving.  The main body of the label lists the amounts of important nutrients provided per serving of the product in grams or milligrams. The food label also lists the Percentage Daily Value of the nutrients, which is the percentage each nutrient meets of an individual's daily needs.  Keep in mind these percentages are based on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet that is generally the requirement for the average  man. The recommended intake of these nutrients may be higher or lower depending on each individual's calorie needs. Nutrients such as fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol are listed on the label because we should be mindful to limit them in our diet. Total fat intake should only be 30 percent of your total caloric intake, which is generally between 35 to 65 grams per day.  Total saturated fat intake should be less than 10 percent of your total caloric intake and that varies between 13 and 20 grams per day.  We are encouraged to consume large amounts of other nutrients listed on the label such as dietary fiber, vitamin C, and calcium. Choosing a sensible diet is not an impossible feat for anyone to accomplish. Making sensible choices and using the Nutrition Facts Label as a guide will help you live a healthy lifestyle.