Unhealthy eating and lack of activity are leading causes of death in the United States. In fact, these factors contribute to 310,000 to 580,000 deaths yearly---more than 20 times the number of people killed by drug use and 13 times greater than the number of people killed by guns each year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Eating nutritious food can help you cut your risk for obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and many other conditions. However, it's not always easy to know which---and how many---nutrients you are getting when you cook. Fortunately, there are some handy tools you can use to estimate the nutrient value in a recipe, says Marisa Moore, registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
Step 1
Compare your dish to a similar recipe that already has nutrition data listed. Make sure you look at the recipe's serving sizes to ensure you are consuming what you expect to. Keep in mind that this will just give you a ballpark figure if the recipes are not an exact match.
Step 2
Try an online nutrient analysis tool (see Resources). Plug in your ingredients to find out what you are getting out of your meal. Many of these sites also feature calorie counters for recipes.
Step 3
Calculate on your own. Look up each food you are using in the recipe. Add everything you are putting into the dish together, and then divide it by the number of portions you dish out. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Web site has an excellent database you can use (see Resources).
Step 4
Learn about portion sizes. Some things expand when cooked, such as pasta. If you do not plug in the correct portions, your calculations will be off.
Step 5
Read nutrition labels (see Resources). If an ingredient comes in a package with a label, it will have the nutrient information listed. Make sure you know how many servings are in your package so your calculations are accurate.
Step 6
Look up information in a nutrition textbook or dictionary. These texts can be a handy reference in your kitchen.
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