Looking through a back-issue of Men's Health, I came across an interesting sidebar about the importance of scrutinizing nutritional labels on food. The gist of the small article was that, in most cases, people have a tendency to forget about serving size. For people with diabetes, this is of even greater importance, for a miscalculation can easily lead to a pretty wild swing in blood sugars.

Based on FDA standards, food manufacturers are required to provide calorie content and other nutritional information (e.g. Carbs, Protein, Fat, Sodium, etc.) for serving size on their labels, not the total amount in the package. So, it's very easy to not realize that you may be eating upwards as three or four times as many calories, carbs, etc. than you believe you are.

Here's a breakdown of the four foods highlighted in the issue of Men's Health. Granted, none are healthy in the first place, but you'll see that eating the product in its entirety is even worse than you may have thought.

KING-SIZE SNICKERS BAR: 170 serving size calories listed on label. 510 calories in entire bar.

20-OUNCE BOTTLE OF COCA-COLA: 100 serving size calories listed on label. 250 calories in entire bottle.

3.75-OUNCE BAG OF CHEX MIX: 130 serving size calories listed on label. 455 calories in entire package.

4-PACK KEEBLER SOFT BATCH COOKIES: 80 serving size calories listed on label. 320 calories in entire package.

Again, these foods are not exactly staples of a healthy diet to begin with, but the point is illustrated nonetheless. The same serving size issue applies for foods that people generally consider to be healthy, as well, so a serving size review is still warranted.