Chorizo

I love Chorizo, who doesn't?

It certainly is not a healthy food group, no matter how you slice it.

The one you see above is a healthy choice, not the best, but if you need to eat chorizo, it's really the only one I have found that fills the bill.

It is also a very good example of how we can read labels and not completely comprehend what the label actually means. 

It is generally accepted that if you are adhering to a "low fat" diet, all of your foods should contain approximately 20% or less fat.  This is not as easy as you think if you eat any animal or packaged products.

 
I  eat this chorizo on occasion, never when I am competing (and I was in competition prep for 8 months this past year because I had three competitions, so I was on a non stop diet that entire time, no chorizo).

Here is the back of the package that shows the nutritional facts:

It looks totally healthy doesn't it? Only 2 grams of fat per serving.

 

But that's not quite the whole truth. You need to be able to interpret what this label is telling you, and it is only telling you what it must according to the law.

You need to look at two keys factors here:

Grams of fat and Total calories

One serving of this chorizo has only 2 little grams of fat. But each gram of fat is worth 9 calories.

2 x 9 = 18 Fat Calories

A serving is a total of 60 calories.

Divide the calories by the fat calories (18 divided by 60) = .30

This "healthy low fat" turkey chorizo is 30% fat......

Not such a healthy choice is it?

So what is that 3% fat they show on the back of the label anyway? That's the percentage of the daily value of fat according to a 2000 calorie diet. I can guarantee you that it is not a diet written for anyone who is attempting to lose body fat and look ripped either. 

So learn to read your labels, don't let them fool you into thinking you are eating healthy. 

Make your own chorizo, I do. In fact, I will be making chorizo turkey cutlets for dinner sometime this week and I will post the recipe. I have done it on a whim before, and posted it but it was a spur of the moment dish. I will put some effort into this one and it will surely be a keeper.

Keep following- it will be soon!