Understanding nutrition labels can help make healthier choices

Wa-Rite is a female-only club that meets on Friday mornings from 9-10 in Clubhouse 3, Room 1. Weigh-ins are from 8-8:45. Dues are $10 a year, plus 10 cents upon signing in. LW ID cards must be shown. For support on a weight-loss journey, women are welcome to stop by at 8:15 to weigh in and complete the registration paperwork.

On Feb. 20, members learned that the club lost 16 pounds for the past week. Both Beverly Bender and Marshia Larson tied for the biggest loser title with 2-pound loss each. Bender credits her achievement to eating the heaviest meal between 2-3 in the afternoon and doing her best to skip dinner. Larson said she ate more vegetables and watched her diet closely.

Eileen Kotecki presented on eat this, not that. She talked about marketing ploys that supermarkets use like placing healthier foods along the walls, and boxed, bagged and canned foods on the aisles. Kotecki also noted the difference between whole grain and multigrain products. Whole grain means the entire grain kernel of wheat or corn was used to make the product, while multigrain means that more than one type of grain went into the making process after the grains were refined and stripped of their nutritional value. She also mentioned that the shorter the ingredient label, the less processed the food is, and fat free does not mean healthy or nonfattening. Usually, one gram of fat is replaced with three grams of refined sugar and flour, noted Kotecki.

The weekly food for thought was: “Always try new things because it is exciting, and it keeps you active and alive.”

—Jan Friedland

Beverly Bender and Marshia Larson