To keep sodium intake down to 2400 mg., don't add salt in cooking or at the table. Fiber No precise figures can be set for optimal fiber intake, but it is believed that an intake of 20 to 35 grams per day of dietary fiber is both safe and adequate for healthy adults. Nutrition labels now list the dietary fiber content of food products. The foods highest in fiber are some cereals, beans, peas and lentils. Cholesterol Cholesterol intake should be no more than 100 mg.
Cholesterol is created in the livers of animals, and is found only in foods that come from animals.
No plant products contain cholesterol, but some have saturated fats and can cause our livers to produce too much cholesterol. It is just as important to maintain a low intake of fat in general, and saturated fat in particular, as it is to keep our intake of cholesterol low. It is agreed that fat intake is the single greatest problem in the American diet. Our high intake of fats puts us at increased risk for heart diseases, cancer, obesity and diabetes. Using the nutrition facts label, you can calculate the percentage of the calories from fat in a food by using the following formula.