Food Labeling and Calorie Counting...Calling all stat nerds! (final cut!)

Many of us read labels to make the most informed choices about what we eat.  Some of us (cough cough) track calories for weight management purposes and appreciate truth in labeling.  Others have health problems and must rely on truth in labeling to manage a disease.

I read labels so that I can look like this (I kid.)  I could do without the 80's day-glow lime-green high-cut bikini.

Just for yuks, I decided to let my fingers do the walking over to the FDA's web page that describes the process of acquiring a nutrition label. It didn't take long for my head to start spinning.  It is very costly, time-consuming and amazingly complex.  If you have nothing to do for the next 3 years, I highly recommend that you read this document.  Here's just one paragraph that I had to share.  I love all of the Greek letters...check it out:

 , where

 = the sum of squared differences between each nutrient value and the mean of the n
                                 (number of) analyses


FUN STUFF!


Of note is that manufacturers are allowed some margin of error- in some cases up to 20%.  And they are allowed to round numbers up or down.  For those calorie counters out there, this means you are likely underestimating your intake if you rely on packaged foods.  This is also true of other macronutrients as well as micronutrients.


In my own kitchen, I have personally noticed this 'margin of error' in three ways.

1. Variations in physical weight leading to underestimating of calories
2. Macronutrient numbers not adding up properly leading to underestimating of calories
3. Errors of unknown origin leading to underestimating of calories

Notice anything in common?  Let me bottom line it for those who just want the headlines:


Bottom line:  If you rely on information on labels for your packaged foods, know that you are likely ingesting more calories than you might be led to believe.  I would only recommend weighing or whipping out the calculator if it's a product that you consume on a frequent basis.  Otherwise, it shouldn't make much difference to your caloric bottom line and therefore, your bottom.


And now comes the nitty-gritty for those who want to know how to read a label and see if it is being somewhat accurate.   For everyone else:  The End.  Buh Bye.  Thanks for reading.


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THE NITTY GRITTY: 


Now, for the stat-geeks and detail-oriented nerds, I will share the results of my SmoothieGirl Kitchen "laboratory" tests of a few random products I happen to have around the house.


VARIATIONS IN WEIGHT:


This is very common, especially with cereals and bread products. A word to the wise:  when a label states that it has "ABOUT 2 servings", that means that there is a 100% chance that it does not have exactly 2 servings.  Simply know that you WILL be rounding the numbers up in most cases, and move on. 

Why the little cloud?  Because if you think this contains two servings, you are dreaming.

Below:  Ezekial 4:9 Cinnamon Raisin bread:  Stated calories per slice:  80.  Actual calories per slice based on weight:  93. (yes I weighed every slice, sigh)

Stated serving size:  34 g

Actual Serving Size 44g- Oops.  That's 100 calories and NOT 80

Above: Trader Joe's Honey Wheat Hot dog Buns: Stated calories per bun 160.  Actual calories based on weight and CORRECT addition of macronutrient grams:  180 
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Below: Trader Joe's Seasoned Seaweed snacks.  Stated calories per pack: 60.  Actual calories:  84.

A current favorite snack:  Seasoned Seaweed



Remember, you're dreaming if you think there's two servings at 30 calories each

Turns out it's more like 84 calories, not 60

Also, beware of some (crumbly) cereals:  the volume of serving (eg 1/2 cup) might not be equal to the weight of serving ( eg. 43g).  Especially, as you get to the bottom of your cereal box, the cereal gets much denser as all of the flakes have broken into tinier pieces.  So you have more cereal packed into a smaller volume of space.  Capiche?


VARIATIONS IN "MATHEMATICS".


Without going all Rain-man on you, here are the basics on how to read a label:

• Each macronutrient (Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat) contain a certain number of calories per gram in weight.  Carbohydrates and Protein each contain 4 calories per gram.  Fat contains 9.

• When you 'do the math,' all of the macronutrient calories should add up to the total number of calories in a serving. (Example given below)

• Sometimes, manufacturers treat FIBER calories (which are carbohydrates) or SUGAR ALCOHOLS (often used in sugar-free products) as free calories as they are not absorbed or processed in the body.  So they subtract those calories from the total, thus being able to demonstrate a lower calorie count.  My question:  are we to deduct the calories in fiber from an apple as well?

Smoothie Kitchen Example of 'number fudging':  My beloved Skinny Mini shake: 

There she is again, my idol-ha .

WHAT!!!?? ONLY 80 Calories per serving!!?? Yeah, not so much.

I bought this product years ago when I was being super careful with my calories.  It stated that it only had 80 calories while most protein powders have about 100-130 per serving (for about 30 grams of weight.) I did the Grocery Store Happy Dance and ran home with my new acquisition.  However, 'twas a very sad day when I decided to "do the math."


OK I lied.  I'm going to go all Rain Man on you after all... but it's all for demonstrative purposes.  You can thank me later.

Skinny Mini states that a serving has 80 calories, BUT remembering our macronutrient calories from earlier in the lecture post...

• 1 gram of fat... 1 X 9 = 9 cals
• 17 grams of carbs...17 X 4 = 68 cals
• 9 grams of protein... 9 X 4 = 36 cals
• TOTAL = 9 + 68 + 36 = 113 cals (not 80 as stated)

Notice that there are 3 grams of fiber and 9 grams of sugar alcohols.  12 X 4 = 36.   By subtracting (ignoring) the fiber and sugar alcohol counts, this leaves 77 calories, which they round up to 80.  WOW! I feel like Lisbet Sanders without the photographic memory or computer hacking ability.  That was fun.




OTHER ERRORS:


When the fabulous Allie, the queen Pimp of Protein, came to visit, we had to hit up the Asian market.

Allie at the Asian Market wondering why I'm taking her photo.

We found these:

This is a big bag of big bad-boy sumo-wrestler gauge seaweed.

Love love love love love.  We were both in love.  Both with the flavor and the stats.

In teeny tiny writing (and also in Japanese) it hails 70 calories per serving!!  140 calories per bag?!  For thick, crunchy, oil-kissed bliss?  Not so much.  Try closer to 300 calories. Truth be known, I'd rather have had Cheetos.  Just being honest.

It turns out that I also procured a very similar product (unphotographed as it was demolished and the evidence tossed) that quoted the calories as being double: DOUBLE at 150 per serving! Due to the horrific discrepancy, I decided to investigate.  It turns out that the actual WEIGHT did not add up correctly for the 70-calorie seaweed.  So what I believed to be a 140-calorie packed was now approaching 300.  No bueno!

Just for comparison, the TJs seaweed on the left and the Sumo Seaweed on the right

The TJs version, while higher in calories than stated, has no oil and is wafer thin.  The Sumo-Wrestler version on the right is big, fat, chewy-yet-crunchy, oily and DELICIOUS.  In other words...Too good to be true.

Bottom line:  If it tastes THAT GOOD, it probably has more calories than you think.


My final thoughts: 

If you are a non-calorie tracker and you've made it this far, you are now officially my BFF. You deserve a medal.  Send me your deets so that I can Friend you on Facebook and Follow you on Twitter. 

If you do track calories but you're thinking: "What's the big deal?  20 calories here 30 calories there, who cares?"  

Well, let's hypothesize that you consumed one Ezekial sandwich 5 days a week for 50 weeks (not Christmas week and not Thanksgiving week...that would just be wrong), you would consume a sneaky extra 6500 calories in a year WITHOUT KNOWING IT!  And that's just for ONE product.  Think about all of the packaged goods that you consume on a regular basis! I can think of a lot of things I'd rather do with those calories rather than gaining nearly 2 pounds of fat, thanks all the same.


Q:  Do you eat many packaged food items? Do you read labels?  Do you care about variances? Do you track calories?  Do you put products back on the shelf after seeing statistics that you don't like?

Why I still count calories...

Preamble ramble:

This 'post' is actually the introduction to the post that I accidentally published a couple of days ago about labels and calorie-counting. It wasn't quite ready then, but now the real post is up.  I wanted to say a few words before you read it...

First I'd like to say that in this day and age when 'intuitive eating' is the healthy holy grail, my post may not speak to everyone.  It might even be slightly unpopular.

I have tried intuitive eating without tracking my calories many times and somehow it always ends in weight gain.  Truth be known, I used to consult regularly with one of the two original nutritionists who wrote the book entitled Intuitive Eating.  I've also been to many Geneen Roth lectures and read her books.  So far, it hasn't clicked for me.  I said "So far."

So while I do not restrict my calories, I take a certain pleasure in keeping track of them.  If I have a day that is a bit higher than I'd like, it feels oddly freeing to document it in my little rainbow notebook (there, I admitted it) and move on.  At the moment, I do not feel ruled by the numbers, nor do they feel like a problem to manage.  At this time, tracking data seems to be the only thing that keeps my weight in a comfortable zone.  Maybe it is the 'accountability factor.'  I'm not entirely sure.


Incidentally, my number-tracking is not entirely about vanity (despite my tongue-in-cheek remarks indicating otherwise.)  It is about fitting into my existing wardrobe and feeling comfortable in my own skin.  I gave up the hopes for being uber lean about three years ago.  Now I am just striving for 'normal.'  I've already relaxed some of my 'rules' so I feel that I am headed in the right direction.


What does this preamble ramble have to do with you?

If you can eat intuitively without relying on stats and numbers, then I strongly urge you to continue to do so.  Please do not start weighing food, calculating macronutrients or counting calories just for the fun of it.  It's just like drinking wine.  Just because a tea-totaler wants to reduce her risk of heart disease, does NOT mean she should take up drinking red wine! 


So without rambling on even further, I'll direct you back to the original post on calorie-counting and nutritional labels.


I hope that someone gets some benefit from it and that you don't throw virtual tomatoes at me ;-)

Whoops!

Um, that's a little bit embarrassing:  Premature post publishing. (PPP)  Happens to all of us on occasion, right?  Tee hee.  I'll blame the heat.  It's about 110 in Los Angeles today.  Why is it 110 in late September?  Because when it was foggy and drizzly all summer long, Angelinos begged for some sunshine.  Serves us right.

For all of you who receive my posts in RSS Feedburner or through Google Reader you will have received a very rough post without any photos (or wit) entitled "Food Labeling and Calorie-counting:  calling all Stat Nerds".  Please pretend you never saw it (now you'll go read it, won't you!).   SORRY.  I will post this properly in a few days!

The rest of you are existing in blissful ignorance.  Nice, isn't it?

Meanwhile, I can't just send out this post without SOMETHING to give you.  I should have seen it as a sign:   Samantha NEVER lays down on my laptop.  But today, with a very concerned look on her little furry face, there she was...

Mummy I urge you...  do NOT hit "Publish"

Sigh, I shouldda listened to my cat. 

Q:  Do you listen to your pets or kids?  Is it ridiculously hot where you live?  Am I babbling?

Plan B: Impromptu Track & Field workout AND Brighton Bloggie meetup

So often in life, we have a plan A.  And when it doesn't work out, you need to abort mission and switch to plan B.  I have a couple of recent examples on the topic (UK/US translations where necessary.)

While (UK: whilst) visiting our friends in a town near London, England, our friend gave me a free pass to a large community gym.  Being Type A so that I could make a Plan A, I checked the fine print which basically said "Just bring in this coupon and in no time you will be sweating your azz (UK: arse) off". 

Sadly for me- The self-dubbed 'Gym Gypsy'- this was a flagrant lie (UK: a load of bollocks.)  When I arrived at K2 Crawley with a bottle of water, a towel, and that eager 'get me to the weight rack' look on my face, I was turned away.  Why?  Apparently I was supposed to call (UK: ring) ahead to make a "30-minute induction appointment (US: 'so that you don't get hurt and sue us') with a consultant (US:  salesperson)"   I refrained from bellowing out in my finest California accent, "WHAT?!  Are you KIDDING ME?! I only have an hour to get my SWEAT ON and then I have a very important bloggie date in Brighton!"  This snafu called for a side-trip to Plan B.  I high-tailed it out to the running track that I happened to spot out back.

What would I like to do with this pass?  Um, how about "use it, thanks?"

Not only was there a track, but there were BLEACHERS (swoon!) and staircases up the wazoo! (Woohoo!) 

A shockingly clear and sunny day in Merry Ole England

In addition, there was what looked to be a bunch of trash (UK: rubbish) and junk underneath one of the staircases,

"One man's trash is another girl's treasure...."

Upon closer inspection it was a gold mine of workout toys for a determined exerciser.  Let's see, what have we got?

• Disused street sign.  Plan A:  to help people negotiate the many crazy and dangerous roundabouts (US:  Eek, WTF!?)  Plan B:  T-bar rows.  

• 22 kg Umbrella stand.  Plan A:  to help prevent spectators from getting wet.  Plan B:  Perfect amount of weight to hold for front squats, sumo squats & stiff-legged dead lifts.

22Kg- that'll do nicely!

Umbrella Stand Front Squat

Umbrella Stand Sumo Squat

Umbrella Stand Stiff-Legged Deadlift

•   Kegs of Strongbow Cider and Fosters Lager (empty I assume?).  What are they doing at an athletic center (UK: centre) I ask you?  Plan A:  to get many hooligans drunk.  Plan B:   faux 'bench' to use for pushups and tricep dips.

Kegs?  At a Fitness Centre?

Strongbow Tricep Dip

For the un-initiated, Strongbow is an Apple Cider...and NOT your granny's apple cider either, unless she happened to be the Queen Mum.

Australian for "I need to do some pushups, mate"

On reflection, I'm so glad that the K2 gym pass didn't work out.  In fact it was a shockingly sunny day and would have been a shame to train inside.  Plan B went from "Bollocks to Badazz!" in 60 minutes.

Notice in the background: A group of Mums and a trainer...I named them "Mums with great bums"

Now onto the other plan B:  Brighton Bloggie Bash: Who could it be?  Someone that I met before in London.

Tamzin!

Tamzin! of Salad and Sequins.  She is a super sweet and fun girl who just got her Personal Trainer's license AND got a job at fabo gym in the sea-side town of Brighton.


Our plan A was to bring our sneakers and do a power walk around Brighton, but we opted for plan B:  


We ate veggie burgers and wraps at a vegetarian restaurant in "the lanes"...

Veggie sausage wrap and Sweet potato wedges?  Um, yes please!

We sipped Americanos (I was just being patriotic) from Starbucks...

This served as 'dessert' for the time being.  Notice the English magazine Tamzin gave me.

We strolled around Brighton in flip flops on a gloriously sunny and slightly windy day...

Tamzin in front of Brighton Palace

In front of Brighton Pier

And of course we had to go back to plan A... for Asian market.  I think that all food bloggers love Asian Markets. No?

Buying seasoned seaweed and green tea noodles!

 Tamzin's sweet recap of our afternoon here.  

Then it was back to plan B again:  as in Bye-bye Tamzin...I'm  Back on the train to London under Blue skies.

Today, plan B was Brilliant! 


Q: How do you deal with last minute changes?  Do you try to plan things out ahead of time?  Do you love Asian Markets?