NUTRITION LABEL ACCURACY

 I thought id  start a different thread about this topic that wasnt  seafood related .....

there IS a lot of mislabeling ive found in processed foods in America .   I think its very important to be able to read labels correctly and accurately rather than wishful- thinkingly as the grocery industry  wishes we would ( and most people do ) 

I have many friends with weight issues who simply look at the  nutrition label and if they see under 3 grams of fat per serving ( or under 5 or under 10 in the case of an entree ) they will buy the item .

The big problem with this is that the companies are aware of people 's patterns so they spin the serving size to accomodate this glancing - for instance , claiming there are 24 servings in a single small package of cookies .  

Now im sure this is equally true for carbs .. I just don****ch those .

There is also another funky law in their favor in this country that allows them to claim zero fat in a product if there is less than one gram of fat per serving .  This by the way is true nowhere else in the world that I know of , not in Canada , not in Europe .   

What this means in PRACTICE is if the company claims to have zero fat per seving but to have 24 servings in  a tiny container ..that MEANS  there are 23 grams of ugly fat -making FAT in that container !!!!  This is one of the MAIN reasons people on very lowfat diets have  a hard time losing ..... because of rampant deceptive labeling . 

Dont get me wrong - its great to have fat free Oreo cookies and fat free chips and fat free ice cream available ...even if its only somewhat low fat and somewhat fattening .....because the real thing is much more so ...but  the REALITY  makes portion control MUCH more important .

So whenever I see a package now , i just multiply the fat per serving by the amount of servings and say - I SEE you , you 25 gram  of fat item -  in other words , youre HALF the  fat of a big mac , you naughty box of fat free cookies ........ 

then i may eat one or two if i cant stand the temptation ..but never ( anymore ) the whole box . 

Well, I do count carbs...

Net carbs versus actual carbs are what get me.

You see labels, esp on things like protein bars adveertising zero impact!
Example, this one at GNC that is a meal replacement bar:
VPX Zero Impact™ High Protein Mealbar - Pumpkin Supreme
Every effort has been made to make sure that the sugars contained in this bar have a minimal impact on blood sugar and insulin. Consequently, the majority of sugars contained in the ZERO IMPACT™ High Protein, Meal Replacement Bar (MRB™) are low DE (Dextrose Equivalent) and, therefore, have significantly less impact on blood sugar and glycemic index than most whole grain carbohydrates.

BUT I am diabetic, I have to count TOTAL carbs not "IMPACT" carbs. So I look on the label and there in black and white reads 40 carbs! Now I take ONE unit of insulin for every 5 carbs. That's an extra 8 units for just that one bar.

I can eat as MUCH meat as I want and not use any insulin. A CUP of brocolli is 15 carbs (3 units). I can completely fill up on far more and get far more pleasure out of my meal eating real food. And FAT, fat also has NO carbs...I can eat fat and it doesn't count against me either.

Liz

Here is another example.  I love Sobe life water. I don't drink it often because of the cost, but it is one of the few things out there besides water that is available most stores.  It says boldly 0 calories on the front.  However, if you read the back of the lable, it also says 6g carbs.  How can 6 grams of carbs have no calories.  I asked my NUT about it and she was not sure but did say it was ok to drink while I am on Optifast and after surgery.
Any other folks out there who like this product, I can now get them at Dollar General for $1 where they are 1.69 everywhere else for the same size, same thing.

Here is the label information I found on Sobe Life Water, how it can claim 0 calories is beyond me:

http://www.pepsiproductfacts.com

Nutrition and Ingredient Information For Bottles and Cans SoBe Lifewater Blackberry Grape SoBe Lifewater is a unique enhanced water beverage that gives you a high level of vitamins and antioxidants and is infused with natural herbs. Plus it's low in calories, using only natural sweeteners including sugar and erythritol. With its unique flavor combinations, Lifewater is naturally refreshing and thrilling! SoBe.com Nutrition Facts Serving size 8 fl oz (240 ml) For More Information on Serving Sizes Click Here.   PER SERVING 8 fl oz % DV* Calories 40 - Total Fat (g) 0 0 Sodium (mg) 20 1 Total Carbs (g) 16 5 Sugars (g) 9 - Protein (g) 0 - Vitamin A - 0 Vitamin C - 40 Calcium - 0 Iron - 0 Vitamin E - 20 Niacin - 10 Vitamin B6 - 10 Vitamin B12 - 10 Pantothenic Acid - 10 Not a significant source of other nutrients. *Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Ingredients FILTERED WATER, SUGAR, ERYTHRITOL, NATURAL FLAVOR, FUMARIC ACID, BLACK CARROT JUICE CONCENTRATE (COLOR), POTASSIUM CITRATE, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), CALCIUM LACTATE, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, L-THEANINE, VITAMIN E ACETATE, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, GUM ARABIC, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, YERBA MATE EXTRACT, NIACINAMIDE (VITAMIN B3), PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), CYANOCOBALAMIN (VITAMIN B12) Information reflects rounding as required by the Food & Drug Administration (21 CFR 101). This may produce occasional irregularities in some values when comparing information for different serving sizes. Product may not be available in all areas.

More Information Because You Asked   PER SERVING 8 fl oz % Juice 0          Caffeine (mg) 0          Potassium (mg) 20          Acesulfame Potassium (mg) 0          Aspartame (mg) 0          Sucralose (mg) 0

Last Updated: August 20, 2010

I would personal switch to Powerade Zero. It really has no calories. Liz

there are 2 types of Sobe. One that you have listed and one that says ) calories.  Still doesn't make sense that it has 6 carbs and no calories however.

That's the ONLY Sobe I found on the Pepsi site.

I'd still switch.

Liz

The information I found was from www.sobeworld.com

You do know it's a subsidary of Pepsi? Liz

Okay, this is how, second item on the label: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythritol

Plus, how big is the bottle? 

SoBe Lifewater Yumberry
Pomegranate - 0 Cal
SoBe Lifewater with PureVia is a unique 0-calorie, naturally sweetened enhanced water beverage that gives you a high level of vitamins and antioxidants and is infused with natural herbal ingredients. With unique flavor combinations, Lifewater is naturally refreshing and thrilling! To learn more about PureVia visit: www.purevia.com

SoBe.com

Nutrition Info
Serving size 8 fl oz (240 mL)
For More Information on Serving Sizes Click Here.

PER SERVING 8 fl oz % DV* Calories 0 - Total Fat (g) 0 0 Sodium (mg) 25 1 Total Carbs (g) 6 2 Sugars (g) 0 - Protein (g) 0 - Vitamin A - 0 Vitamin C - 100 Calcium - 0 Iron - 0 Vitamin E - 20 Niacin - 10 Vitamin B6 - 10 Vitamin B12 - 10 Pantothenic Acid - 10

Not a significant source of other nutrients.
*Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Ingredients
FILTERED WATER, ERYTHRITOL, NATURAL FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), XANTHAN GUM, CALCIUM LACTATE, POTASSIUM CITRATE, REB A (PURIFIED STEVIA EXTRACT), MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, COCHINEAL EXTRACT (COLOR), VITAMIN E ACETATE, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, GUM ARABIC, GINGER EXTRACT, DANDELION ROOT EXTRACT, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE (VITAMIN B5), NIACINAMIDE (VITAMIN B3), PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), CYANOCOBALAMIN (VITAMIN B12)

 

yeah, that looks like my bottles lable.  And the bottle is more than one serving, but each serving is 6 grams of carb so the whole bottle is 15 carbs and still, even if each serving is less than 1 calorie so they can say 0, the whole bottle is less than 3.