Diet Foods Exaggerate Claims

[wosnes]

Interesting piece on the Today Show: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/ ... 6#37726086

Some have less calories and/or fat than they claim, some have significantly more.

[paulawylma]

I saw a news broadcast this morning and the anchor seemed offended that the FDA allows the calorie count to be 20% off. I'm not, I think that it is very reasonable. Think about it, if a food is supposed to have 300 calories, then it can have anywhere from 240 to 360 calories. I can see where these 120 calorie range could be upseting for someone who is counting calories and deluding themselves that they actually know how many calories is in the specific medium orange that they are eating. In actuality any "real" food is going to vary in calories and no one knows how many calories is in that particular orange. All calorie counts are estimates.

On the other hand, some of the fat percentages were way off and I cana see where that is much more controllable than calories.

Still it's a good reminder that we need to relax and listen to our bodies and not the words and the package.

[Nichole]

I count calories and I am well aware that the best I can do is a rough estimate. Good enough for me!

[reinhard]

I use the force (and my eyeballs). Worked great for my skinny ancestors, works great for me.

Reinhard

[Cassie]

Yes, I agree that it's unreasonable to expect calories to be THAT exact. It's a rough estimate which, in the long run, should be good enough for most people. I really don't believe putting on weight has to do with those 50-100 or whatever calories that someone is 'off' from their daily goal. It's a much bigger picture than that.