October 30, 2009, Newsletter Issue #191: Reading food labels - calorie count and fiber grams
Tip of the Week
Nutirional information on food labels shows total calories, which are the sum of calories from fat, carbohydrates, and protein - 9 Cal. for every gram of fat, 4 Cal. for 1 gram of carbs, and 4 Cal. for 1 gram of protein.
However, when they write 'carbohydrates' on a label, they mean so called Net carbs meaning total carb grams minus fiber grams.
This is a good news because it means less total calories. The bad news is 'hidden carbs' such as maltodextrin or dextrose, which are starch products and are in fact carbohydrates. Another group to be ware of are sugar alcohols or or polyols. If you see them an a label, count their grams as carbohydrate grams.
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