Why you've got to read the labels.

EileenG

I bought one of the M&S "Dine in for 12.50" combos today. A lovely piece of salmon, a medley of green beans and peas with flakes of parmesan, a chocolate bread pudding and a bottle of wine.

Everything was lovely, but you should have seen the calories rack up. The salmon and greens worked out at 500 cals each, and the chocolate pudding worked out at a staggering 965 calories per portion. The wine didn't give calories, but a nice strong red generally averages about 80-90 cals per glass.

That one meal contained almost a day's worth of calories, and that's without adding a single thing to it.

corkcomp

that doesnt really surprise me with M&S food! at least they DO show the calorie / nutrient breakdown so people can make an informed decision ... The choc bread pudding isnt going to become a health food anytime soon lol! If somebody isnt actively trying to loose weight and has a DECENT exercise program consisting of adequate cardio + resistance training its probably not a good idea to go overboard with the calorie counting? in my experience the human body seems to balance things out itself a lot of the time

cozmik

Do you think it is safe to always trust what the labels say?

corkcomp

cozmik wrote: »

Do you think it is safe to always trust what the labels say?

personally, YES i absolutely trust the labels on prepackaged food esp if a reputable brand. A lot of the M&S stuff and the tesco stuff also (take the choc pudding for example) has huge coloured labels which clearly show that they have a huge calorie / sat fat / sugar content. If you start telling people that labels are inaccurate (which they no doubt are a small % of the time) you will get people going off eatting crap and saying the label is wrong anyway so why bother reading it!!!:D

rubadub

cozmik wrote: »

Do you think it is safe to always trust what the labels say?

Yes, but the problem is many people are illiterate when it comes to nutritional info. They can be very deceptive, especially in regards to portion size. The majority of what I would consider single size pizzas quote half pizza calories on the front. And don't get me started on cereals!

I have spotted a few mistakes on labels before, they were obvious to me, but maybe not others. I expect there could be smaller mistakes but I would not think they are intentional. Whereas the "legal deception" is defintitely intentional.

Also never read the front of the packs! the real info is in the small print on the back;)

hunnymonster

cozmik wrote: »

Do you think it is safe to always trust what the labels say?

There was a report about 2 years ago (I think it was which) and some of the nutritional information was 25% off! I think they only looked at macro nutrients. I was very surprised as up until then I had been taking the numbers as gospel.

EileenG

Being a paranoid anal-retentive type, I not only read the whole label, I compare it to other labels to see how it compares. So there is a small difference in the macros of the salmon sold in Tesco and M&S, but not enough to be significant, so I'm inclined to believe both. (180 cals per 100g for Tesco, 203 cals per 100g for M&S, but the M&S still has the skin on). When I see salmon claiming to have only 120 cals per 100g, I ask questions.

And you sometimes find labels where the amounts given for the protein, fat and carbs don't add up to the total number of calories listed. But generally not for the big producers. Americans seem worse for that.

Oh, in case anyone is interested, I didn't eat the choclate pudding, I divided it out between my husband and three children, and two of them didn't finish it, saying it was too sweet.

What are these combos? I never shop in M&S anymore.

EileenG

It's a special they are doing at the moment. A main course, including side dish, a dessert and a bottle of wine for 12.50. There are only certain things which qualify but it's still great value. If I had bought the various things separately, they would have cost 25 euro. The salmon on its own was 7.99.

rubadub

EileenG wrote: »

When I see salmon claiming to have only 120 cals per 100g, I ask questions.

A common scam is to include the brine/syrup in the overall weight, so it brings the calories down. WW just water down most of their foods in the sauce.