Calorie counting article in the times

brownej

Hilarious article in the times today about calories and calorie counting.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2013/0219/1224330208489.html?via=mr

Basically says that the calories dispalyed on food is incorrect and that they can be both underestimates and over estimates of the calories in the food.

Cooking also affects the bodies ability to absorb the calories in food. (Well no **** sherlock)

The funniest bit is at the end where it says that men need 2500 calories and women 2000 and if you consume just 20 calories above this you will put on 1kg of fat in a year.

I'm not sure that bemoaning the lack of accuracy in calorie numbers on food packaging and making sweeping generalisations about calorie requirements and putting on weight necessarily go together.

Hanley

I read that as "boards.ie poster knows more than Harvard Professor".

Jerrica

brownej wrote: »

Cooking also affects the bodies ability to absorb the calories in food. (Well no **** sherlock)

It might be obvious to you, but it's brand new science to the majority of the public. Let's not forget that the same public mistakes no-fat foods for healthy alternatives and then wonders why their waistlines expand week after week when they take out butter from their diets and horse the Flora down their necks.

Granted it's not a perfect article, but I'd rather see someone questioning "conventional wisdom" like this than banging on about whatever Maple Syrup diet Rhioncey Perry used to get to a size 0 for their last video.

brownej

Hanley wrote: »

I read that as "boards.ie poster knows more than Harvard Professor".

I'm not disputing the facts as outlined. Outdated methods from the 19th century for quantiying and measuring things is quite widespread.

What I am saying is that articles like this shouldn't quote generalisations about men and womens caloric requirements while at the same time highlighting the gneralisations and inaccuracies about food labeling.

Adding in a line that there is a variation in caloric requirements between indiiduals based on lifestyle and activity levels would have made the article more balanced.

brownej

Jerrica wrote: »

... Maple Syrup diet Rhioncey Perry used to get to a size 0 for their last video.

selectively quoting here but, whats this?

brownej

Just thinking about this a bit more...
In light of the equine meat controversy, how can we be sure about anything thats placed on food label.

From a simplistic stance I assume that horse and beef meat has a differnet calorie count and macro makeup. How did they come up with the numbers that went on these beef burgers when they didn't even know what wa in them?

brownej

brownej wrote: »

Just thinking about this a bit more...
In light of the equine meat controversy, how can we be sure about anything thats placed on food label.

From a simplistic stance I assume that horse and beef meat has a differnet calorie count and macro makeup. How did they come up with the numbers that went on these beef burgers when they didn't even know what wa in them?

Best to eat things that don't have labels on them.