Can we trust what we see on packaged food in supermarkets?

Many of the popular weight loss eating plans available require a limitation of carbs in the diet – so what do we learn from inspecting a label a bit more?

Look at this picture below.  What do you see?

4g net carbs…

This week we received an email from a client  with a question about this Keto Pudding pictured.

Our client is new to our Quick Start Program (QS).  The Natural Way Quick Start Eating Plan is low in carbohydrates and high in protein – a very popular and sure way to lose weight, we know that… Quick Start recommends a total of 15 -20 gms of carbs per day – so it is important that the counting is done correctly!

The easy part following this eating plan is that there are no carb counts in protein.  Carb counts apply only to fruit and vegetables; Or so we thought…

You can guarantee whenever you buy anything in a packet; there will be carbs lurking in the mix. 

But just how many carbs is the question?

On the front of this packet of Keto Pudding, we clearly see 4g NET CARBS. 

However, the Nutritional Facts (on back) shows 4 servings per container.

‘Amount Per Serving’ shows; Total Carbohydrate 9g. 

So how does it work? 

How do we get from 4g net carbs on the front of the packet to Total Carbohydrate of 9g? (answer at end)

By looking at the information on the label you would not know.

The answer of course lies in the carbs found in the milk that is added – and it varies depending on the type of milk you choose…

Following the Instructions; mixing a packet into 2 cups of milk… and which type you choose will change the carb count:

e.g.

• Using Rice Milk the carb count per 100ml is 13g (per 250ml it is 32.5g carbs)
• Using Full Cream Milk the carb count per 100ml is 4.8g (per 250ml it is 12g carbs)

So with 2 cups of Full Cream Milk the calculation is: 12×2 = 24g carb. Plus the 4gm of carb in the packet mix. Total carb count is then 28. Divide by 4 serves = 7g per serving.

This is getting close to the 9g which is listed on the Nutritional facts.

Following our Quick Start Eating Plan (QS), you can replace the carbs ‘grams’ with ‘points’ – to make sense?

On QS you are allowed between 15 and 20 carbs per day – so beware the pitfalls of NOT reading (all of it) and trusting your labels!!!

Can we trust what we see on packaged food in supermarkets?

NO – but you should take care with reading and believing the promoted ‘punchline’ on food labels – always read the details and question the information.