This might be one for you, Doreen Label Queen!

OK, I'm sitting here with a package of frozen spinach in front of me. Here's what is says on the label:

Per 1/3 package:
Calories 31
Protein 2.9
Fat 0.3
Total carbs 4.0
Sugars 0
Starch 1
Dietary Fibre 3

OK, so I do my math:

.3 (fat) x 9 = 2.7 calories
2.9 (protein) x 4 = 11.6 calories
4 (carbs from fibre and starch) x 4 = 16 calories

2.7 + 11.6 + 16 = 30.3 calories

....which means they must be including the fibre in the calorie count! Because if you only include the starch grams (since there are no sugar grams), the totals don't add up.

Am I doing this right? Am I missing something?

Rachel

Yes, you did it right. Total carbs means just that, the total of sugar, fibre and starch. You can however subtract the fibre grams when you are calculating your carb intake because they are not absorbed by the body.

Thanks, Deirdre, but I'm still a bit puzzled....do you mean they include the fibre in the calorie count? I thought fibre didn't count toward calories, because it's not digestible, and that's why we can subtract it from the carb count. But then it shouldn't count toward the calorie count either....should it? However, by my calculations, it does!

As I keep telling my students, I do English, not math.....

Rachel

I understand exactly what you're saying. The problem is with the calories showing, not the carb count. It would seem the calories are wrong, they seem a bit high to me anyway.

How big is the original package? Or,, how big is a serving, in grams or oz.? I think 10 oz. is the standard size for a pkg., so that would be 284 gm or 300 gm??

Anyway, from the USDA -

a 10 oz. pkg chopped frozen spinach

calories - 68.16
protein - 8.293
fat - 0.88
total carbs - 11.36
fiber - 8.52

so, 1/3 of a pkg. would be -
calories - 22.72
protein - 2.764
fat - 0.293
total carbs - 3.787
fiber - 2.84

Obviously, on your package, they've rounded up the figures, which is fine. But the calories are way out. That happens sometimes. My fave brand of x-firm tofu used to list the carbs as 12 gm per serving of 1/3 pkg...... Then they got new packaging, what do you know, there's 12 grams in the whole thing, only 4 grams per serving -- minus fiber of course, which I had to look up elsewhere.

I also realise even so, that the total carbs still don't jive 100% with the listed sugar/starch/fiber numbers. Partly this is due to the rounding up of figures, and partly because, some of the fiber is soluble, meaning it is digested, and there is a caloric content, although it doesn't affect insulin or blood sugar levels. That's a whole long other ARTICLE I might write in the future, too much to deal with here. Long-story-short, don't worry about it.

Use the carb count minus fiber as listed on the pkg. Their calorie calculation is wrong, it's too high.

Doreen

Thanks Doreen. It _is_ odd, isn't it?

Yes, my package of spinach is the standard size, 300 gm.

What they must be doing is adding the fibre to the calorie count on my package. That's the only way the numbers work out. Why they do that, I dunno!

You're right, the numbers still don't work out with the USDA figures. Soluble fibre, hmmm.

AAARRRGGGHHH!

Well, I'm gonna go ahead and eat LOTS of spinach anyway! So there, label-makers!

Rachel

hey Rachel,

How about trying real spinach! I bought one box of frozen spinach in my entire life, and the taste and texture just threw me for a loop. YUK.

I think there's something downright SPIRITUAL about having to wash those leaves in several changes of water to get rid of the sand. **roflmao**

Doreen

NOT! It doesn't matter how many times I wash it, I always end up with the "crunch." !

You think frozen is bad, ever try canned? I did. Once.

Rachel