Why don't the numbers add up?

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rickdkitson
rickdkitson Posts: 86 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Total calories in a food should add up to 9x Fat Grams+ 4 x Protein Grams + 4 x carb grams.

However, for a great many foods, this is not even close.

This is true for packaged processed foods on the manufacturers labeling and on foods here where people have entered in the nutritional value for a generic food.

For example, a Chiqui (sic) Banana in MFP data base is listed at 220 calories but only 30 grams of carbs and 1 of protein for 124 calories by calculation.

I can understand it being a calorie or two out due to rounding errors but this is too much.

Replies

  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Rounding and users entering the data wrong are probably the two biggest reasons.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    Use the USDA food database to search for things such as 'bananas, raw'. Copy as follows: "09040, Bananas, raw" and paste that into the mfp food database to find a database listing which should, but doesn't always, exactly match the USDA food database listing for that item. Users are permitted to edit the mfp database and many do. It is a very powerful tool, so use it cautiously. The USDA database is not user-editable. The Self.com nutrition database is not user editable. I'd use the Self.com site if they weren't so heavy on pop-up ads. The USDA site is an invaluable (that is, the value is inestimable, or in other words, highly valuable) resource.
  • Rammer123
    Rammer123 Posts: 679 Member
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    Or because some carbs aren't 4 calories per gram.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
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    RAD_Fitness wrote: »
    Or because some carbs aren't 4 calories per gram.

    You mean fiber alters this number.
  • Rammer123
    Rammer123 Posts: 679 Member
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    Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »
    RAD_Fitness wrote: »
    Or because some carbs aren't 4 calories per gram.

    You mean fiber alters this number.

    Yes and sugar alcohols.

    Not in his example per se, but it's a reason why you can't always just multiple by 4 and 9 to get the calories.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    RAD_Fitness wrote: »
    Or because some carbs aren't 4 calories per gram.

    Which ones? Carbohydrate as a macro is 4 calories per gram.
  • Rammer123
    Rammer123 Posts: 679 Member
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    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    RAD_Fitness wrote: »
    Or because some carbs aren't 4 calories per gram.

    Which ones? Carbohydrate as a macro is 4 calories per gram.

    Fiber and sugar alcohols are carbs but do not have 4 calories per gram
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    RAD_Fitness wrote: »
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    RAD_Fitness wrote: »
    Or because some carbs aren't 4 calories per gram.

    Which ones? Carbohydrate as a macro is 4 calories per gram.

    Fiber and sugar alcohols are carbs but do not have 4 calories per gram

    I thought it was actually that fiber does have 4 calories per gram, but passes through the body so those calories are not absorbed.

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