Dreamfields pasta calorie speculation

nehushtan

I've often wondered about calories and fiber. If it's true that fiber does not get digested, why should it count toward the calories in a serving of the food? I've also wondered often about the so-called "protected carbs" in Dreamfields brand pasta. If a 2-oz serving of Dreamfields has 41 carbs but only 5 of these are digestible because 5 are fiber and 31 are "protected", doesn't that mean the 190 calories per serving is also overstated?

Each gram of digestible carbohydrates is 4 calories, so if 36 of the carbs in in Dreamfields is undigestible, then instead of 190 calories a 2-oz serving would have 190 - 144 = 46 calories.

It turns out the makers of Dreamfields have already anticipated this and have this to say in the FAQ section of their web site:

The FDA requires that the Dreamfields’ Nutrition Facts Panel state 190 calories per 2 ounce dry serving. However, since only about 5 grams of the 41 grams of total carbohydrate are digested, the calorie count of Dreamfields per label serving may actually be closer to 130 (see formulas below). Current FDA rules do not have a provision for accurately accounting for the calorie impact of the protected carbohydrates in Dreamfields.

Explanation of total calories (shown as 190 calories per label serving): Like traditional pasta, 190 calories per label serving reflects that most carbohydrates (about 36 grams) contribute 4 calories per gram. In Dreamfields Pasta dietary fiber (5 grams), which is part of the total carbohydrates per label serving, contributes less than 4 calories per gram. (Insoluble fibers contribute 0 calories; soluble fibers vary between 1.5 to 2.5 calories per gram, yielding some energy from by-products of fermentation in the colon.) The math for 190 calorie per label serving is calculated:

9 calories from 1 gram of fat
+ 28 calories from 7 grams of protein
+ 144 calories from 36 grams of carbohydrates (starches and sugars)
+ 6 calories from 3 grams of soluble dietary fiber (assuming about 2 calories/gram)
+ 3 calories to correct for rounding
= 190 calories per label serving.

Explanation of 130 calories (per label serving): Theoretically the protected (undigested) carbohydrates in Dreamfields would contribute about 2 calories per gram, versus 4 calories per gram from starches and sugars, since protected carbohydrates behave like soluble fibers. This would reduce the calories actually absorbed from a serving to about 130 calories. In round numbers the math for a serving of Dreamfields pasta is this:

9 calories from 1 gram of fat
+ 28 calories from 7 grams of protein
+ 20 calories from 5 grams of digestible carbohydrates (starches and sugars)
+ 72 calories from 36 grams of protected carbohydrates, including the fiber,
which theoretically contribute about 2 calories per gram
- 1 calorie to correct for rounding
= 130 calories per label serving.

In order to claim 130 calories per label serving on the Nutrition Facts Panel -- or to make a reduced-calorie claim -- significant testing must be completed. There is, however, scientific evidence to support the assumptions noted above. Until then, the FDA requires that Dreamfields Pasta be labeled with total calories of 190 per 2 ounce dry serving.

So I learn two things from this: 1) The FDA considers a gram of "soluble fiber" to contribute half the calories of a regular carbohydrate (2 calories instead of 4), and 2) The makers of Dreamfields pasta are (conservatively) estimating that each "protected carb" is similar to a soluble fiber.

But the fact is no one knows exactly how many real calories are being processed. Not enough testing has been performed. Still I think the final calorie count for a 2-oz serving will probably lie between the aggressive number (46) and their conservative number (130). I'm going to think about it some more, but I will probably add some new entries in MFP's database to capture the 130 estimate.

tinydancer24

That is an awesome speculation and Dreamfield and the FDA needs to get on the same page. I certainly won't feel as guilty if I happen to go over my calorie count on the days that I eat this product....which I LOVE by the way!!!

nehushtan

OK, I added all of the Dreamfields varieties to the database with 130 calories per serving. In the name of each item I included the comment "(Net Calories 130)" so hopefully everyone will understand that these entries do not need to be "corrected" to the nutrition label info. The original entries remain as they were (190 calories each), I did not fiddle with them.

If you want to add one of these to your diary, search for Dreamfields 130 and you will see the seven varieties listed.

Better living through science! Without chemicals life itself would be impossible!

Excelsior!