Pickle - zero calories?

Annette8479
Annette8479 Posts: 82 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Today I had a pre-packaged pickle in a plastic bag from 7-11. It's called Van Holten's dill pickle. Why am I not convinced this was ZERO CALORIES? I mean cucumbers are not zero calories. And what about the vinegar or whatever is used to make pickles into pickles. Then I definitely tasted some saltiness in the pickle. I don't know...does anyone have any input on the packaging of this pickle saying zaro calories?

Replies

  • thinnnnnnner
    thinnnnnnner Posts: 89
    Uh, all the pickles I've ever logged have been 3-5 cal/pickle... unless it's genetically modified or something... :|
  • SouffleBoy
    SouffleBoy Posts: 65 Member
    Today I had a pre-packaged pickle in a plastic bag from 7-11. It's called Van Holten's dill pickle. Why am I not convinced this was ZERO CALORIES? I mean cucumbers are not zero calories. And what about the vinegar or whatever is used to make pickles into pickles. Then I definitely tasted some saltiness in the pickle. I don't know...does anyone have any input on the packaging of this pickle saying zaro calories?

    Isn't this an american thing where if the food is less than 5 calories it can be marked as 0 calories? So its probably around 4-5 calories rather than 0 calories which is impossible for something which has substances your body can metabolise.
  • Silverkittycat
    Silverkittycat Posts: 1,997 Member
    Don't bother logging it unless you're watching sodium.
  • TexanThom
    TexanThom Posts: 778
    I have had some of these pickles where there are 5 servings in one bag. 4 or 5 calories per serving=20 to 25 calories. I am more worried about the sodium in that many servings.
  • Annette8479
    Annette8479 Posts: 82 Member
    But even 5 calories doesn't seem right for this yummy, salty, big pickle!
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    Just poking around on other sites, they say Van Hoten's pickles are 0 cals and about 520mg of sodium per 1 oz. If these are the pickle-in-a-bag that I remember from childhood, they sure aren't 1 oz pickles.

    As SouffleBoy said, U.S. allows foods to be marked as 0 if they have less than a certain percentage of calories/sodium/whatever in them.
  • Ruthe8
    Ruthe8 Posts: 423 Member
    Today I had a pre-packaged pickle in a plastic bag from 7-11. It's called Van Holten's dill pickle. Why am I not convinced this was ZERO CALORIES? I mean cucumbers are not zero calories. And what about the vinegar or whatever is used to make pickles into pickles. Then I definitely tasted some saltiness in the pickle. I don't know...does anyone have any input on the packaging of this pickle saying zaro calories?

    Isn't this an american thing where if the food is less than 5 calories it can be marked as 0 calories? So its probably around 4-5 calories rather than 0 calories which is impossible for something which has substances your body can metabolise.
    Yes, zero calories actually means less than 5. You've probably burned off that many typing this post.
  • SouffleBoy
    SouffleBoy Posts: 65 Member
    But even 5 calories doesn't seem right for this yummy, salty, big pickle!

    Its mainly water.
  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
    I don't log pickles. It says 0 because its less than 5 cal per serving
  • Onema2012
    Onema2012 Posts: 26
    Today I had a pre-packaged pickle in a plastic bag from 7-11. It's called Van Holten's dill pickle. Why am I not convinced this was ZERO CALORIES? I mean cucumbers are not zero calories. And what about the vinegar or whatever is used to make pickles into pickles. Then I definitely tasted some saltiness in the pickle. I don't know...does anyone have any input on the packaging of this pickle saying zaro calories?

    Isn't this an american thing where if the food is less than 5 calories it can be marked as 0 calories? So its probably around 4-5 calories rather than 0 calories which is impossible for something which has substances your body can metabolise.
    What he said.

    They're allowed to round 5calories down to zero.
  • jennifermaffei17
    jennifermaffei17 Posts: 158
    I have vlasic dill spears that a 0 calories
  • planetshark
    planetshark Posts: 37 Member
    Impossible. And worse, you got about 1/2 day's worth of salt there!
  • Annette8479
    Annette8479 Posts: 82 Member
    it does seem impossible. i could eat pickles all day!
  • ehju0901
    ehju0901 Posts: 394 Member
    I had this same question. I like to have a jar of pickles at my desk at work for a snack sometimes. I'd like to be able to log it since I like to be thorough. I'll just assume it is 5 calories per serving to be safe lol.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,289 Member
    ehju0901 wrote: »
    I had this same question. I like to have a jar of pickles at my desk at work for a snack sometimes. I'd like to be able to log it since I like to be thorough. I'll just assume it is 5 calories per serving to be safe lol.

    This is a thread from 2012 (probably some spammer put a reply on it and woke it up again).

    Yes, count 5 calories per serving of a thing that says zero calories, like pickles, if you're eating enough of them to add up to a meaningful amount. It may be a small overestimate of the calories, but NBD.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    edited January 2022
    deleting because I just realized the OP posted this years ago.

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