Discrepancies in food nutrition data calories?

SnowFlinga
SnowFlinga Posts: 124 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I noticed something strange today when reviewing some of my nutritional tracking data. For some of my food items, if I calculate the calories of the food item using the known facts of 1g fat = 9 kcal, 1g protein = 4 kcal, and 1g carb = 4 kcal, I found that the calories calculated based on the nutrition data did not equal the "advertised" calorie count for the item. In fact some had fairly large discrepancies and almost all had at least some difference.

So where is the breakdown here? Is it that the calories per gram of each macro are really just estimates or is it that somehow food items are actually more "complex" than the sum of their macro-nutrients and thus the actual measured calories for an item as a whole is going to be different than the sum of its parts?

Replies

  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    most entries are user created, and theres no check in place to make sure things are entered properly. someone could enter a steak with 100 calories, 2 grams of protein and 600 carbs and it would add it.
    i also think that rounding up/down on packages (they can be off by up to 5-10% legally, i believe) is part of the problem.
    i try to always use the MFP entries (the ones without an * next to them) - they tend to be much more accurate
  • SnowFlinga
    SnowFlinga Posts: 124 Member
    I actually wasn't referring to MFP's food database, but to the official nutrition data labels found on the foods we eat.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    ive wondered this myself as well. as far as i know, its just a factor of each value having some error to it due to rounding or just small inaccuracies.
    it could also be alcohol, which is technically a macro but isnt ever put on nutritional labels (to my knowledge), and is present in some food in small quantities

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