Confused about nutrition label accuracy

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aniracace
aniracace Posts: 39 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all, my name is Cassiel.

Okay. So I've browsed through a few posts about nutrition labeling, and I've read from some people that as long as you're consistent, then it's fine to use the calories presented. But I've also read that there could be 20% more calories per serving and to not trust nutrition labels and weigh everything out.

The only thing is I have no food scale and no hope of obtaining one anytime soon. So what do I do? Do I just assume there's 20% more calories in every serving and log that? Or do I just continue to rely on the nutrition labels?

Replies

  • 1houndgal
    1houndgal Posts: 558 Member
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    5738_Cassiel wrote: »
    Hi all, my name is Cassiel.

    Okay. So I've browsed through a few posts about nutrition labeling, and I've read from some people that as long as you're consistent, then it's fine to use the calories presented. But I've also read that there could be 20% more calories per serving and to not trust nutrition labels and weigh everything out.

    The only thing is I have no food scale and no hope of obtaining one anytime soon. So what do I do? Do I just assume there's 20% more calories in every serving and log that? Or do I just continue to rely on the nutrition labels?

    Jmo but if I had no scale, I would use the nutritional label.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I would log based on the nutritional labels while I was saving up for a food scale (assuming you're in the US, you should be able to get one for under $20). If you don't see the results you're looking for, you can begin adding to your servings to account for the calories that you're somehow missing.
  • aniracace
    aniracace Posts: 39 Member
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    Okay. Thank you both for a definitive answer. I'll just go ahead and rely on the nutritional labels then.
  • aniracace
    aniracace Posts: 39 Member
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    toxikon wrote: »
    Calorie counting is mostly a guessing game, to be honest. You'll never be 100% accurate.

    The best thing you can do is pick one strategy, stick to it, then monitor your weight over the following weeks. By the end of the month, if you've lost some weight, your strategy is working. If not, you may need to reduce your calorie intake a bit more.

    Libra and HappyScale are some apps to track your daily weigh-ins. They create trend-lines and weight-loss predictions that can help with the big picture.

    Ah well I don't have a body scale either so I'm pretty much relying on the mirror to track my progress. But thank you!
  • cb83580
    cb83580 Posts: 136 Member
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    One of the reasons that food scales are preferred over label estimates for serving size is accuracy. If a label says a serving is 28 grams or 15 pieces, for something like chips for example, the "pieces" come in various sizes. That's not a good way to measure, whereas 28 grams is actually measurable. It may equal 15 pieces, but it may also equal 10 or 20.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    The 20% variance can be either way...could be a bit more or it could be a bit less. Not the kind of minutia I ever bothered with...I just went by what the label said and used a food scale to weigh things, particularly calorie dense things.

    IMO, everything comes out in the wash so to speak...just be consistent.
  • aniracace
    aniracace Posts: 39 Member
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    Iwantahealthierme30 wrote: »
    People say they could be 20% off, meaning some could be 20% less as well, I think it evens out. Trust the food labels. I don't have a food scale either and have lost 15 pounds so far. If you're losing consistently you don't need one.

    Well that's reassuring. It seems everyone has a food scale, so it's nice to know that you were able to get along fine without one. If you don't mind me asking, how long did it take you to lose the 15 pounds? I am also aiming to lose 15 pounds (16 actually) in 4 months. Assuming I have a body scale by then, that is. My goal date is June 1, 2018 and then I'll reassess and see what I want to do. Like if I want to keep losing or maintain.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,217 Member
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    Yes, in theory that 20% could be in error in either direction on even out over the long term that may not be the case for everything. Consider a situation where someone eats the same thing for a meal most days, like a breakfast cereal. Hypothetically a volumetric serving size is 20% higher than the stated nutritional label, if the volumetrically measured serving is used consistently, the error of +20% will also be consistent. Sure, one food item might not make that much difference but if that's the case with multiple daily foods it could have an impact. I also find my food scale invaluable for weighing portions of meat and dividing servings of meals between my wife and I. Before I bought one, I of course relied on food labels, but if you have the means I'm a believer of using one.

    Cheapest one on amazon currently: https://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Digital-Kitchen-Capacity-Stylish/dp/B003E7AZQA/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1517331283&sr=1-1&keywords=ozeri+food+scale
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    Absolutely everything in the CICO equation is an estimate. Whether you use a food scale or not, you're still just trying to be as accurate as you can in estimating your intake -- a food scale doesn't make you 100% accurate, just potentially more accurate than other methods. On the other side, any means you use to estimate your calorie burn is also just an estimate. So, do the best you can with the tools you have available to you. Being consistent in whatever measuring method you use is the most important thing.
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,028 Member
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    For some, especially those with a lot of weight to lose, you can get away with not having a food scale in the beginning. I lost my first 24lbs without one. But when you get closer to your goal weight, like 20lbs or less, there's just no room for error or variance. You'll need to know exactly how much you're eating in order to keep up that small deficit and most people are not good at eyeballing. That's why a scale is recommended. I eventually got myself one and I love it, I pre-prep anything and everything I can so I don't have to always run to the scale every time I want to eat something and I know how much I'm eating. So it is definitely worth it, but in some circumstances you can get away with not having one right away.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    Also, that 20% number is something that the producers of food hired the lobbyists to write into the law that the congresspeople voted for after the lobbyists for the producers and the lobbyists for the lawyers bid up the price of the law and finally all the lawyers agreed that 20% was a number that the producers were sure they'd never hit and the lawyers were sure they'd never miss. I've never found a discrepancy of more than 5%, and rarely that much.
  • Iwantahealthierme30
    Iwantahealthierme30 Posts: 293 Member
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    5738_Cassiel wrote: »
    Iwantahealthierme30 wrote: »
    People say they could be 20% off, meaning some could be 20% less as well, I think it evens out. Trust the food labels. I don't have a food scale either and have lost 15 pounds so far. If you're losing consistently you don't need one.

    Well that's reassuring. It seems everyone has a food scale, so it's nice to know that you were able to get along fine without one. If you don't mind me asking, how long did it take you to lose the 15 pounds? I am also aiming to lose 15 pounds (16 actually) in 4 months. Assuming I have a body scale by then, that is. My goal date is June 1, 2018 and then I'll reassess and see what I want to do. Like if I want to keep losing or maintain.

    I should give you a timeline, I've lost 15 pounds since October 2017. 10 pounds since I've started MFP which is on trend for 1 pound a week. You got this!
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    Go by the label first. Weigh those items that are more calorie dense and carry more inherent risk. If really concerned simply put 1.2 in place of 1 in your entries. Check your satiety levels/weight/measurements/etc. and see if your plan is working. If not, then check your data for accuracy. If going on plan stick to the plan.
  • ccsernica
    ccsernica Posts: 1,040 Member
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    It "can be" not 20% off, but within a 20% range at most. When there are at least 51 calories in a serving, FDA rules allow rounding to the nearest increment of 10. At 50 calories that means an error of +/- 5 calories -- which is 10% above or below, not 20. See https://www.fda.gov/ICECI/Inspections/InspectionGuides/ucm114098.htm under "Rounding Rules for Declaring Nutrients" for more details.

    I have no idea what people are talking about when they say they used nutrition labels only until they got a scale. A scale can't determine calories for you. Those that do are using the same standard tables you can look up at the USDA website and don't take into account differences in ingredients, etc. between brands of the same nominal food.

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