CONSPIRACY THEORY: FOOD COMPANIES CONFLICTING DATA

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  • Qatsi
    Qatsi Posts: 2,191 Member
    I always love too when people put in just the calories for an item but nothing else. um hello? If you are going to bother putting it in please fill out all of the info. You are not the only one that may use that item. I have edited a few things and always say what or why i did it.
    If I'm entering a pre-packaged product, I enter all the numbers on the nutritional label as a matter of course.

    But I've also added a number of craft beers to the database. "Nutritional" info on these is virtually absent. I come up with an estimate on calories based on the alcohol content and style, using the chart on this page:
    http://www.simplybeer.com/how-many-calories-are-in-my-beer/
    Maybe for some products they have redone their menu or product and that equals less calories. However like you said some are just wrong..lol
    This happens a LOT. Rather than raise the price on an item, they'll reduce the net weight of the package. Along the way, the serving sizes might get rejiggered as well.
  • athensguy
    athensguy Posts: 550
    Why do people agonize over accurate calorie counts?

    I mean, I can understand where you are coming from if it is sabotage (though to me that seems a bit paranoid). But... in reality, MFP can't accurately predict your TDEE, and therefore, is only projecting a potential calorie count to create a deficit. If we are already estimating in the first place, then why do we need to weigh out every morsel we put into our mouths?

    Again, the kind of corporate espionage that you have described is jacked up, but I seriously doubt they are too worried about MFP users choosing something other than McDonald's when MFP users only make up the tiniest fraction of their total market share.

    I just don't understand obsessing about calorie counts when we are already estimating in the first place.

    If you can accurately record the calories you take in, you can find out how accurate your TDEE estimate is over time by looking at your results. If you're not trying to be accurate, then I'm not sure why you would record calories at all.

    Also, regarding the OP, protein nominally has about 4 calories per gram, not 9. Alcohol has about 7.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Do you think some food companies get on sites like this and others and add entries to their foods that are much healthier than they really are to make it harder for you to find the true amounts? I double check everything I enter but I notice for example McDonalds has a wide range on certain food items entered multiple times that are wrong. Sometimes you have to really dig to find the right one and many times there are only a couple of confirms on them! Seriously, you know A LOT of people are eating those same items, so where are all the multiple confirms at? Seems like they have been MAGICALLY disappearing?? hmmm.

    Powerade is another example. The powerade mountain blast that has been entered and confirmed by people to have 56grams of carbs for a 32oz container yet only 200 calories listed. If you do the math, a carb equals 4 calories, 56x4=225 calories!

    I even looked at a 32oz powerade container at the store and it clearly says on it 225 calories! It's either they are now getting away with stating less calories on certain containers or are coming up with a new way to count carbs or something.

    CARBS = 4 calories
    PROTEIN = 9 calories
    FAT = 9

    You can always double check based on that.
    Yes, because this makes so much more sense than user error, typos, or *gasp* the fact that the same item can have different nutritional information in different countries, due to individual regulations, and that this is a world wide site, with a world wide database.

    sarcasm.gif
  • Glucocorticoid
    Glucocorticoid Posts: 867 Member
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  • SenshiV
    SenshiV Posts: 131 Member
    Trying to be so accurate will drive you nuts. I agree overestimating is safe...

    Just add your own foods. Sooner than you realize you will have everything you usually eat, with numbers straight from the package/scale math or whatever and you will feel okay using those instead of some you don't know where they came from.

    When you are not sure, look over the net for at least 3 to 5 sources, if they are not consistent, add he average.

    Good luck :)
  • happyfeetrebel1
    happyfeetrebel1 Posts: 1,005 Member
    LOL

    This OP is really on a roll today. A LOT of food companies are clearly trying to sabotage weight loss in this country.

    Anyone seen my hat?!
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
    There are somethings that may have different values that at first I thought were wrong but figured out that sometimes products come in different single serve packages. Example: Lays single serving from a big bag is different from a 2oz single serve bag like you pick up from the convenience store which is also different then the 1oz single serve bags that subway sells. So there are three different entries, all for a single serving but all correct based on which bag you buy. It's still the same amount of calories for the grams, just a different amount of grams in the bag.
  • Anjoya
    Anjoya Posts: 6
    I am part of another group and a guy on that site said the other day he had mentioned a particular protein shakes in a discussion and later that day he got an email from that company on that same site asking him to do a survey about the protein shakes. They are always checking on their product. The guy from now on is going to not spell out the brand name completely that way the company can't find that he is talking about it. I never even knew that could happen. It's kind of weird.
  • mrsjuliana
    mrsjuliana Posts: 27 Member
    I thought it was carbs and protein are both 4 calories, and fat is 9.
  • happyfeetrebel1
    happyfeetrebel1 Posts: 1,005 Member
    I am part of another group and a guy on that site said the other day he had mentioned a particular protein shakes in a discussion and later that day he got an email from that company on that same site asking him to do a survey about the protein shakes. They are always checking on their product. The guy from now on is going to not spell out the brand name completely that way the company can't find that he is talking about it. I never even knew that could happen. It's kind of weird.

    I am on that site too..and there is an option to NOT have any posts you make be 'seen' by search engines.

    You can set it to viewable by

    Friends
    Members
    EVERYONE. That would include search engines. I hide all my stuff now :)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,026 Member
    Do you think some food companies get on sites like this and others and add entries to their foods that are much healthier than they really are to make it harder for you to find the true amounts? I double check everything I enter but I notice for example McDonalds has a wide range on certain food items entered multiple times that are wrong. Sometimes you have to really dig to find the right one and many times there are only a couple of confirms on them! Seriously, you know A LOT of people are eating those same items, so where are all the multiple confirms at? Seems like they have been MAGICALLY disappearing?? hmmm.

    Powerade is another example. The powerade mountain blast that has been entered and confirmed by people to have 56grams of carbs for a 32oz container yet only 200 calories listed. If you do the math, a carb equals 4 calories, 56x4=225 calories!

    I even looked at a 32oz powerade container at the store and it clearly says on it 225 calories! It's either they are now getting away with stating less calories on certain containers or are coming up with a new way to count carbs or something.

    CARBS = 4 calories
    PROTEIN = 9 calories
    FAT = 9

    You can always double check based on that.
    Actually your info is a little wrong.

    1 gram of carbs= 4 calories
    1 gram of protein= 4 calories
    1 gram of fat= 9 calories

    I don't think it's a conspiracy. I think that people just read labels. If the info is incorrect, they'll correct it.


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