If you’re interested in living healthier, or losing fat, you’ve likely shopped for items that are have a Calorie count of 0– Whether it be cooking sprays, flavored beverages, or any number of other items. You’re not alone– I am a huge fan of items that are 0 Calorie, but there’s something that everyone should be aware of when it comes to these options. They rarely contain 0 Calories.
Whaaaaaaaaaaat?
Yes. It’s true. To demonstrate, we’ll take this sparkling flavored water as an example.
Notice how it says there are 0 Calories. Notice how it says there are 0g carbohydrates. Notice how it also says that it contains 3% fruit juice. If fruit juice is sugar, and sugar is Calories, then how can this drink have 0 Calories?
Simple. The regulations regarding labeling state that a product may be “Calorie free” if it contains less than 5 calories per “Reference Amount Customarily Consumed” (RACC).
Well, that’s just 5 Calories! So what?
Now let’s throw out a hypothetical situation– Let’s say this whole bottle contains 9.8 Calories, right? That would mean that they have to list the Calories, right? Not so fast. . .
“About 2 Servings.” Or 2.06 to be exact.
The RACC for drinks is typically 8 fl. oz., which means there are just over 2 servings in this 17 fl. oz. bottle, which means this drink could contain up to 10 Calories.
Well that’s just 10 Calories! So what!?
Do you use cooking spray?
Oil contains 0 Calories?
Do you make sure that your spray lasts less than 1/3 of a second so that you’re getting less than 5 calories of oil? Let’s say you spray pretty liberally, and use it during two meals– You could be consuming anywhere from 20 – 40 calories from fat.
Well that’s just a few extra Calories! So what!?
Let’s put this all together– Let’s say you drink two of those flavored waters, use cooking spray liberally, chew non sugar free gum, etc. All of these things, under the guise of 0 Calorie, contribute Calories– Maybe even as much as 100 per day if consumed in sufficient volumes. Let’s say your deficit is -500 Kcal / day. Now your deficit is only -400 Kcal / day– That means instead of losing a pound per week, you’ll be losing 4/5 lb. per week. It all adds up.
So what should I do?
My recommendation is to be mindful of these foods in your diet– There’s nothing wrong with consuming them, and if you use them (very) sparingly, don’t worry about it. However, if you consume multiple items that could contain hidden calories, I would do my best to try and come in just below your Calorie goals to account for it.
As an example, if the only hidden Calories in my day are from my cooking spray, I don’t bother with it. If, however, I also drank some of those 0 Calorie drinks, and used cooking spray, I will choose to end my day 20 Calories below my target; this is done, of course, because I’m preparing for a contest and need to be as accurate as possible. . .
This may be a little extreme for you, but for best results, you must be as accurate as possible.
Sources and Links
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfCFR/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=101.60 http://www.fda.gov/food/guidanceregulation/guidancedocumentsregulatoryinformation/labelingnutrition/ucm064911.htm http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/9751/2