From today's Hungry girl mailer:
Dear HG,
I'm confused. Products like nonstick cooking spray and spray butter claim to be free of fat and calories, but the first ingredient in each is oil & butter (which everyone knows are loaded with fat & calories)!?! How can this be?
Spray Skeptic
Dear Spray Skeptic,
Good question! You're right to have doubts on this one. Companies can get around listing the actual calorie and fat content by reducing the serving size to itty-bitty portions. This is because the FDA lets them round down anything less than a half a gram of fat or 5 calories to zero. So it's just a matter of mathematically tweaking their serving sizes 'til they can claim something is calorie or fat-free. Annoying? Yes. But if you have the facts, you're a lot better off. Here are some things you need to know...
*Most "fat-free" cooking sprays (Mazola, Pam) own up to the fact that a 1-2 second spray contains around 10 calories and a whole gram of fat. Pam even admits right on the can that it takes a 1-second spray to cover a 10-inch skillet.
*One teaspoon of "zero-calorie" I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Spray (25 sprays) contains 20 calories and 2 grams of fat. That means a whole bottle contains a frightening 904 calories and over 90 grams of fat!
*Statements like Adds a trivial amount of fat and Not a significant source of calories are telltale signs that the product is not as innocent as it claims to be.
Remember, these products are usually still WAY better than the high-calorie, full-fat versions. Just use in moderation, and be aware of those extra calories and fat grams.
Dear HG,
I'm confused. Products like nonstick cooking spray and spray butter claim to be free of fat and calories, but the first ingredient in each is oil & butter (which everyone knows are loaded with fat & calories)!?! How can this be?
Spray Skeptic
Dear Spray Skeptic,
Good question! You're right to have doubts on this one. Companies can get around listing the actual calorie and fat content by reducing the serving size to itty-bitty portions. This is because the FDA lets them round down anything less than a half a gram of fat or 5 calories to zero. So it's just a matter of mathematically tweaking their serving sizes 'til they can claim something is calorie or fat-free. Annoying? Yes. But if you have the facts, you're a lot better off. Here are some things you need to know...
*Most "fat-free" cooking sprays (Mazola, Pam) own up to the fact that a 1-2 second spray contains around 10 calories and a whole gram of fat. Pam even admits right on the can that it takes a 1-second spray to cover a 10-inch skillet.
*One teaspoon of "zero-calorie" I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Spray (25 sprays) contains 20 calories and 2 grams of fat. That means a whole bottle contains a frightening 904 calories and over 90 grams of fat!
*Statements like Adds a trivial amount of fat and Not a significant source of calories are telltale signs that the product is not as innocent as it claims to be.
Remember, these products are usually still WAY better than the high-calorie, full-fat versions. Just use in moderation, and be aware of those extra calories and fat grams.