You Call That A Serving?
If you are calorie-conscious and care at all about what you’re eating, you’re probably an avid label reader. Whenever you pick up a new item at the store you check to see the calorie content, maybe the fat or sugar content, and perhaps you peruse the ingredients to see if there are any trans fats or high-fructose corn syrup. But if you don’t check the portion size that the label declares is “a serving”, the rest of the information is null and void!
When’s the last time you looked at what is called a serving size of crackers, or chips, or even a beverage? If you like fig newtons, could you really just eat two–what the manufacturer calls a serving–and put the package away for another day? Sure, 110 calories sounds like a nice light snack when you read the “calories per serving”, but if you skip over the “serving size: 2 cookies) and eat six of the tiny sweets you’re up to 330 calories–more than most candy bars!
What about all of these great tea beverages, ‘juice drinks’, or fortified water drinks? A lot of the bottles advertise on the front of the label, “Only 40 calories per serving” which sounds quite reasonable, especially if there is real fruit juice contained or some sort of nutrition. Turn the bottle over to see what a serving size is, and you’ll often find there are more than two servings in the bottle you were planning to quench your thirst with.
While this could be interpreted as false advertising, that would in fact be illegal, and the FDA has laws to prevent this from happening. However, the information is certainly misleading in cases where a package or bottle that would probably be consumed in one sitting is called “1.7 servings” or “2.9 servings”. Next time you think the King Size Snickers Bar is a pretty good snack for 170 calories, read the rest of the label to see that there are three servings contained within the wrapper and you’ll be gobbling down 510 calories by the time you finish off your tasty afternoon treat!
Try taking a look at the serving sizes on the label and find out how much you’ve been missing—or maybe how much extra you’ve really been eating!
photo credit: TheTruthAbout…
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About The Author: Laurie Beebe has been a registered dietitian for 25 years and is certified in adult weight management. Laurie currently serves as a Related posts:
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