Are Nutrition Labels really telling you the TRUTH?????

I'll be the first to admit I am not and never will be a nutritionist.  I keep things simple eating clean by shopping the edges of the grocery store and purchasing food that usually expires within a few days.  I'm not 5% body fat by any stretch of the imagination, but I am very healthy and I contribute a lot of that to my diet.

When you go through the grocery store, do you read the labels?  I'm sure that most of you do and know that the label is per serving and not the whole contents of said food.  Over the course of my studies and personal reading, I have learned that each gram of total fat generates 9 calories.  Carbohydrates and proteins generate 4 calories per gram.  This leads me to the interesting case of a can of Coke.

A 12 ounce can of Coke has 0g fat and 0g protein.  The total calories are 140 while total carbohydrates are 39g.  If 1g carbohydrate provides 4 calories, then 39g will provide 156 calories.  These 16 extra calories are 10% more than what their nutritional value says.  Coke even notes on their Understanding Nutrition Labels page that carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram.  I don't know about you, but something seems very fishy here.  Who's correct????

I've looked in my fridge and confirmed that most of the labels total out correctly.  But, the next time you are in the grocery store get out your calculator and see how true that label really is.  Truth be told, many people who drink soda are probably consuming 10% more calories than they think.

Please leave any comments or findings you come across on those pesky labels.  Until next time, good luck!