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.
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