Counting calories to lose weight? Forcing yourself to eat sad, overpacked Lean Cuisine meals to drop pounds? Then be prepared to inflate the calorie count on that package — by 45%, in some cases — for accuracy. The New York Times’ Nicholas Bakalar reports that fast food and frozen meals contained an average of 18% more calories than listed, according to a new study.

Some of the disparities were startling. At Denny’s, a serving of grits, listed at 80 calories, tested at 258. The label on Lean Cuisine’s shrimp and angel-hair pasta says it has 220 calories, but the researchers measured it at 319. They found 344 calories in a Wendy’s grilled chicken wrap listed at 260.

That 18% average is actually below the 20% variance the Food and Drug Administration allows for packaged food — but certainly more than enough to foil your New Year’s resolution to lose weight. In fact, foiled weight loss plans are exactly what got Dr. Susan B. Roberts, one of the researchers behind this study, looking into this calorie issue!

If you read my post about how Regal theater’s medium popcorn contains 1,200 calories — not the 720 calories that Regal lists — this widespread calorie count discrepancy might not come as a surprise to you. According to the New York Times, reasons for discrepancies include everything from the inevitable variability of handmade foods to manufacturers’ penchant for making packaged foods heavier due to the FDA’s “significant penalties for selling underweight packages.”

Will calorie count info ever get more accurate? One expert, Jennifer L. Pomeranz of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Nutrition at Yale, is quoted saying that government regulation requiring posted calorie counts will then lead to goverment monitoring for the accuracy of the information. We’ll soon find out if Jennifer’s speculations are correct in California, where restaurant chains have been required to make calorie information available to customers since mid-2009. In Jan. 2011, the chains will be required to post calorie information directly on the menus.

In the meantime, dieters would be well-advised to try cooking healthy, eco-friendly meals instead of relying on fast food chains and frozen dinners.

Earlier:
>> How eco-foodies are losing weight
>> How to eat sustainably on a food stamp budget
>>The Poverty Diet: Guatemala vs. U.S.
>> Eat Junior Bacon Cheeseburger now, pay for heart attack later

Photo by Robert S. Donovan

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