Ask Dr Nerenberg | Health and Fitness

Why does the Total Fat not add up right on the nutrition label?

Okay, so I am reading this book on fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. But, when I am looking at some of the nutrition labels on products I have at home, they don’t add up. For example, a package of Uncle Ben’s Spanish Style rice has the following fat breakdown on the nutrition label:

Hey there. From the label itself, we can’t tell the proportion of poly’s and mono’s. The only logical conclusion one can come to is that the total amount of fat is 4 grams, and that none of it is saturated or trans. Those 4 grams may be entirely polyunsaturated, or a combination of poly and mono. The answer here lies in the fact that food manufacturers aren’t required to break down fat content by the poly’s and monounsaturateds. The “Total Fat / Saturated Fat / Trans Fat” format appears to be standard, and more importantly, it’s what’s mandated by the US Food and Drug Administration – so, they’re just being consistent with the FDA’s requirement for nutritional labels (usually food manufacturers do only what is absolutely necessary and legally required of them – surprise, surprise). The FDA’s most recent addition to the requirement was the disclosure of trans fats. Personally, I get around this minor dilemma by just keeping a good knowledge of the types of fats contained in the majority of foods I eat regularly. For example, I don’t need a label to tell me that the fats in macadamia nuts are almost entirely monounsaturated, because it’s precisely the reason I’m eating them to start with. Good luck, and enjoy that Spanish Style rice!

How to Read Food Labels for Healthy Eating : Total Carbohydrates on Food Labels

The NutriBase Nutrition Facts Desk Reference $13.80 A completely revised and updated edition of the most comprehensive collection of food values. With more than 77,000 copies in print, The NutriBase Nutrition Facts Desk Reference is an essential tool for monitoring the nutritional value of your diet. This completely updated edition provides thorough nutritional profiles of generic, brand-name, prepared, and specialty foods, including values for fas…

FitVideo: Nutrition $1.99 4+~~Interave Media LLC~~Interave Media, LLC~~http://itunes.apple.com/app/fitvideo-nutrition/id327198229?uo=5~~Interave Media LLC~~1.0.9~~2122453~~908012~~http://www.metaplayer.net/support.php?channel=fitnutrition~~http://www.metaplayer.net/support.php?channel=fitnutrition

Foodgauge $0 4+~~Scottsdale Weight Loss Center, pllc~~Scottsdale Weight Loss Center, pllc~~http://itunes.apple.com/app/foodgauge/id326163142?uo=5~~2009, Scottsdale Weight Loss Center,pllc~~2.0~~2826961~~350413~~http://www.FoodGauge.com~~http://www.ScottsdaleWeightLoss.com