If you open your cupboard, I’m guessing you’ll find a can of non-stick cooking spray. I know there’s one in my cupboard.
Look at the front of the can, and regardless of the brand, you’ll probably see “For fat-free cooking”, “calorie-free cooking spray” or something similar.
Now, turn the can around and look at the ingredients. Basically it is canola oil, flavoring, and propellant. If you look at the bottle of cooking oil you probably also have in your cupboard, you’ll see that it has 120 calories per tablespoon, with 100% of the calories coming from fat.
So, how is it that taking canola oil from a bottle and putting it in a spray can removes all of the fat and calories?
It doesn’t. That cooking spray has 120 calories per tablespoon and is 100% fat.
So, how is the manufacturer able to get away with lying to you? The law allows them to. You see, FDA regs say that if a food has less than .5 grams of fat PER SERVING, it can be called fat-free.
Take a look at the serving size on your cooking spray: .25 grams. If the serving size is less than .5 grams, there has to be less than .5 grams of fat in it, right?
To point out how ridiculous a serving size of .25 grams is, they even tell you that equals a spray lasting 1/3 of a second. Even if you could hit the trigger, spray, and get your finger off the trigger in 1/3 of a second, you wouldn’t cover much of your pan.
But, that doesn’t matter, as there are no rules defining serving size. So, food manufacturers can simply manipulate serving sizes, even to ridiculous degrees, to justify the marketing hype on the front label that gets you to buy the product.
Now, I’m not saying non-stick cooking spray is bad. I’m just saying it isn’t calorie- or fat-free. In fact, it is 100% fat.
The point is, you can’t always believe what is on a food label.
~Dave
About the Author
Dave Soucy is a coach, trainer, motivator, husband, dad, and former fat guy. His goal is to teach as many people as possible how to achieve a life of health, fitness, and wellness through simply eating right and exercising. Click here to learn more about Dave.
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