The Calorie Fallacy

MYTH 01

You Can Trust the Numbers on the Packet

IF YOU WANT to know how many calories (or kJs) there are in a sandwich from your local store or chain, you can find that information on the company’s website. Let’s say it’s 526kcal. The specificity of that figure is designed to reassure you – a pinch more than 520kcal, not quite breaking 530kcal. But how accurate is this? After all, your mayo was dished out in spoonfuls, not calibrated on precision scales; that bacon is measured in rashers, not square centimetres. And rightly so: it’s a sandwich, not a scientific equation. But this does make fussing over your exact macro intake a waste of headspace.

Research suggests many food chains fall short when it comes to accurate reporting. In an analysis of 269 meals published by the American Medical Association, one in five had at least 100kcal more than claimed on the menu, and lighter dishes such as soups and salads were the most likely journal.