The Zero Calorie Myth

The Zero Calorie Myth


Zero in on this: If a food has 5 calories or less per serving, the FDA allows the manufacturer to say that the food has no calories on its label. Not a huge deal, right? Maybe, but if you sweeten your coffee, tea, or yogurt with Splenda or ever use zero-calorie butter or oil sprays, those stray calories can add up fast. For example, a 1.2-pound bag of Splenda No-Calorie Sweetener has 1,100 1-teaspoon servings for a grand total of 2,200 calories, or 96 calories per cup. True, it's nowhere near the 774 calories in a cup of real sugar, but it's also not zero.


Further proof: A woman in Nebraska recently filed a lawsuit against Parkay Spray butter for false advertising. Even though Parkay markets its spray as fat- and calorie-free, an 8-ounce bottle canister contains 832 calories and 93 grams of fat—not what you'd expect if you're pouring the spray over your steamed veggies, which is what the Nebraskan woman copped to doing, admitting that she went through two bottles a week until she realized the truth about her favorite "calorie-free" spray.

Why the deception? Within certain legal bounds, food manufacturers are able to determine the serving size for its products, allowing Parkay to list five meager sprays—not enough to coat a kitchen skillet—as an appropriate amount of spray to use. Most companies are also tight-lipped about how many calories are actually in "zero-calorie" foods. Some opt for a disclaimer on the packaging like, "Adds a trivial amount of fat" or "Adds trace calories." Splenda does score points for transparency by providing true calorie counts on its website.

But even if you can't get the whole truth, you can ballpark a food's caloric punch. "If it says zero calories, we know it's going to have somewhere between zero and five calories per serving," says Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, author of The SuperFoodsRx Diet. "Just look at how many servings it has and multiply by 5. That would be the maximum, and that way you can at least get an idea of the full calorie potential."
But the bad news for dieters still remains: There's no such thing as calorie-free food.

Salt intake and how to lower it

Your body does need some salt, also called sodium. But you really need only about 200 milligrams (mg) a day, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). A teaspoon of salt has about 2,300 mg of sodium. That’s more than 10 times the amount you need in a day. Most Americans consume 3,000 to 3,600 mg of salt every day. The AHA suggests that most people should cut their daily salt intake to no more than 1,500 mg. 


Too much salt in your diet can cause you to retain water. That extra fluid can be hard on your heart and blood vessels. It can cause high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease or stroke. High amounts of salt also raise your risk of kidney stones and bone loss. 

In the Kitchen

• Cut the amount of salt in half when cooking from a recipe. Better yet, leave it out altogether. Instead, use herbs and spices. Seasonings that do not have sodium are the best choices. For example, garlic powder or minced garlic is better than garlic salt. Some spice blends come in a salt-free version. 
• Don’t add salt to water when cooking rice or pasta or preparing hot cereal.  
• Buy fresh vegetables. Plain frozen vegetables are good too. If you buy canned, look for those labeled “no salt added.” On the other hand, fresh fruit and canned fruits have very little sodium. One note: Watch out for pickles. They are usually high in salt.  
• Rinse tuna, beans, shellfish and other canned foods with cold water before using. 
• Skip or use sparingly: soy sauce (both regular and light), teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and taco sauce.  

When Grocery Shopping

• Learn to read labels. Foods that are low in sodium will have less than 140 mg per serving, or less than 5% of the daily value. Salt also can be hidden in other ingredients: monosodium glutamate (MSG), baking soda, baking powder, disodium phosphate and any other compound that has “sodium” or the chemical symbol “Na” in its name.  
• Avoid canned soups or broths. Avoid flavored rice and pastas. These are typically higher in salt. Try low-sodium versions instead.  
• Look for cheese and other foods that are labeled “low sodium,” “reduced sodium” or “no salt added.” Other options: “unsalted” or “sodium free.”  
• Avoid salty snacks like potato chips, peanuts and pretzels. If you want chips, nuts and pretzels, choose the unsalted versions.  
• Avoid or limit these foods in your diet because they’re very high in salt: bacon, bologna, frozen breaded meats, deli meats, hot dogs, sardines, and smoked fish.  

At the Table 

• Keep the salt shaker off the kitchen table. If you are used to salting your food, gradually reduce the amount of salt you add to your meals. Within 6 to 8 weeks, you may find you don’t even miss the salt.  
• Sprinkle vinegar or lemon juice on your vegetables in place of salt.  
• Watch your portions. If you want something salty as a treat now and then, it’s OK. Just eat a little bit. And leave other salty items off your plate.  
• When dining out, ask your server to please tell the chef you’re watching your sodium and not to add any salt to your order.