Eli5: How can edible items have 0 calories in them while still contain nutritional items like carbs (sugars and other sweeteners), vitamins, and amino acids (BCAAs etc.)?
In: Chemistry
As a diabetic who lives by counting carbs, I’m pretty sure you can’t have 0 calories but have carbs. If something is 0 calorie, I know that I can eat/drink it without needing insulin. No idea of the science, but basically carbs provide calories, or calories provide carbs.
And sweeteners contain extremely few carbs – it’s why diabetics use them, rather than sugar.
I know this doesn’t answer the question, but I felt it was an important thing to point out, in the interests of full education. Kinda.
Calories are the gasoline for you body. You also need windshield wiper fluid, brake fluid, and oil. If your body can’t use it for fuel, then it has no Calories.
This is why in the EU and other places the amount of calories, carbs and sugars, proteins, salt, fat and saturated fat, and fibre **MUST** be reported per 100g. And the net weight must also be present.
They may also give these values per “serving”, but only alongside the 100g values.
I was eating some chocolate today that listed the serving size as 3 squares of chocolate. The bar is made in rows of 4 squares…
But the bar was 85g (and yes I ate the whole thing).
I thought something similar had recently been brought in in the US too, residually in light of stuff like Tic Tacs have “zero” Calories per services despite being almost 100% sugar. Please tell me I didn’t imagine that ruling from several months ago…
Because the USA counts non-starchy carbohydrates – “dietary fibre” in the carbohydrate count. Subtract the fibre from the carbs to get the metabolic carbohydrate quantity.
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