Is 2% Milk Really 2%???

Is 2% Milk Really 2%??? Last email we spoke about the two different types of labels on food products. The first being the marketing label on the front. In this case it is the BIG 2% on the container of milk.

2% meaning the amount of fat.

That would mean that the other 98% of the calories in the product should come from other nutrients, either proteins or carbs.

Once again when you turn the bottle and take a look at the real label you will see that is not true.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying 2% milk is a product you should not drink; I drink it myself. I am simply trying to educate you on how to read food labels so you know what you are putting in you body.

Let's take a 8 oz. glass of 2% milk and break it down.

8 oz. or 1 cup of 2% milk yields 120 calories on average. It will give you 8 grams of protein, 12 grams of carbs, and 5 grams of fat.

1 gram of protein yields 4 calories.

1 gram of carbs yield 4 calories.

1 gram of fat yields 9 calories.

So if you have 5 grams of fat at 9 calories per gram that will give you 45 calories from fat. Last I checked 45 calories of the total 120 is not 2%. It is more like 35% give or take.

So how do they get away with this; it is yet another loophole.

Food companies are allowed to label their products based on total food volume, not only the foods that contain calories; which is what we need to be concerned with. So milk is primarily made of water and the food companies are allowed to put that into account even though water is calorie free.

So you think you are drinking a 2%fat product, but you truly are not.

If you look at "calories per serving," and "calories from fat," you'll be able to do some quick division and find out how misleading the reported percentages can be.

Some more interesting food facts I borrowed from www.philkaplan.com.

Aunt Jemima's Frozen Blueberry waffles don't contain any blueberries at all! The bluish things are dried apple parts treated with food dye.

Quaker Instant Oatmeal Fruit and Cream Variety comes in strawberry and blueberry flavors. The strawberry version doesn't contain any strawberries, the blueberry version doesn't contain any blueberries.

Betty Crocker Stir & Bake carrot cake . . . doesn't contain even a shred of carrot.

Now that's disturbing!

Reference: Phil Kaplan, Fitness expert