Re: AVAILABLE carbohydrates

[Guest guest]

Hi folks:

Specifically, if I take Fitday's grams of foods for what I ate

yesterday and multiply by 9/4/4 I come out with a total of 1231

calories.

But Fitday's carbohydrate number is 70 calories less than the number

arrived at by multiplying grams by 4.

BUT in addition, their 'total calories' number is 49 less than what

you get by adding up their three subcomponents' calorie numbers!!!

So, did I consume 1231, 1157 or 1108 calories yesterday? I still

don't know!

I have emailed them about it.

Rodney.

--- In , " Rodney " <perspect1111@y...>

wrote:

> Hi folks:

>

> I think I have just determined that, at least on the version of

> Fitday.com that I am using, the total calorie count for

carbohydrates

> is AVAILABLE carbs - i.e. it appears to exclude fibre calories, and

> perhaps other unavailable carbs also.

>

> My principal evidence for this at the moment is that for Fitday's

> accounting of my food yesterday, the implied multiplier they used

to

> convert grams to calories for carbs was 3.67, instead of the

usually-

> quoted 4. Presumably this number varies from food to food

depending

> on the amount of unavailable carbs.

>

> But it is still not completely clear that this is what is going on

in

> their data, as there seem to be other anomalies also that I have

not

> yet explained to my satisfaction. More on this another time

perhaps.

>

> Rodney.

[Guest guest]

All those guys have to use the USDA database, it's just too cumbersome to search out your own data. In there:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/index.html

you can find the numbers they use, probably.

I've found several items that disagree when I compute them myself using the 4-4-9 and comparing to their energy number although they state that they use the 4-4-9.

Find the sr16 report pdf in the link or the download. Their carbohydrate number is not measured but calc'd from the diff in the total weight and minus other components (water, total lipids, protein, ash, alcohol). Page 10 of the report says the sum of the carbo constituents may not add up to the number calc'd by diff.

Pg 10 also says the carb calories are calc'd minus the insoluble fiber. "Frequently used in high fiber foods". Indicates to me they don;t always subtract the fiber.

A common error is data is expressed in grams and if using a fluid like milk the conversion to oz should be 29 gms per fluid oz, not 28.35 gms.

If you have Excel MS2000, a shortened file is available. Check it out.

If not download the ASCII version and read the SR16_doc.pdf.

Regards.

----- Original Message -----

From: Rodney

Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2004 7:01 AM

Subject: [ ] AVAILABLE carbohydrates

Hi folks:I think I have just determined that, at least on the version of Fitday.com that I am using, the total calorie count for carbohydrates is AVAILABLE carbs - i.e. it appears to exclude fibre calories, and perhaps other unavailable carbs also.My principal evidence for this at the moment is that for Fitday's accounting of my food yesterday, the implied multiplier they used to convert grams to calories for carbs was 3.67, instead of the usually-quoted 4. Presumably this number varies from food to food depending on the amount of unavailable carbs.But it is still not completely clear that this is what is going on in their data, as there seem to be other anomalies also that I have not yet explained to my satisfaction. More on this another time perhaps.Rodney.