I am a label reader, there is no doubt about that. I want to know what I am eating and how much of it too. So I look on the back of food packages, let's use yogurt as an example, to see how much of some ingredient it contains, for instance - sugar.
A serving size of this new vanilla yogurt I bought was a cup. I looked to see how much sugar there was in one cup and the answer is listed in grams. 33 Grams, to be exact. But I have no idea what that really means. We never went metric here in the U.S. so why are ingredients listed in grams? If the serving size is listed in cups, shouldn't the amounts be listed in ounces, tablespoons and teaspoons. I know roughly how these units of measurement break down. There are: 8 ounces in a cup, 2 tablespoons in 1/8 of a cup, and 3 teaspoons in 1 tablespoon. These measurements I am familiar with. But grams - I do not know grams.
So after consulting the web, my favorite research tool, I found gourmet sleuth a really great cooking measurement conversion site . Here's the deal: 33 grams of sugar = 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon. I don't know about you, but that seems like a lot a lot of sugar.
From now it is plain, non-fat yogurt for me with a smidgen of maple syrup as sweetener. I have to tell you though, I really want to be able to eat without my computer.
J Brand
Burberry
Marni
That's funny that they're called "gourmet slueth" because that's what I feel like when I'm trying to track what I eat!
1That is a lot of sugar - the USDA recommends no more than 10 teaspoons of sugar a day, or 40 grams. I think I've commented about this before - I get so upset with yogurt companies becuase they put so much sugar into their products and then market it as health food!
2i buy sugar-free yogurt which has fewer calories... but it has aspartame in it which is probably not that great for you in large doses either.
3We have the same problem in Canada. I think the U.S. should just convert to metric like the majority of the world. It's a much easier system to use, and there's less of a chance for error when you're converting units in metric as compared to empirical.
4I use mine.
5Totally, FIt. I agree. love that web site. Thanks.
6Total Greek yogurt is the way to go!
7Go for plain, *organic*, non-fat yogurt. In addition to ending any worries about hormones, it honestly tastes better. I only buy plain yogurt--in big containers--because that way you can also use it in savory dishes anytime sour cream would be appropriate--like butternut squash soup.
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