The discussion about mustard is a good example of the confusion
our food U.S. food labeling laws allow.
If a "serving" (which can be from 1/4 teaspoon on up) has less
than 0.5 grams of fat, it can be rounded down to zero. The best
example of how this can be abused is Promise Ultra Fat-Free
Margarine. Look at the Nutrition Facts on the back of the package
and you'll see Calories per serving: 5 - Calories from fat: 5. It
doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that all the calories come
from fat - that it is close to 100% fat.
Mustard seeds are about 65 percent calories from fat. If one mixes
ground mustard with water, the percentage stays about the same.
Adding vinegar, salt, and other ingredients may reduce this some,
but mustard remains a high fat item. So should we stop eating
mustard? Not at all. Small amounts used with foods that are low fat
will probably not raise the total percentage of calories from fat
enough to cause a problem. But eating a thick mustard sandwich, as
I used to do as a kid, is not a good idea.
---
Neal Pinckney <> Healing Heart Foundation <> Makaha, Hawaii <> AH6HM
------------------------------