Iron Culture presented by MASS Ep 370 - Calories: Labels vs Reality
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Mar 25, 2026 They unpack a class-action suit over protein bar calorie claims and why testing methods can mislead. The conversation digs into how food structure, fiber, resistant starch, and dairy matrices change energy absorption. They contrast processed versus whole foods, discuss tracking reliability, and practical strategies to reduce diet variability and improve satiety.
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David Bar Lawsuit And Fat Replacer Confusion
- The David protein bar class-action claims calories and fat are massively underreported due to lab testing and novel fat replacers.
- Eric Trexler and Eric Helms discuss EPC (a fat replacer like Olestra) and how gravimetric and bomb calorimetry tests can misclassify it as digestible fat.
Bomb Calorimetry Overstates Absorbable Energy
- Bomb calorimetry measures total combusted energy, not metabolizable energy; wood burns but humans can't absorb its calories.
- That disconnect explains why measured caloric content can overstate what the body actually gains from food.
Food Matrix And Processing Change Metabolizable Calories
- Food matrix, processing, TEF, and fiber together shift metabolizable calories so isocaloric labels aren't physiologically equal.
- Helms modeled three 2,500 kcal diets and found up to ~300 kcal difference in metabolizable energy.