Advertisers bombard us with so called "facts" and numbers that at first glance seem to impart information but actually have no meaning. Or, while the statement is perfectly valid, does nothing to increase our knowledge. Let me give an example.
Along the roadway you may see a sign that proclaims a sandwich contains less than 8 grams of fat. Isn't that wonderful. Wonder what it means? Mostly, it's just gibberish combining a statement with a number and since a number is contained, it appears to give validity to the statement, implying that there is some great significance. (Dave Barry would say that if the sign said; "less than 8.00001 grams of fat" we should really be impressed. Actually both statements are equally correct from an ability to measure the quantity of fat.)
If the statement made was that the sandwich contained less fat, you would question less fat than what. But, when it is clearly said that less than 8 grams, that must be significant. We tend to accept statements as meaningful when a number is there. Likewise, if the statement was; 7 grams of fat. Of course we would immediately accept it as fact and probably not buy the product. In either case there is no meaning unless the advertisement is accompanied by some supporting and defining statement.
Ask yourself: How big is the sandwich (weight)? What is the source of the fat (animal or vegetable)? Is this the "bare bones" sandwich to which you must add condiments to make it tasty and appealing? Do you have to add other ingredients, as example, cheese, ham, salami, pastrami, &c. all of which certainly contain fat?
Further, the advertiser adds additional puzzlement to the picture. Just how big is a gram? While most people reading the sign perhaps have had exposure to the metric system, you may wonder just how adept they are in making judgements based on this method of weights and measures. Just how much is eight grams?
Most of us still measure based on pounds so it is necessary to consciously or subconsciously recalculate the grams to pounds. A pound contains 453.6 grams. Since we routinely purchase things based on ounces, now it is necessary to convert the pound to ounces by dividing by 16 to get the number of grams in an ounce. I quickly grabbed my handy HP calculator and with only 10 keystrokes find that there are 28.35 grams in an ounce. Maybe you can do this in your head or perhaps have memorized the relationship. I can't and haven't.
Anyone who has bought a box of breakfast cereal knows that quantity varies dependent on the product and the intended size. So there is no easy way of judging the density of the product which is just another way of saying the weight per unit of volume is hard to know from looking at the package. So our 8 grams of fat we now know has some relationship to a pound and an ounce. But, what? Well 8 grams is about one quarter of an ounce. (Say that's beginning to look like a lot!) If they had said less than a quarter ounce, what would you think? Or perhaps, since 8 grams is .01764 pounds, you might conclude that, hey, that's not much. In fact if it were twice as much you wouldn't think about it.
So it's a nice promotional gimmick to say less than 8 grams of fat. Since we all have been carefully programmed to understand that fat is bad for us. (No evidence here, just accept the "fact".)
However, consider that 8 grams of fat added to the diet of a 25 pound juvenile may sound like a lot but how about if it's the lunch meal for a construction worker weighing in at 250 pounds. Insignificant is the word that comes to mind. Or, perhaps you're suffering from middle age spread, better to forego that tasty sandwich altogether.
The other fact to consider is the additional items purchased for that noon time meal. That soft drink that is so refreshing contains 16 percent sugar. Or said differently, one sixth of the total weight of that Coke or Pepsi or other product is sugar. The can contains 12 ounces or 340 grams or so of liquid. Which translates to (at 16% sugar) 55 grams of sugar. Since fat contains 2.25 times the calories as sugar, that's equivalent to 24 grams of fat. Now we know that if it's calories we are concerned about, the soft drink has three times the calories as that provided by the fat in the sandwich. Of course there's lots more calories in the sandwich coming from the bread, mayonnaise, meats and cheese, not to mention the lettuce and tomato.
So if you are enticed to buy the sandwich based on its claim of low fat, you must be trying to reduce fat in your diet rather than calories. Which brings us back to the consideration of whether fat is good or bad for you. If you have normal metabolism, the fat will be digested and its fate will be the same as the sugars, starches, proteins, vitamins, and other organic compounds in the sandwich.
Why pick on fat? It's the fad, along with beating up on the meat industry. Maybe you should forego the sandwich or skip lunch altogether. I think not.
Eat your sandwich containing "less than 8 grams of fat." For if not tomorrow, you surely eventually will die; why not enjoy the pleasures that this planet provides?
****
Joe Wortham's Home Page , About Joe Wortham