Website calculates drinks as food calories – “terrifying”
The excellent blog The Consumerist posted yesterday about a BBC web site that converts drinks into calories and then into their food equivalents. Meg Marco, the post author, called the results “terrifying.”
I plugged two “large glasses of wine” into the calculator, which suggested 335 calories, and this is what it generated as food equivalents: a slice of pizza, an onion bhaji, and two jaffa cakes. Well, yes, I suppose that could be terrifying if I knew what two of those things were! So I ran it again and it said that it was the equivalent of a hamburger and a jaffa cake! Wow, the jaffistas really control that widget!
Clearly, there are many variations of a slice of pizza, some more caloric than others; ditto for hamburgers (sliders?). And we’ve previously discussed how the calories in a glass of wine can change too. But the basic point remains true: wine has calories and those calories can be converted into potentially terrifying food equivalents! Or they could be translated into non-terrifying food equivalents: 335 calories of granola is not going to really scare anyone.
On December 9th, 2008 at 12:14 pm ,Tim Carl wrote:
Ahhh… the dreaded jaffa cake. Often considered one of the most terrifying pastries in the world.
Are all wines the same? I would imagine that the calories are directly linked to the amount of alcohol…yes?
Thanks – very interesting.
On December 9th, 2008 at 2:58 pm ,Dr. Vino wrote:
Hi Tim –
Thanks for stopping by. Have you actually had a jaffa cake and lived to tell the tale? Yes, wine calories differ mostly by alcohol–and residual sugar. Here’s a Q&A from last year on the subject. Cheers,
On December 9th, 2008 at 3:19 pm ,Philip James wrote:
Nothing wrong with a jaffa cake or three! Its also been a while since I heard anyone mention of an Onion Bhaji – two fine foods not readily available on this side of the Atlantic
On December 9th, 2008 at 4:28 pm ,Mark Ashley wrote:
I really like the term “alcopop,” which I presume to refer to Smirnoff Ice or the like.
Are there sections of the UK where they refer to it as “alcosoda” instead of “alcopop”? 😉
On December 9th, 2008 at 4:29 pm ,Dylan wrote:
Agreed with your points, Tyler. This is more of a fun application than it is scientific. The type of calories differ, for example, what’s the difference in calories of fat from a slice of pizza or a burger compared to wine?
On December 10th, 2008 at 10:18 am ,Michael wrote:
I would be interested to hear from a reputable scientist how this actually equates. In my experience “liquid calories” don’t translate to either usable energy or appreciable weight gain in the way food calories do. I know that results on this subject are often sketchy at best for a variety of reasons, but I tend to believe that alcohol as part of a healthy diet doesn’t exactly blow the whole equation. I take healthy diet pretty seriously yet I never seem to find a connection between my drinking and my weight or health. I would imagine that one factor might be how quickly liquid moves through your body and whether it is really in the system long enough for your body to store a significant portion of the calories. But then, I’m no scientist, and I only know how it works for my body (or how it seems to work as the case may be).
On December 10th, 2008 at 11:02 am ,Richard Smith wrote:
Will nobody put the poor guy out of his misery?
Jaffa Cake – a small, cookie of sorts, with a layer of orange jelly and topped with milk chocolate. Created by McVities I believe. Now copied by many manufacturers in much the same way as the Fig Newton.
Onion Bhaji – A mixture of sliced onions, spices and batter, molded into a circular disk or blob and deep fried. The classic Indian starter and mid-Saturday night drinking binge snack. Also excellent cold the next day.
Both items are undoubtedly calorie-packed but well worth the price. Absolutely delicious. They would also certainly qualify as ‘impossible food pairings’, particularly the Jaffas….unimaginable!
On December 10th, 2008 at 11:11 am ,Dr. Vino wrote:
“They would also certainly qualify as ‘impossible food pairings’, particularly the Jaffas….unimaginable!”
oooooooh! Richard, don’t tempt me to lay it out as an “impossible” challenge!! 😉
On December 10th, 2008 at 11:29 am ,Richard Smith wrote:
Ahh, but it would be an IMPOSSIBLE pairing. If you have ever tasted a Jaffa then you will know what I mean – that sweet milk chocolate blended with tart orange marmalade jelly and a light fluffy cookie base – impossible! Jaffas and wine might even be fatal. You’re right, you’d better not do it…..heh heh.
On December 10th, 2008 at 1:52 pm ,Pizza, onion bhaji AND jaffa cake: Impossible pairings supersized! | Dr Vino's wine blog wrote:
[…] or free monthly updates by email (right sidebar). Thanks for visiting!Yesterday we posted on a “terrifying” web site that broke the news that wine has calories! Oh wait, that wasn’t the scary part. The food […]
On December 13th, 2008 at 8:26 pm ,WineClubInsider wrote:
I can’t imagine counting the calories in my glasses of wine. It’s all about the taste, not counting every calorie.
Cheers,
Wine Club Insider
Wine Club Guide.com
On January 19th, 2009 at 5:30 pm ,Alvarez wrote:
I suggest trying Jaffas with Pedro Ximenez sherry (sweet and with orangy notes). It might (kind of) work.
On November 9th, 2010 at 2:26 pm ,WIne Club Directory wrote:
My wife is always impressed with how well I eat, but appalled at how many calories I drink in wine every night. Now I can refute that by telling her it’s the equivalent to just a couple of onion bhajis and jaffa cakes. Luckily, she’ll have no idea what those are 😉
Cheers,
The Wine Club Directory
On August 18th, 2011 at 10:20 pm ,Pathmark Weekly Circular wrote:
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