Thread: Eden Foods Black Soy Beans

I was doing some reading on another forum and ran across this thread.

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Here's the email sent to me way back in August 2001, when I inquired about this (from the thread I linked to in my message above here):

Quote:
Dear Doreen,

Thank you for contacting Customer Service at Eden Foods.

The Dietary Fiber of 7g that you see listed on the Nutrition Panel is not included in the amount of calories listed per Pam Stepka who works in our Purchasing Department.

If you should have any further questions, please Contact Customer Service.

Sincerely,


Sandy Baker
Customer Service
Eden Foods
800-248-0320
www.edenfoods.com
The Dietary Fiber of 7g that you see listed on the Nutrition Panel is not included in the amount of calories listed It has been pre-subtracted before calculating the calories contributed by protein, fat and carbohydrate.

From Livvy's email in the post above: .. So, we can assure you that our label lists true carbohydrates, not a "net number Exactly --- the 8 grams of carbohydrate are true carbs that contribute calories.


Let's look at the nutrient data from the label ... it's also posted at the Eden Foods website ..

per 1/2 cup serving

calories: 120
calories from fat: 50
Total Fat: 6g
Total Carbohydrate 8g
Dietary Fiber 7g
Sugars 1g
Protein 11g
According to our Hidden Carbs Inspector, which is based on the USDA database and nutrient values, Legumes and Soy products yield the following caloric values per nutrient:

carbohydrate - 4.04834 calories per gram
fat - 8.39772 calories per gram
protein - 3.50036 calories per gram

So, for the Eden soy beans:

6g fat x 8.39772 = 50.386 calories .. and indeed, they declare 50 calories from fat

11g protein x 3.50036 = 38.504 calories

50.386 + 38.504 = 88.89 calories from fat and protein

120 - 88.89 = 31.11 calories that MUST come from digestible carbs

31.11 ÷ 4.04834 = 7.684 grams of digestible carbs, rounded up to 8g

The Eden black soy beans contribute 8 grams of digestible carbs per ½ cup serving. 8 g that are absorbed, contribute caloric energy and affect blood sugar and insulin levels.

The fiber listed on the label has been pre-subtracted. Do not subtract it again.



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[This message was edited by BettyR on 02-22-04 at 07:23 AM.]

Thanks for the information. Very helpful.

http://www.lowcarbeating.com/stpatschal.gif

Slatelee-
You are welcome. I was quiet shocked when I read this.

I wish our government would come up with a standard for nutritional labeling that all manufactures would have to follow so that US consumers would not have to go on a fact finding tour every time they bought a product.

You know, I wonder how many other manufacturers are using this method to calculate fiber?

Another reason for me to eat what I consider to be whole foods and on my program.

Take care~
Susan

LCE Member since 01/02

I am cooking chili with them included now. I will have to recalculate carbs per serving!! Still won't be too bad but it is very frustrating to count on a label being accurate. I agree that it concerns me about the other labels I have been accepting as accurate.

http://www.lowcarbeating.com/stpatschal.gif

I guess the only way to be sure is to sit down and do the math yourself.

There is:
8.4 calories in each gram of fat
3.5 calories in each gram of protein
4.0 calories in each gram of digestible carbs

Figure out how many calories are in the product due to fat and protein and then whatever calories are left over have got to be digestible carbs.

By the way Slatelee,

The next time you go to the grocery store check out the dried beans, you'll find that some of the numbers will surprise you. The smaller the bean the more fiber it will have. The surface area of the bean is fiber and the smaller the bean the more fiber it will have for it's bulk.

That's probably about as clear as mud, but in any case they have the same carb count as the soy beans but they taste a lot better.

[This message was edited by BettyR on 02-22-04 at 10:30 AM.]

Just a cautionary note also. Many people are allergic to soy, which includes the soy beans. That's one thing that is disturbing about all the products that are being made. Wonder if we'll see other problems developing in people from a higher consumption of soy.

Joyce(lc since July,2002)
230/175/135

Betty, thank you so much for posting this! I am also shocked. Never would have thought this.

Although, I must admit, it did seem too good to be true that an entire can had almost no carbs!

Susan, you are SO right. I've been RE-figuring that out lately. The only way to be TRULY safe is to eat meat, veggies and fat and nothing else!

Member since 2001

Winter Tree by Me

BettyR, thanks for the tip on dried beans. We can always use more fiber and fewer carbs. The chili turned out great. I will definitely check the dried beans when I am back at the grocery store.

BettyR,

Thanks so much for posting this info. I was going to include them after my induction, thinking that they only have less than 4g of carbs for the whole can. Thanks again

Isn't another possibility that they haven't deducted the fiber from the calories? I mean that is illegal in the U.S. (but is proper in European countries). When they told you

quote: The Dietary Fiber of 7g that you see listed on the Nutrition Panel is not included in the amount of calories listed per Pam Stepka who works in our Purchasing Department.

might they not have meant that it isn't added to he calories because that's already included with the carbs. It could just be miscommunication. Remember that a can of Eden black soybeans isn't pure soybeans but also includes seaweed. This could account for the differences in your calculations. so If they truly have 120 calories per 1/2 cup then aren't all their other numbers correct (app.)?

Rob
310/228.5/180
Me, a skeptic? I trust you have proof.

OK now I'm nervous..I've been using (but not often) the Great Value small red beans from Walmart that have a fiber count of (I think) 16...wonder if THAT label is correct? I had given up lentils in the crockpot with whole cloves of garlic (my fave) and was so thrilled to hear on this board about the red beans!


227.5/213 helloooooo 150!
Gertie

[This message was edited by Gertie on 03-03-04 at 05:37 AM.]

kary-
You are welcome, I was doing some more reading yesterday and came across this little tidbit. This is very worrisome to me. I didn't realize just how inaccurate the food labeling in this country is. I mean if you're not going to do it right then why do it at all?

Labels Estimate Caloric Values

Patrick J. Bird, PhD.
Keeping Fit
Column 275
January 2004

Q. Is it true that there may be more calories in food than is stated on the label?

A. Yes. The calorie counts on labels are approximations. Food labeling law allows a 20% margin of error between the number of calories printed on the package and the amount you actually consume. For instance, when the label on Kraft's Eating Right Shrimp Vegetable Stir Fry says there are 150 calories per serving--that's within 30 calories, more or less.

Yet, even with this hefty legal margin between caloric fact and fiction, some manufacturers are stepping over the line. According to the New York State Consumer Protection Board, for example, the Kraft stir fry they analyzed actually had 73 or 49% more calories. Furthermore, of the 20 products they tested, all had more calories than stated on the label. Five exceeded the 20% margin of error. None were below it.

Some nutritionists are pushing for a 5% error allowance, as well as for better enforcement. The food companies counter that this percentage is too low considering food variations, like the size of shrimp in the Kraft stir fry. Labeling practices are improving, but they still have a long way to go.

Gerti-
I wouldn't worry too much, as long as you don't eat them on a daily basis and use them more as a spice to make your pot of mostly meat chili taste better or as an accent to your taco salad, you shouldn't have any problem.

We all know that beans of any kind are fairly high in carbs but they are a type of carb that is digested slowly and is not going to spike your blood sugar the same way as if you had eaten the same amount of carbs in sugar.

They haven't given me any problem but I use them very sparingly. Sharron reported that she used them as well with no ill effects, but only as an occasional treat.

The black soy beans would also be good to use in the same way. I just wouldn't eat an entire can of them thinking that I was only going to get 4 carbs.

I wrote Eden foods regarding their carb/fiber labeling and received the following reply:

Thank you for contacting Eden Foods and your interest in Eden products.

Eden uses an independent lab for nutritional testing. We use their lab
reports for the information that we put on the labels. The carbohydrates
that we report on our label are taken directly from their reports. The lab
does not make any adjustment to the carbohydrate figure as it may relate to
fiber. Please be assured that our label lists true carbohydrates, not a
"net number".

If you should have any further questions, please contact Customer Service.

Sincerely,



Sandra K Baker
Customer Service
Eden Foods
800.248.0320
517.456.7424
Fax: 517.456.7025
www.edenfoods.com

Rob
310/228.5/180
Me, a skeptic? I trust you have proof.