Nutrition conversions (Aussie or Brit? help needed please)

Recreation Sports
1

Hi,

I’m an American currently paying for the isolationist sins of my forefathers. I bought some food products from Australia and I’m trying to decypher the nutrition labels. Disclaimer: I’m somewhat “numerically-challenged” as the more sensitive among us like to say.

I have the basic metric stuff under control. What I need help with is joules, kilojoules, kcals, etc.

Basically, I’m used to seeing “energy” content on food packages measured in “calories,” and I’d like to convert the Australian info to calories. This Australian snack bar is unusual and quite amazing to me in a few ways. First, it has its label on upside down (sorry, couldn’t resist) and it shows energy in xxxx kj. Specifically, 1447 kj. As far as I can tell, that means “kilojoules”. All of the calculations that I’m doing, with help from Internet calculators, make me sure I’m screwing this up. See below:

If a calorie is equal to 4.19 joules, and a joule is equal to .001 kilojoules (or kj), then, what time will Train B get to the station? Sorry, flashback.

1447 kj = 1447 “1000 joules” = 1,447,000 joules = the family joules

1 joule = .24 calories, so …

1,447,000 joules x .24 = 347,280 calories

Therefore, at an average consumption rate of 2,400 calories per day for a man, that means that this one Australian snack bar can sustain me from now until sometime in September 2005 (144 days).

I’m beginning to suspect a couple of things: One, that I got a better deal on that snack bar than originally thought. And, two, in addition to being the rightful protectors of the English language, the Aussies might have the solution to world hunger as well.

Seeker4

2

Is it something to do with a kilocalorie also being called a calorie ? I think calories are really kilocalories when talking about nutrition. Does it make more sense if you divide by 1000 ?

3

BFM :bravo: well done, exactly right. 1 kjoule = 4.18 kcalories, just that most of us have dropped the kilocalories name in favour of calories

4

OK, seems we’re part of the way there.

This snack bar reasonably has somewhere between 100-250 calories. Probably mid to low end. So, what are the conversion calculations that arrive at the right number of calories?

If I multiply the 1447 kj’s by 4.18 (4.19 rounded up), that is 6,063 kcals or calories which isn’t right.

If I divide 1447 by 1000, I get 1.447 calories which isn’t right.

144.7 is much more like it, but not sure how to arrive at that logically.

5

No, no - you want 1447/4.18 = roughly 350 kcal (calories)

I’m Australian, but I think in calories too. So I’m used to doing the conversion :unamused:

6

OK, seems we’re part of the way there.

This snack bar reasonably has somewhere between 100-250 calories. Probably mid to low end. So, what are the conversion calculations that arrive at the right number of calories?

If I divide 1447 by 1000, I get 1.447 calories which isn’t right.

144.7 is much more like it, but not sure how to arrive at that logically.[/quote]

Seeker,

1447 / 4.18 = 346.17 calories in each bar

Now whether that is good or bad, i will leave for others to debate. :laughing: