An eagled eye netizen spotted discrepancies with the labelling of a Chinese soft drink which boldly claims 0 calories, 0 fat and 0 sugar in the packaging.
The soft drink Yuan Qi Sheng Ling (Chi Forest) is a drink that got popular recently and it can be seen in convenience stores and supermarkets.
0 Calories?
An English version of the nutrition fact sticker was pasted over the Chinese version and it states 0 Energy. (0 kcal*)
The packaging states that there are 18.4 Grams of carbohydrates per bottle. For those who do not know, per gram of carbohydrate equals to 4 calories.
Meaning the drink actually has 73.6 calories in it.
According to diffen.com, A carbohydrate is an organic compound made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, and “carbs” typically refers to food rich in starch or sugar. Carbs always contain calories (4 per gram), but calories do not necessarily indicate carbs.
But the packaging details of the soft drink state that there are zero calories.
How is that possible when there are 18.4 grams of carbohydrates in it?
That is about 1 and a half pieces of Oreo cookies.
Are sugar-free drinks really healthy?
Sugar-free drinks, such as diet sodas and energy drinks, are often marketed as healthy alternatives to regular beverages. But are these drinks really healthy for you?
The short answer is no; in fact, many of them contain artificial sweeteners and other additives that may be even worse for your health than sugar. Studies have linked artificial sweeteners to increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other health issues. Some of these sweeteners have also been linked to headaches, dizziness, and other side effects.