Calorie counts don't add up NOT SO FAST!

By MICHAEL HILL | The Associated Press
Published: January 08, 2010

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A new study says food at popular chain restaurants and in the frozen food aisles can be more fattening than advertised.

A study of meals from 10 restaurant chains, including Ruby Tuesday and Wendy's, found calorie counts averaging 18 percent more than the values listed by the restaurants.

Diet meals made by Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, Healthy Choice and others averaged 8 percent higher than the numbers on the label.

The study was led by Susan Roberts, a professor of nutrition at Tufts University in Boston, and published in the January issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Some items, like Domino's large thin-crust cheese pizza, came in low. It had one-third fewer than the reported 180 calories a serving.

But Roberts does say the study "raises a big issue" and that posting calories for consumers is only useful if the numbers are right.