Rounding down calories may round up your scale

When is a calorie not a calorie?

The answer: When calories, literally, disappear as they're rounded down on Nutrition Fact labels.

You may think: "Big deal." But, it's a bigger deal than you might at first believe.

I first came across how this "new" math works and how calories vanish in the wink of a calculator from an article earlier this year in Nutrition Action Healthletter about nondairy coffee creamers. NAH first took a close look at the granddaddy of nondairy creamers: Coffee-mate, The Original.

On Coffee-mate's surface it appears to be fairly low calorie (10 calories per serving) and low in fat (0.5 grams - all saturated, with zero trans fat grams. OK so far.

A closer look at the Nutrition Fact label reveals that's for a 1 teaspoon serving. One teaspoon? I doubt anyone puts just a teaspoon creamer (dairy or otherwise) in their coffee and stops. I'm willing to bet most folks use at least one tablespoon of creamer in their morning java.

There's a reason, a very good reason, why I believe Coffee-mate selected that unrealistic teaspoon as the serving size: new math. Follow along and you'll see how this works.

The editors at Nutrition Action Healthletter did something I can't: they reached inside Nestle (Coffee-mate's maker) and got the real nutrition facts for their product. It turns out that 1 teaspoon delivers exactly 0.99 saturated fat grams. The labeling rules allow Nestle to round that 0.99 down to 0.5 grams.

The editors also learned that teaspoon of nondairy creamer delivers not 10 calories but 14.83. You probably see where this is headed; Nestle's allowed to round that 14.83 down to 10.

Now, let's do some real math here. If you put one tablespoon of Coffee-mate in your coffee, you'd get 44.49 calories and 2.97 saturated fat grams.

The editors pointed out, and rightly so, that two tablespoons of real half-and-half brings just 40 calories and 2.1 saturated fat grams to a coffee cup. They know that because half-and-half producers consider a tablespoon, not a meager little teaspoon, a serving.

Those seemingly few extra calories consumed daily equals enough calories in a year for you to gain 1.5 pounds. And, if you add two tablespoons each day; well, you do the math.

What can you do? Try Land O'Lakes Fat Free Half & Half with 20 calories per two tablespoons (it still has 0.3 grams saturated fat), or its Low Fat Half & Half with 1 saturated fat gram per two tablespoons. They're both bargains compared to any nondairy creamer and can be used in recipes that call for half-and-half works in some recipes where you'd use real half-and-half.

Try this recipe: Instead of making biscuits with dinner, which are fairly high in fat, consider these muffins. They puff up with a nice top and bring a nice savory bite to the meal. I like to drizzle a little honey on mine; sweet, sweet heat. Delicious.

• Don Mauer welcomes questions, shared recipes and makeover requests for your favorite dishes. Write him at don@theleanwizard.com.Potato and Cheese Muffins#188; cup unflavored, unsweetened applesauce 1#188; cups all-purpose flour (unbleached, preferred)#190; cup yellow cornmeal1 tablespoon granulated sugar2 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon table salt#189; cup reduced fat (2% milk) extra-sharp cheddar cheese, #188;-inch dice1 cup mashed potatoes (leftovers or prepared from instant) at room temperature #189; cup 1-percent milk #188; cup plain nonfat yogurt 2 tablespoons canola or olive oil 1 large egg, beaten #189; teaspoon (or to taste) red pepper flakes 2 green onions, green and white parts minced (about cup)Place a wire mesh strainer over a bowl deep enough to keep the bottom of the strainer from touching the bottom of the bowl and add applesauce. Set aside.Place an oven rack in the middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray the cups of a 12-muffin tin (2-inch cups) with vegetable oil. Set aside.In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined. Add cheese cubes and coat with flour mixture by stirring or folding them, making sure each piece is separate and coated.To a medium mixing bowl add mashed potatoes, milk, yogurt, oil, egg and 2 tablespoons of the drained applesauce. Using a hand mixer at medium speed; beat together until combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and green onions and with a large rubber spatula stir and fold together until combined. Stir the potato mixture into the flour mixture until just blended (this is a stiff batter).Spoon muffin mixture into prepared tin filling each one nearly to the brim. Bake 20 minutes, or until the muffins are lightly browned. Immediately remove from the pan and serve.Serves 12.@Recipe nutrition:Nutrition values per muffin: 144 calories (24.9 percent from fat), 4 g fat (1 g saturated), 21.8 g carbohydrates, 1.3 g fiber, 5 g protein, 18 mg cholesterol, 342 mg sodium.