Confused about calculating syns

[mizztraveller]

This syn calculation is confusing the life out of me! Not being the greatest lover of convenience foods it's something we rarely have in the house. However, couldn't resist some Tesco Finest fishcakes and didn't look at the calories, etc before buying them. Well, tonight was the night for the fishcakes so I took the packaging along to the computer. I haven't had a great deal of luck previously finding the brands ready worked out so I went for the Syn Calculator (where you put in the cals, fat, carbs and protein) and this revealed the fishcakes at a really scary 10 syns each. Going by the snakulator method of 1 syn for every 20 calories (185 each) that made it a bit more favourable 9.25 each but I still wasn't a happy bunny. So I tried the method by putting in the brand and variety and it was actually there .... 4.5 syns each! I was obviously much happier with this result but nevertheless very confused. Why all the different results?

I also fail to understand why some products which actually have calories don't have syns, eg baked beans, fruit yoghurts. My favourite yoghurts are Shape Zero and I believe they have around 75 calories so should have 3.5 syns but they don't have any.

This is so difficult ...:sigh:

 

[-Laura-]

The 1 syn = 20 cals rule only works when there is no free food allowance.

For your example, some of the calories in your fishcakes will have been due to the fish. Because fish is a free food on Red/EE, then it won't be synned. You would probably find that the same fishcakes on a green day would be closer to the 10 you estimated, because the fish would not be counted as free food in that case

 

[RegField]

. . . I also fail to understand why some products which actually have calories don't have syns, eg baked beans, fruit yoghurts. My favourite yoghurts are Shape Zero and I believe they have around 75 calories so should have 3.5 syns but they don't have any.

This is so difficult ...:sigh:

ALL foods have calories. No such thing as calorie-free foods (I wish!)

But foods have syns when they contain things which don't have any goodness in them (oversimplified way of explaining it, but I hope you see what I mean).

So lean meat doesn't have syns, but a meat product with fat, or with pastry, or with a gravy which contains thickeners will have syns.

A low-fat, sugar-free yogurt will have calories, but won't have syns. More fat, some sugar, and then it will have syns.

Some things have no redeeming qualities whatsoever, like sweets, and they can be calculated as 1 syn per 20 calories.

When you use the Syns Calculator, it should be as a last resort because it will often not be as accurate as the calculation that SW have made on the Syns Online section. But if you do have to use the Calculator, you must remember to indicate which free food the product contains, or you will get a false result.

 

[BritMumInCanada]

the 1 syn for every 20 calories can only be used for foods with NO free food allowance, foods which have a free food allowance, then you need to use the syns calculator, but you must select the free food first, before putting in the nutritional information. I am guessing you didnt do this.

However bear in mind that the free food will be the main ingredient, so it may be that actually potato is the main free food and there is actually little fish in them fish cakes.

Hope that makes sense.

If when you go to the syns calculator online, to the right is a little FAQ type thing on how to use it and which foods dont have a free food allowance, it is worth reading through this first. So you have a grasp on how it works.

 

[mizztraveller]

Thank you, that's all making much more sense now!