The Back Story
The Back Story is your source for the latest in health, wellness and medical care for you and your entire family. Dr. Jaspal Ricky Singh M.D. and the world-renowned physicians at Weill Cornell Medicine, join forces with an expanded network of experts to bring in-depth conversations covering medical research, trending topics and wellness. Our podcast is a trusted source of information for medical care, combined with real patient experiences and the latest breakthroughs in medicine.
The Back Story
Can You Trust Calories? The Truth Behind Food Labels
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
We’ve all done it—flipped over a food label and made a decision based on calories.
But what if that number isn’t as accurate as you think?
In this episode, Dr. Jaspal Ricky Singh breaks down the science behind calorie counting—and why it may be more of an estimate than a fact. From the origins of nutrition labels to modern research on metabolism and food absorption, this conversation challenges the way we think about energy, weight, and nutrition.
You’ll learn:
- What a calorie actually is—and how it’s calculated
- Why food labels can be off by up to 20%
- How processed vs. whole foods impact how your body absorbs energy
- The history behind FDA nutrition labeling—and where it falls short today
- A smarter, more practical way to approach nutrition without obsessing over numbers
This isn’t about ignoring calories—it’s about understanding their limitations and focusing on what actually drives health and performance.
Your metabolism doesn’t read labels. It responds to biology.