Honey Grahams Don’t Have Added Calories

Question: Is there any difference in calories between plain graham crackers and the honey graham crackers?

Answer: The number of calories and the amount of carbohydrates in plain graham crackers are similar to those in honey graham crackers.

Q: Would you have any idea why a doctor would tell someone not to include soup in a diet?

A: You don’t provide very much information, so I can just speculate. Canned soups (as well as the frozen and dried varieties) are high in salt and may be high in fat and sugar. However, soup prepared at home without salt, fat, or sugar may be acceptable for your diet.

Q: If sulfites are not permitted to be used on fresh fruits and vegetables any more because of the health problems they may cause, why are they still being permitted to be used on meat and fish? It seems to me they should either be used or should not be used, especially if they can make a person sick.

A: As you mention in your letter, sulfites have been implicated in some health problems. In people allergic to sulfites, these problems include hives,diarrhea, vomiting, wheezing, dizziness and even death.

Sulfites are not permitted to be used on fresh meat because they impart a reddish color to meat, and this might suggest the meat is fresh when it is not. However, sulfites are permitted to be used in some seafoods and in packaged goods to prevent spoilage. If sulfites are included as an ingredient in packaged foods, that fact must be noted on the label.

Anyone who is allergic to any preservative should make it a point to read food labels carefully. Fresh produce, of course, is not labeled, and is therefore subject to an outright ban.

If you have a medical question, write to Neil Solomon MD, P.O. Box 21487, Pikesville, Md. 21208. Solomon cannot give personal replies but will answer as many questions as possible in his column.