DEAR DR. BLONZ: Compared with 75% lean, would 95% lean ground beef be considered low-fat? This came up during a discussion at a burger party, and we all recorded our votes. Is one that much more healthy than the other? -- C.T., Los Angeles

DEAR C.T.: The government standard for low-fat food is no more than 3 grams of fat per serving, and neither passes that test. Some background about ground beef fat is required to make the determination, including consideration of what happens during cooking, as well as some math.

A serving of hamburger might be considered the burger itself, but given that they come in a range of sizes, especially when homemade, this can be confusing. Let's consider a serving to be one-quarter pound (4 ounces, or 114 grams) for our comparison.

Before cooking, a 4-ounce serving of 75% lean ground beef will have 331 calories, of which 28 grams (252 calories) is from fat; this represents 77% of the total calories in the serving. This serving has 18 grams of protein.

The same weight of uncooked 95% lean ground beef will have 155 calories, of which 5.7 grams (51 calories) is from fat; this represents 33% of the total calories. This serving has 24 grams of protein.

Both of these ground beefs are above the 3 grams of fat per serving benchmark for low-fat foods.

Now consider what happens during the cooking process that causes both burgers to lose water and fat. Because doneness is a factor, for our comparison, we will assume the burgers are cooked to medium.

Cooking causes the 75% lean patty to drop from 113 grams to 70 grams -- a 38% weight loss -- and it will now have about 13 grams of fat, a 54% decrease from raw. There is no significant loss of protein.

Cooking causes the 95% lean patty to drop from 113 grams to 82 grams, a 27% weight loss, and it will now have about 5.4 grams of fat, a 4% decrease. Again, there is no significant protein loss.

A medium-cooked burger from a quarter pound of 95% lean ground beef gives you more to eat -- 82 vs. 70 grams -- and provides more protein (24 vs. 18 grams) and less fat (5.4 vs. 13 grams). Still, neither meets the low-fat standard.

What is healthful depends on the rest of the food on your plate that day. There are other issues that come into play, such as where the beef came from, how that rancher feeds and treats their beef cattle and the land on which the cattle were raised. All these issues deserve consideration.

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: Nutrition labels on foods and meats show their fat content. But when meat items get cooked, such as bacon, sausage and ground meats, fat gets rendered out. Does the package labeling indicate fat content before cooking, or after? If it is the former, as I suspect, how significantly does cooking reduce the fat content?

I also wonder about the labels on cake mixes, to which you must add ingredients, and meat purchased directly from the butcher case, where there are no labels besides a description of the cut and the price per pound. -- K.G., San Jose, California

DEAR K.G.: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are involved here.

The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA) requires that nutritional information be displayed on FDA-regulated foods. These information labels indicate the nutrients per serving as described on the package. Cake mixes, muffin mixes and the like can require additional components to make a finished product; in these instances, an "as prepared" column can provide information on the nutrients in the fully prepared food. (More about FDA labeling at b.link/ua4zghx.)

The meats you list are products regulated by the USDA, not the FDA. The USDA has a set of parallel rules for labeling, but there are some differences -- the main one is how the information is displayed.

Unless otherwise stated, information on a nutrition facts label for meat should be assumed to be from the raw, uncooked product. How much fat and cholesterol is lost when cooking sausage and ground meats depends on how lean the product was prior to cooking. In the case of bacon, the nutrition facts panel displayed on most brands indicates data for a serving that is already cooked. Read the label carefully to verify whether the nutritional values are for "as prepared."

A cooked piece of bacon will weigh about one-third its uncooked weight, dropping some of its weight as fat and some as moisture. The liquified fat remains, so consider using a paper towel to blot cooked bacon before serving.

Pre-packaged ground or chopped meats and poultry should have their USDA nutrition facts label on the package, or be available at the point of purchase. Some markets will post the information on their website. (For sample labels of ground meat products with different fat percentages, see b.link/639fn6a.) You can also ask for the nutritional information when you shop, but you may have to wait a while during busy shopping hours.

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I am a borderline diabetic. I like beer, so I drink a 12-ounce bottle about three times a week. Am I doing a disservice to my health by drinking beer? What about drinking it before a meal, as opposed to after? -- L.K., San Diego

DEAR L.K.: It would be a disservice to consume your beer, or any alcoholic substance, before driving or engaging in other tasks where alertness and concentration are essential. Having alcohol before you eat amplifies the danger.

Alcohol is treated by the body as a toxin, and as soon as it's absorbed, it goes to the liver for priority processing. One of the liver's many functions is to help maintain our blood glucose level between meals when there's no energy coming in. The liver provides the glucose by breaking down its glycogen, which is the stored form of glucose it is directed to always have at the ready.

A healthy liver has about 100 grams of glycogen for this use, the equivalent of about 1/2 cup of sugar. When alcohol enters the body, the liver turns its focus to metabolizing the toxin, which causes it to stop releasing glucose. The net effect is that the body's blood glucose can drop, which is even more problematic for those with diabetes and on medications designed to regulate blood glucose. Alcohol in these situations can contribute to a variety of symptoms that include dizziness, shakiness, hunger, slurred speech and general confusion. These symptoms might be thought of as a direct effect of the alcohol, but they can be caused by alcohol-induced hypoglycemia. As a general rule, if you are going to have alcohol, it should be with food. (For more on alcohol and diabetes, see b.link/6f2f2bd.)

Be sure to check the label of any beer brand you are considering. There are various beers with a range of ingredients. A light beer will have about 6 grams of carbohydrates, while a regular beer will have about 14 grams. (By comparison, a can of regular soda contains 38 grams of carbohydrates.)

DEAR DR. BLONZ: Is there a nutritional difference between cane sugar and regular sugar? -- B.V.

DEAR B.V.: There is no nutritional difference -- they are both sucrose, the double sugar (disaccharide) composed of a glucose linked to fructose. Cane sugar comes from sugarcane, and while "regular" sugar can come from cane, it can also come from sugar beets. An interesting side note: Sugars tend to be hygroscopic, which means they can pull moisture out of the air. Sugar's tendency to absorb or react with moisture from the environment can be bothersome, which explains why food products often include tiny moisture-absorbing packets. Such food products often include directions to keep them well sealed, especially if they are stored in the refrigerator, which is a typically moist environment.

You won't find those moisture-absorbing packets in bags of sugar, but salt-free oyster crackers can be helpful for long-term sugar storage. Interestingly, the fine-powder confectioner's sugar, which would be more vulnerable to clumping due to moisture, often includes a tiny bit of cornstarch, arrowroot or tapioca starches to keep it free from moisture.

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.