raw or cooked...?

chrisellis78

Hi, have decided to get more serious and start counting my macros... Do i count the raw or cooked data on the pack of pork loin steaks.... Raw says protein is 19.9g per 100 and cooked says 31.0g per 100...? Bit confused..? Thanks

sypher_1994

Always used cooked numbers as a 100g pork loin steak raw won't be 100g when it's cooked always weigh food after it's cooked

Brolympus

That's because the weight is accounting for all the water in the pork before you cook it. That "grams per 100" measurement is almost like the "protein density", if you will.

Ex. a piece of pork weighs 500g before you cook it. Let's say that piece has 50g protein. So it has 50g/500g = 0.1g protein/gram of uncooked pork

The protein doesn't go anywhere after you cook it. You just remove the water and the piece of pork now weighs less, making the "protein density" appear higher. Lets say the pork now weighs 250g. 50g/250g =0.2g protein/gram of cooked pork. You still eat 50g of protein whether you cook it or not. Hopefully you choose cooked

So just make sure you use the right MFP entry depending on when you weigh the food. I always do cooked because I don't want raw meat near anything I am putting other food on, such as my scale.

Josalinn

Weigh your food raw. Put down a piece of plastic wrap first to keep the scale clean and then tare it.

The calories and nutritional info on the package of raw meat are for raw meat, just like pasta is for the dry weight.