Using a scale - is mL the same as g?

elaineamj

My scale only measures in oz, lb, and g. I have been entering grams as mLs for entries where there are no grams, only mL serving sizes. I think that is right - but wanted to check. e.g., today's ice cream is 125mL per serving and I scooped out 125g. Looks like a lot

seska422

Milliliters are only equal to grams for water. Anything with a different specific gravity will be different.

If the liquid has about the consistency of water, it will be close.

Ice cream is much thicker (and it may have differing amounts of air whipped into it) so you can't just weigh it and call ml=g because they aren't. You are going to need to use a measuring cup.

markrgeary1

seska422 wrote: »

Milliliters are only equal to grams for water. Anything with a different specific gravity will be different.

If the liquid has about the consistency of water, it will be close.

Ice cream is much thicker (and it may have differing amounts of air whipped into it) so you can't just weigh it and call ml=g because they aren't. You are going to need to use a measuring cup.

Most ice creams, at least the ones I eat, also list the 1/2 cup standard serving in grams. I'm sure for the reasons you raise about whipped air.

positivepowers

elaineamj wrote: »

My scale only measures in oz, lb, and g. I have been entering grams as mLs for entries where there are no grams, only mL serving sizes. I think that is right - but wanted to check. e.g., today's ice cream is 125mL per serving and I scooped out 125g. Looks like a lot

A gram is a weight measurement and a milliliter (ml) is a volume measurement. They are not interchangeable.

DaddieCat

ml or milliliter is a volumetric/liquid measure, gram is a mass/weight measure. No, they are not equivalent. For example, with water, the conversion seems to be 1:1 but for any other liquid, which will have a higher or lower density, the conversion would not be 1:1

To convert any other liquid, you would have to multiply the number of milliliters by the density of the liquid.

For example olive oil which has a density of .918

100ml of olive oil *.918 = 91.8 grams

To find the density of the liquid you need to follow this equation: Density=mass/volume

Or, a simpler method would be to weigh all solids in grams and use appropriate liquid measure, such as cup, spoon, liter, milliliter, etc for all liquid measures.

It doesn't, in my opinion, make much sense to convert volumetric measures to a weighted measure for food logging purpose.


Edited for spelling.

xmichaelyx

positivepowers wrote: »

elaineamj wrote: »

My scale only measures in oz, lb, and g. I have been entering grams as mLs for entries where there are no grams, only mL serving sizes. I think that is right - but wanted to check. e.g., today's ice cream is 125mL per serving and I scooped out 125g. Looks like a lot

A gram is a weight measurement and a milliliter (ml) is a volume measurement. They are not interchangeable.

This is correct.

elaineamj

I had a feeling it was something like that. I do use measuring cups too but sometimes that's not accurate either. e.g. ice cream doesn't fit well inside a cup. Still - at least in a cup I would be erring on the conservative side.

Oh well for today's ice cream, I had 125g and am going to add an extra 25% and guesstimate it at 0.63 cups for 250 cals instead of 200 cals.

elaineamj

On second thoughts - I'm seeing many ice creams saying a 1/2 cup tends to be about 71g. Time to up those calories! 320 calories later....*sigh*

I am going to have to figure out how to handle those pesky entries with only mL measurements. I've gotten pretty used to doing everything with grams and taring out my scale etc. A little nervous to going back to using cups for some things.

Or will it help to get another scale for that can handle liquids?

The funny thing is - even though I have been making this mistake for the last little while, I am still losing faster than predicted and am considering upping my calories yet again. At least it hasn't been making the scale go up! (although the feeling that I'm inaccurate could drive my optimizing self a touch batty).

Domicinator

I'm glad I saw this--grams and ml on my food scale always seem to be the exact same value.

DaddieCat

Domicinator wrote: »

I'm glad I saw this--grams and ml on my food scale always seem to be the exact same value.

Food scales are only programmed to weigh water unless otherwise stated, since every liquid will have a unique density.

seska422

elaineamj wrote: »

Or will it help to get another scale for that can handle liquids?

No, it won't help. Scales can't weigh volumes. The only thing that's accurate for ml=g is water. All the scale is doing is weighing in grams and slapping a ml label on it.

I hate that some scales have put ml as a weighing choice. I guess they did it because people wanted it. The instructions for my scale specify that the ml and fl oz settings are only accurate for water but I wonder how many people actually read all of the instruction pamphlet?

As for weighing liquids, some things are close enough for me. You may decide that weighing something like salad dressing is close enough or you may want to use measuring cups/spoons.

Calorie counting is full of estimates. It's all about getting as close as you can and understanding that you won't always be exactly right.

elaineamj

Hmmm..I think it will make sense to use measuring cups/spoons for liquids. I have a feeling I will get a closer estimate than using grams on my scale. And in some cases, I'm going to call it a wash and not get too stressed out by it. I just figured my scale would be more accurate than cups/spoons but guess that is not the case (especially after today's ice cream adventure! What I thought was 200 cals is likely closer to 350 cals. Ouch!)

drachfit

no a scale with mL will not help you. you can't weigh a volume.

in this case using the cups for those measurements that need it is MORE accurate than the scale. Assuming you fully pack the measuring cups without air pockets and make sure the top is level.

most foods with a USDA nutrition label should also list the serving size in grams. like "Serving size 1/2 cup (77g)". so use that, or use the MFP database to look up a similar food item (say, a different brand of chocolate ice cream) that DOES have information in grams.

either way since you are still losing weight despite the inaccuracies you know that you can always adjust. even if you get your measurement method perfect there will still be inaccuracies so you are correct to be adjusting by the scale.

lynn_glenmont

Does the main label (not the nutrition label) not give both a total volume and total weight? You could use that to do the conversion.
In the U.S. ice cream is generally sold in pints, quarts, and half-gallons (or 1 1/2 quarts), but they also give a net weight (the food, exclusive of the container). Roughly 480 ml in a pint. Divide total weight (in grams) by total milliliters in the container, and multiply that by the number of milliliters the nutrition label says is in one serving. That should give you the weight in grams of one serving.

rosey35

In the uk the package has the calories in ml and gram, as for cups I can pack a lot into a cup so it's not truly a cup more a cup and a half or quarter. I measure ice cream in grams to get a truer measurement.