Confusion on calories in shrimp

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Replies

  • LynnJ9
    LynnJ9 Posts: 414 Member
    MommaGem2017 wrote: »
    KeysKat wrote: »
    I bought a bag of frozen jumbo shrimp at Walmart. The bag says 6 shrimp= 4 ounces = 140 calories.
    When I look on the MFP database that is waaay more than what any other resource says for shrimp/oz.

    How do you know what is correct? Do you just assume that what is on the package you purchased is correct? Or the USDA?

    A lot of times when I run into this, the difference is pretty small, but for shrimp...it is a huge difference.

    First, go with the package info. After the shrimp thaw, weigh 6 of them and see if they weigh 4 oz. Then eat that many after it's cooked.

    Also - Were your shrimp raw or cooked? (Like shrimp cocktail ready?)

    The raw weight of food tends to be less than the same weight of cooked food. So if your shrimp were raw, then 4 oz. of cooked shrimp were likely to be higher than 4 oz. of cooked shrimp. Along with including usda in your search you should also look for an indicator of raw or cooked.

    Are you sure it isn't the opposite of what you wrote? 9 ounces of fish is about 7 ounces after it it's cooked, I think due to the loss of liquid. And a 7 ounce of chicken beat is usually a little less than 6 ounces after I cook it.
  • MommaGem2017
    MommaGem2017 Posts: 405 Member
    edited August 2017
    Are you sure it isn't the opposite of what you wrote? 9 ounces of fish is about 7 ounces after it it's cooked, I think due to the loss of liquid. And a 7 ounce of chicken beat is usually a little less than 6 ounces after I cook it.

    Yep, meat cooks down and gets smaller so, if we had 4 oz of raw shrimp =140cal, and it cooked down to say 3 oz (for ease of math) - that 3 oz of cooked shrimp would still be 140 cals. So... 4 oz of cooked shrimp would be more like 175 calories.

    4oz raw shrimp = 140cal
    4oz cooked shrimp = 175cal
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    It never occurred to me that the OP wouldn't be able to ascertain if there are "other" ingredients in her shrimp package.

    And it doesn't surprise me that we can argue even about this.

    If this is aimed at me, I've seen weirder, but I wouldn't assume it was the case, I'd just ask to make sure (if OP is still around, of course). Anyway, I think I identified the particular brand with 140 cal for 4 oz and it has no calorie-adding extra ingredients.

    Why would you think it was aimed at you? I was following @CattOfTheGarage and her statement.

    Heh, never mind. Because I said: "Whether OP's have added ingredients we do not know, but if they do not there is no basis to claim the processing increased their calories or added sodium." Just thought maybe you were responding to me suggesting the possibility. Sometimes I get overly anxious about being misread, I guess! ;-)
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,242 Member
    mmapags wrote: »
    Oh really, and what else is done to frozen shrimp?

    Most prawns sold around here are brined in a solution of sodium triphosphate or similar.
    Officially this protects the product from damage during freezing and storage.

    My personal belief is that it also nicely plumps up the product both tenderising it and appreciably increasing the weight and appearance of "plumpness".

    Incidentally such treatment should reduce calories per gram, not increase them, as the brine should be calorie free.

    While it does not happen often, I HAVE seen packaging that had caloric information erroneously copied from a different product.
  • MoveitlikeManda
    MoveitlikeManda Posts: 846 Member
    I always go with the info on the packet.
    I always make my own entry too so I know everything is listed correctly to what it says on the packet.
    ALWAYS WEIGH! even if a packet says a serving is 6 shrimp, those 6 shrimp are not always gonna weigh the same and little things like that can knock your count way off without you even noticing.



  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
    edited August 2017
    HarlemNY17 wrote: »
    CattOfTheGarage wrote: »
    HarlemNY17 wrote: »
    Because it's a Processed food

    See, that's where you went wrong, OP, you should have stuck your face directly in a rock pool, caught them with your teeth and eaten them alive and wriggling. No pesky confusing packaging that way.

    Actually you should do you're research on why processed foods are high in calories and sodium . They don't just take shrimp throw them in the bag and put them in freezers.

    With plain raw shrimp they usually give them a water glaze before freezing them. Which doesn't add or remove anything nutritional. I mean I suppose it technically counts as processing but then so does cooking food.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    Dear Posters,

    Please remember to stay on topic and answer the OPs questions. If you would like to discuss the types of fish you eat please start your own thread.

    Thanks,

    4legs
    MFP moderator
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    The calories/weight will vary with:
    - raw or cooked (due to loss of water weight)
    - how much water they may have been frozen with
    - Do they include the whole shrimp (tails, etc), that are sometimes removed before packaging
    - shrimp size (relative make-up of calorie-containing and non-calorie-containing components of each shrimp would presumably vary a bit with size).
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    KeysKat wrote: »
    I bought a bag of frozen jumbo shrimp at Walmart. The bag says 6 shrimp= 4 ounces = 140 calories.
    When I look on the MFP database that is waaay more than what any other resource says for shrimp/oz.

    How do you know what is correct? Do you just assume that what is on the package you purchased is correct? Or the USDA?

    A lot of times when I run into this, the difference is pretty small, but for shrimp...it is a huge difference.

    Make sure you are using the correct database entry for the size of shrimp you have, assuming they still have their tails on. 4 oz of colossal shrimp will have less waste, and more calories, than 4 oz of medium shrimp with all the tails you have to throw away.

    Beyond that, go with the package which is more likely to be correct.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited August 2017
    HarlemNY17 wrote: »
    CattOfTheGarage wrote: »
    HarlemNY17 wrote: »
    Because it's a Processed food

    See, that's where you went wrong, OP, you should have stuck your face directly in a rock pool, caught them with your teeth and eaten them alive and wriggling. No pesky confusing packaging that way.

    Actually you should do you're research on why processed foods are high in calories and sodium . They don't just take shrimp throw them in the bag and put them in freezers.

    Actually, they pretty much do.
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