Food measurement discrepancy.
rcreynol3090
Posts: 174 Member
Oikos Triple Zero yogurt (vanilla) seems to have an inaccuracy in the nutritional information regarding serving size. This is the 32 oz container. It says "serving size 1 cup (225 gr)". So for breakfast this morning I measured 1 level cup and decided to weigh it also. Came in at 300 gr. What the?....
So essentially I got 3- 1 cup servings out of a 4- serving container. Anybody else notice this?
So essentially I got 3- 1 cup servings out of a 4- serving container. Anybody else notice this?
0
Replies
-
So, weigh your food. That, at least, is the truth.
And, yes, the inaccuracy of cups and spoons are well known.
I was trying to update a recipe this morning in which most of my ingredients were canned vegetables. It was distressing to have to find an accurate database listing from the many verified but false listings for each of the common vegetables I was using.2 -
A "level" cup is too much. Leave 1/8-1/4 inch rim/unfilled. That is the intended fill. Be really careful with things like peanut butter and spoons. They probably didn't cheat you, you over-filled your cup. If you were to weigh the entire contents of the container, I think you'd find the amount indicated. Although - Chobani regularly cheats me out of 5-10g in their little single-serve containers.
That's why we harp on the food scale.2 -
But I'm really confused about this re: my frozen yogurt. A 2L container split into 125ml containers should theoretically fill 16 containers, yet I consistently get only 13, even though my containers are only 120ml and I definitely don't jam them full. Yet when I tried to weigh them instead, filling a 120ml container yielded only an average of 75ml on the digital scale!! So I'm totally confused...0
-
But I'm really confused about this re: my frozen yogurt. A 2L container split into 125ml containers should theoretically fill 16 containers, yet I consistently get only 13, even though my containers are only 120ml and I definitely don't jam them full. Yet when I tried to weigh them instead, filling a 120ml container yielded only an average of 75ml on the digital scale!! So I'm totally confused...
Go with the actual weight of the food. Containers are all over the place size-wise...and they ALL intend that you not fill them to the top. ML do not convert to grams, just so you know. A ml measurement on your food scale is likely referring to liquids such as water or milk. Refer to your food scale instructions. Frozen yogurt is not a liquid.4 -
But I'm really confused about this re: my frozen yogurt. A 2L container split into 125ml containers should theoretically fill 16 containers, yet I consistently get only 13, even though my containers are only 120ml and I definitely don't jam them full. Yet when I tried to weigh them instead, filling a 120ml container yielded only an average of 75ml on the digital scale!! So I'm totally confused...
I think I read in one of the threads here some time ago that ice cream is put into the containers in liquid (or semi-liquid) form and then frozen. That fools around with the weights and measures.2 -
Another thing to be aware of is that milk is more dense than water, and greek yogurt is more dense than whole milk. An identical volumetric cup of each of these will have different weights, with water being lightest, milk heavier, and greek yogurt even heavier.
I have a scale which offers to account for the density of milk differently from the density of water. I can weigh 6.0 oz on the "milk" setting, and by changing the setting to "water", the weight changes to 6.1 oz. I know of no authoritative guide to tell me if the Nutrition Facts or the MFP food database account for these density variations.
Generally, the law allows the label to be 20% inaccurate. I shall suppose that the density differences are part of the allowed inaccuracies of the labels.1 -
rcreynol3090 wrote: »Oikos Triple Zero yogurt (vanilla) seems to have an inaccuracy in the nutritional information regarding serving size. This is the 32 oz container. It says "serving size 1 cup (225 gr)". So for breakfast this morning I measured 1 level cup and decided to weigh it also. Came in at 300 gr. What the?....
So essentially I got 3- 1 cup servings out of a 4- serving container. Anybody else notice this?
This is why you should always weigh your food and go by the weight, not measurement, listed on the package.
2 -
The official serving size is the grams, and the nutritional info is provided based on the grams. Then they estimate a volume measurement to go along with it. Volume measurements can be very inaccurate due to how tightly or loosely food is packed in, settling in the package through shipping and stocking, and possible variations in the size and shape of the product.3
-
cmriverside wrote: »A "level" cup is too much. Leave 1/8-1/4 inch rim/unfilled. That is the intended fill. Be really careful with things like peanut butter and spoons. They probably didn't cheat you, you over-filled your cup. If you were to weigh the entire contents of the container, I think you'd find the amount indicated. Although - Chobani regularly cheats me out of 5-10g in their little single-serve containers.
That's why we harp on the food scale.
The measuring cup i used is a ss cup intended to be filled and leveled. I've been cooking / baking for almost 50 years, and this is how many ingredients are intended to be measured. It just perturbs me that the cup / grams don't match on the package.0 -
rcreynol3090 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »A "level" cup is too much. Leave 1/8-1/4 inch rim/unfilled. That is the intended fill. Be really careful with things like peanut butter and spoons. They probably didn't cheat you, you over-filled your cup. If you were to weigh the entire contents of the container, I think you'd find the amount indicated. Although - Chobani regularly cheats me out of 5-10g in their little single-serve containers.
That's why we harp on the food scale.
The measuring cup i used is a ss cup intended to be filled and leveled. I've been cooking / baking for almost 50 years, and this is how many ingredients are intended to be measured. It just perturbs me that the cup / grams don't match on the package.
For baking, weighing is actually the most accurate way to measure ingredients. Most of the time you'll get acceptable results using measuring cups, but their inaccuracy is one reason why the recipes in many serious baking books will provide weights instead of, or in addition to, measuring cups.4 -
rcreynol3090 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »A "level" cup is too much. Leave 1/8-1/4 inch rim/unfilled. That is the intended fill. Be really careful with things like peanut butter and spoons. They probably didn't cheat you, you over-filled your cup. If you were to weigh the entire contents of the container, I think you'd find the amount indicated. Although - Chobani regularly cheats me out of 5-10g in their little single-serve containers.
That's why we harp on the food scale.
The measuring cup i used is a ss cup intended to be filled and leveled. I've been cooking / baking for almost 50 years, and this is how many ingredients are intended to be measured. It just perturbs me that the cup / grams don't match on the package.
How you fill it and how you level it can make a big difference. Do you scoop? more weight. Do you spoon into it? less weight. Did you sift before or after measuring? Makes a huge difference. Even King Arthur Flour (which has been selling flour in the US for over 250 years) recommends weighing.
The packages are accurate in that the weight is the correct serving size. The measurement is an approximation because each cook or baker will measure differently.
I have been cooking and baking for 50 years also and discovered my baked goods are vastly improved since I started weighing instead of measuring. I still measure for recipes that have some forgiveness like cookies, especially since most of those are old family recipes at least 100+ years old.3 -
rcreynol3090 wrote: »Oikos Triple Zero yogurt (vanilla) seems to have an inaccuracy in the nutritional information regarding serving size. This is the 32 oz container. It says "serving size 1 cup (225 gr)". So for breakfast this morning I measured 1 level cup and decided to weigh it also. Came in at 300 gr. What the?....
So essentially I got 3- 1 cup servings out of a 4- serving container. Anybody else notice this?
No, you were eating 1.33 servings instead of 1 serving.2 -
But I'm really confused about this re: my frozen yogurt. A 2L container split into 125ml containers should theoretically fill 16 containers, yet I consistently get only 13, even though my containers are only 120ml and I definitely don't jam them full. Yet when I tried to weigh them instead, filling a 120ml container yielded only an average of 75ml on the digital scale!! So I'm totally confused...
You cannot weigh food in milliliters. A scale cannot measure milliliters. Scales that show milliliters are assuming you have placed water on the scale, because at a certain temperature and pressure, 1 ml of water weighs 1 g. The density of frozen yogurt is very different from the density of water -- that is, 1 ml of frozen yogurt at normal room temperatures at pressures typical on the surface of the earth weighs less than 1 g.3 -
rcreynol3090 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »A "level" cup is too much. Leave 1/8-1/4 inch rim/unfilled. That is the intended fill. Be really careful with things like peanut butter and spoons. They probably didn't cheat you, you over-filled your cup. If you were to weigh the entire contents of the container, I think you'd find the amount indicated. Although - Chobani regularly cheats me out of 5-10g in their little single-serve containers.
That's why we harp on the food scale.
The measuring cup i used is a ss cup intended to be filled and leveled. I've been cooking / baking for almost 50 years, and this is how many ingredients are intended to be measured. It just perturbs me that the cup / grams don't match on the package.
If you bake seriously then you would have switched to weighing (I've seen more serious bakers try to source UK/European recipes because we only use grams). Cups are intended for liquids, it's like fitting a round peg in a square hole for solids and semi-solids. Accuracy will always be questionable in a cup if it's not a liquid.
You have a scale, use it instead of cups.3 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »But I'm really confused about this re: my frozen yogurt. A 2L container split into 125ml containers should theoretically fill 16 containers, yet I consistently get only 13, even though my containers are only 120ml and I definitely don't jam them full. Yet when I tried to weigh them instead, filling a 120ml container yielded only an average of 75ml on the digital scale!! So I'm totally confused...
You cannot weigh food in milliliters. A scale cannot measure milliliters. Scales that show milliliters are assuming you have placed water on the scale, because at a certain temperature and pressure, 1 ml of water weighs 1 g. The density of frozen yogurt is very different from the density of water -- that is, 1 ml of frozen yogurt at normal room temperatures at pressures typical on the surface of the earth weighs less than 1 g.
See, I had figured that, but the nutritional label lists one serving as 125ml, so they must be intending for it to be measured by volume, not weight. But then why am I getting only 13 servings instead of 16? Because I am really not squishing it into the containers at all...0 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »But I'm really confused about this re: my frozen yogurt. A 2L container split into 125ml containers should theoretically fill 16 containers, yet I consistently get only 13, even though my containers are only 120ml and I definitely don't jam them full. Yet when I tried to weigh them instead, filling a 120ml container yielded only an average of 75ml on the digital scale!! So I'm totally confused...
You cannot weigh food in milliliters. A scale cannot measure milliliters. Scales that show milliliters are assuming you have placed water on the scale, because at a certain temperature and pressure, 1 ml of water weighs 1 g. The density of frozen yogurt is very different from the density of water -- that is, 1 ml of frozen yogurt at normal room temperatures at pressures typical on the surface of the earth weighs less than 1 g.
See, I had figured that, but the nutritional label lists one serving as 125ml, so they must be intending for it to be measured by volume, not weight. But then why am I getting only 13 servings instead of 16? Because I am really not squishing it into the containers at all...
Settling after packaging.1 -
Many packages say "This package is sold by weight not by volume. Settling of contents may occur during handling."
And you have just proven to yourself why it's most accurate to weigh all solid and semi-solid food!1 -
There are a few YouTube clips around demonstrating the difference between weighing vs measuring - it might help highlight the importance of weighing for you0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 426 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions