Canned food nutrition - how to measure if I drain liquids?

dwt122
dwt122 Posts: 5
in Food and Nutrition
I was wondering about nutrition for canned foods that include liquids such as water and/or oil.

In my case, I have a 13 oz can of Member's Mark Chicken Breast in Water. The nutrition label indicates:

Serving size 1/3 cup (71 grams)
Servings about 5
Calories: 70
Total Fat: 1.5 g
Carbs: 0 g
Protein: 12 g

Please note that it does NOT state serving size when drained, so I'm assuming serving size is with water.

If I drain the water, I weighed all the chicken by itself to be about 210 grams.


How should I measure nutrition?

If I go with drained weight of 210 grams, I'd have about 3 servings which would be about 210 cals, 4.5 g of fat and 36 g of protein.
If I go with the label for total can, I'd have about 5 servings which would be about 350 cals, 7.5 g of fat and 60 g of protein.

Replies

  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    if you drain the water on canned chicken, you're losing a little bit of the listed sodium, but eating almost all the calories and the rest of the listed nutrition.
  • latewinterwolf
    latewinterwolf Posts: 79
    things like tinned tuna usually has 'when drained'
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    water doesn't have any calories, so you wouldn't lose any of that. does the can specify drained in the nutrition label as it will affect sodium count.

    Does the can have the number of servings in brackets next to the grams?
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    things like tinned tuna usually has 'when drained'

    also this...
  • dwt122
    dwt122 Posts: 5
    thanks for responses so far. as i stated in my OP, the can does NOT specify "drained", "when drained", etc.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    I was wondering about nutrition for canned foods that include liquids such as water and/or oil.

    In my case, I have a 13 oz can of Member's Mark Chicken Breast in Water. The nutrition label indicates:

    Serving size 1/3 cup (71 grams)
    Servings about 5
    Calories: 70
    Total Fat: 1.5 g
    Carbs: 0 g
    Protein: 12 g

    Please note that it does NOT state serving size when drained, so I'm assuming serving size is with water.

    If I drain the water, I weighed all the chicken by itself to be about 210 grams.


    How should I measure nutrition?

    If I go with drained weight of 210 grams, I'd have about 3 servings which would be about 210 cals, 4.5 g of fat and 36 g of protein.
    If I go with the label for total can, I'd have about 5 servings which would be about 350 cals, 7.5 g of fat and 60 g of protein.

    I drain them, and then just count the calories as on the label. There might be fewer calories, but not that much of a difference when the product was just canned in water.
  • cadyhouse
    cadyhouse Posts: 17
    Generally, the label lists nutrition as packaged, unless othewise specified. In this case, the label assumes each 1/3 cup serving ha an equal amount of water and chicken. If by draining the fluid you come up with 3 1/3 cup servings of chicken, the calories and other nutrition information would need to be multiplied by 5 then divided by 3 to get a correct calculation. There would be less sodium, but most would be reasonably correct.

    Your 1/3 cup of chicken only would have around 116 or 117 calories.
  • dwt122
    dwt122 Posts: 5
    just to add something...the closest comparison to Member's Mark Chicken Breast in Water i found was Kirkland Chicken Breast in Water (12.5 oz can). Their nutrition label specifically states:

    Serving Size: 2 oz DRAINED (56 grams)
    Servings about 3.5
    Calories: 60
    Total Fat: 1 gram
    Carbs: 0 grams
    Protein: 13 grams


    If I use the Kirkland nutrition label with the 210 g of drained chicken I have, there is about 3.75 servings and would be about 225 calories, 3.75 g fat and about 49 g of protein...which is closer to my self calculated drained nutrition info for Member's Mark brand i originally posted (about 3 servings which would be about 210 cals, 4.5 g of fat and 36 g of protein).
  • redskinsrock23
    redskinsrock23 Posts: 1 Member
    My take on it is this. If each serving is including the water weight, than the whole can will still have 350 calories because water doesn't have any calories. What I've been doing is weighing out the chicken after draining all the water and it comes to around 200g. Than I just divide that by the servings per container, which is 5 in this case. So from that calculation, you have your new serving size at around 40g which has the same nutritional value as a serving at 71g with the water
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    thanks for responses so far. as i stated in my OP, the can does NOT specify "drained", "when drained", etc.

    Let's say it's a fruit cup.....in juice.

    Drain the juice into a measuring cup......find the calories for unsweetened pineapple juice (or whatever) and reduce the calories by that amount.


    In light syrup....I can't help you there.

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