box nutrition labels REALLY incorrect?

stormninja11
stormninja11 Posts: 23
in Health and Weight Loss
I recently bought a food scale at walmart. It is the better homes one and it was about $18. I'm wondering about the quality, but that isn't my real question. Anyways, I fixed Kraft Mac and Cheese Spirals (classic prep) and according to the box there is 2.5 oz in a serving and 2 servings total in the box. However when I started weighing it, if my scale is correct, then the box is grossly incorrect. I ended up with 7.4 oz and it wasn't even half the box (maybe close). That means that total the box would hold about 14 oz and the entire calorie count would be 2184 (fixing at classic prep). The box indicates that the entire box would be about 780. Yes, I know that packages can be off, I think I read somewhere by 10% to 20%, but by 1400 calories??? Am I doing something wrong here...not computing something right....missing something somewhere? (I AM really tired this morning...ugh Denver :frown: ...) Surely my scale wouldn't be off by that much? (when i did a test with a dime it read 1 gram) Any help appreciated! Thanks.

Replies

  • YorriaRaine
    YorriaRaine Posts: 370 Member
    It is telling you the oz for dry pasta, not cooked.
  • Indiri13
    Indiri13 Posts: 104 Member
    They figure everything on the dry pasta because they can't know ahead of time exactly how much water will be absorbed, which affects the weight. Next time weigh the whole box of noodles before you cook it to see how much just the dry pasta weighs.
  • stormninja11
    stormninja11 Posts: 23
    Oh...I see...feeling a little stupid now :embarassed:
    Thanks for the clarification! I am new to the whole scale thing...maybe I should just stick to the guessing game!
  • YorriaRaine
    YorriaRaine Posts: 370 Member
    Oh...I see...feeling a little stupid now :embarassed:
    Thanks for the clarification! I am new to the whole scale thing...maybe I should just stick to the guessing game!

    no no no no

    Stick with the scale, guessing usually always ends up being underestimated of what your actually eating.

    The entire pasta thing confuses so many people, I actually did not know it either until I joined mfp and saw tons of post on this. It confuses a lot of people at first, don't feel stupid or discouraged!
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Oh...I see...feeling a little stupid now :embarassed:
    Thanks for the clarification! I am new to the whole scale thing...maybe I should just stick to the guessing game!

    Now that it's clarified, why would you stick with the guessing game? Keep on weighing!
  • Mav3rick54
    Mav3rick54 Posts: 180 Member
    You are not the first to be confused by this and will not be the last. Repeat after me....The scale is my best friend, the scale is my best friend. :wink:

    Seriously, don't give up. Once you start using it, you will be surprised how quickly you can get the hang of it and before long you will even know how many grams or ounces a serving is without even looking on the packaging.

    And if you are not sure, do a search on here or ask a question.....just like you just did.

    Good luck.
  • mzhokie
    mzhokie Posts: 349 Member
    I love my kitchen scale. I especially love it for making pasta. I was so shocked when I clued into to how many calories we were consuming when I cooked pasta! Now I double all the veggies and I half the pasta. Don't stop using it, it's a life saver!
  • JNettie73
    JNettie73 Posts: 1,211 Member
    Oh...I see...feeling a little stupid now :embarassed:
    Thanks for the clarification! I am new to the whole scale thing...maybe I should just stick to the guessing game!

    LOL Thanks for the laugh.

    Please don't feel stupid at all. If it makes you feel better, I did the same exact thing but with a box of couscous. I couldn't figure out why I got so many more portions out of the box than it claimed I would get. :noway:

    I just chalk it up to one of those learning experiences and have a good laugh about it. :wink:
  • tayloryay
    tayloryay Posts: 378 Member
    Huh. So, if it says a serving is 112g, that means dry? Guess I've been overestimating my portion sizes! Better over than under, though.
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
    FYI: Other things besides pasta will change weight when cooked. Most meat changes size and weight. That's why you'll often see the same food in MFP and other guides with a cooked and uncooked weight -- or even different depending on how it was cooked. Grilled, raw or boiled vegetables could weight different amounts.
    Smart of you to ask and learn!
  • stormninja11
    stormninja11 Posts: 23
    I was just joking about the guessing thing! Anyone have a rough estimate of how many oz of dry pasta would equal 7.4 oz of cooked pasta? Quick research here looks like 2oz. dry = 5oz cooked. I also see a lot of 2oz. dry equals 1 cup (which confuses the heck out of me...I thought you weren't supposed to use cups to weigh?) So if I go with the first one (2oz=5oz) then my calories for that should be 461...390 for 2.5oz serving ate 7.4oz. Just trying to readjust my diary for that entry.

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