Spinach -- vegetable serving (raw vs. cooked)

melodyg

I am trying to focus on getting in more fruits and veggies -- at least 5 servings a day. So... this morning I had an omelet with spinach/tomato, etc. The spinach was 2 cups raw... then shrunk down to about 1/4 cup after cooking. Do I count that as 2 vegetable servings (of 1 cup raw spinach) or just 1/2 a serving (going on the rule that 1/2 cup vegetables = 1 serving)?

TennVolsGal

I would imagine that you would count it as a 2 cup serving because even though it shrunk it was still 2 cups. Just my 2 cents don't have any hard evidence lol. Be sure not to cook it to long or you lose those vitamins.

ickybella

According to the USDA, 1 cup of RAW spinach counts as 1 serving, or 1/2 cup. It doesn't say anything about cooked spinach, but I'd say it counts for less. Spinach really wilts down to nothing, unfortunately.

inskydiamonds

If the USDA measures 1 cup of raw spinach as 1 serving, I think it is safe to assume that regardless of what it shrinks in size to the serving size remains the same. Just like, if I have 2 oz of dry pasta and cook it, if I measure the pasta after being cooked the calorie count/serving size does not change.