I'm from the UK - a 'cup' means nothing to me

RoboProd
RoboProd Posts: 6
in Food and Nutrition
Struggling to complete the diary as most things are in cups, I a cup is just under 250ml but I have no clue how it works. For example I have singapore noodles for lunch and I've been guessing it to be just over 350ml (cooked) and that's coming to 546 calories which seems way more than when I check with individual ingredients and weight. Can anyone help?
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Replies

  • LexiMelo
    LexiMelo Posts: 203 Member
    If you type in google search eg. 350 ml = cups, it will tell you exactly how many cups it is. I use the function all the time for converting ounces to grams, its really easy.
  • punkuate
    punkuate Posts: 127 Member
    Go buy measuring cups. Helps you measure everything. Poundland sell them. They also sell a mini food scale, not the most accurate but better than nothing. :)
  • zeala
    zeala Posts: 119 Member
    I find the cups also vague. I just measure the food and then google the calories of it on the internet. Then if it isn't here in grams or oz on this site, I just create it.

    Overall the cup measuring system is simply stupid. A cup of grapes will never be the same. Some will have more grapes then others. It may work for flour and liquids, but becomes absurd for chunks of food.
  • ValGogo
    ValGogo Posts: 2,168 Member

    Overall the cup measuring system is simply stupid.

    HAHAHAHA. I'm all for the metric system.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    The vast majority of things are better to weigh in grams or ounces than to measure in cups or ml anyway. Liquids would be the exceptions, and even there a gram or ounce option is usually available (it's how I measure my milk these days). What foods are you finding cups the only option for?
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    the calorie count from weight vs the one from volume could differ because your volume measurement of the noodles was after they were cooked. this will differ significantly depending on how much water is absorbed, as they would if you measured by weight after cooking.

    just find a unit that you are comfortable with to work with and convert from there, most items have a grams value and if you have a food scale this will be ideal.
  • RoboProd
    RoboProd Posts: 6
    My girlfriend cooks so I don't get the chance to measure every ingredient :( Guess I'll just need to stick to guess-timating.
  • RoboProd
    RoboProd Posts: 6
    How the hell do I guestimate noodles though in cups? I'll even upload a picture if anyone can help.
  • LucasEVille
    LucasEVille Posts: 567 Member
    Also Water intake measured in Cups...... Stupid! Let me pick my own measure, I'm drinking out of a bottle with ML on. I don't drink water out of a cup.
  • CatJF1968
    CatJF1968 Posts: 29 Member
    I choose the foods with the actual measurements by them rather than cup, as there seems to be many of the same food added on this site. I'm from the UK also. Whereabouts? Surrey here.

    If all else fails, go on ebay US and buy a measuring cup :o)
  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
    UK here also and I never have this problem.

    look through the food database and you will find almost every item, somewhere, listed in grams.

    Just takes a bit of finding first of all, or create your own food in grams.
  • CatJF1968
    CatJF1968 Posts: 29 Member
    I was thinking the exact same yesterday.... 8 glasses of water a day is advised, but how big is the cup. Not very specific!
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
    I was thinking the exact same yesterday.... 8 glasses of water a day is advised, but how big is the cup. Not very specific!

    250ml
  • josparkle
    josparkle Posts: 141 Member
    Before you cooked them presumably the noodles were in a packet - did they have any nutritional info on the packet? The ones I buy usually give you calories per 100g and then tell you how many g there are in a layer or nest or pouch or whatever amount you used, but if they don't they I just weigh them uncooked and use that value along with all the other ingredients that I put in.

    I am sure that it changes a little (downward) when they are cooked but not sufficiently to get upset about as far as I'm concerned.

    I agree that a cup measurement for many things doesn't make sense to me either - I'm also from the UK - but we use scales as standard and lots of other countries don't. If you can tell me what brand of noodles you used and how many you put in I'd be happy to help you work out the cals/weight - but in future I'd just weigh everything before you cook it.
  • eyleene
    eyleene Posts: 264 Member
    some lumpy things can be measured by cups , simply by using a 2 cup measure containing 1 cup water , you add the solid things until it measures 2 cups , obviously depends greatly on what exactly you want to measure and whether water will affect it or not .
  • amwbox
    amwbox Posts: 576 Member
    I find the cups also vague. I just measure the food and then google the calories of it on the internet. Then if it isn't here in grams or oz on this site, I just create it.

    Overall the cup measuring system is simply stupid. A cup of grapes will never be the same. Some will have more grapes then others. It may work for flour and liquids, but becomes absurd for chunks of food.

    Cups are a measure of volume, not weight.

    Weigh your food.
  • brevislux
    brevislux Posts: 1,093 Member
    I thought a cup was 200 ml. Oops... That explains a lot.
  • awomaninsane
    awomaninsane Posts: 75 Member


    look through the food database and you will find almost every item, somewhere, listed in grams.

    Just takes a bit of finding first of all, or create your own food in grams.

    I do this. If i enter a food and comes up as measured in a cup i ignore it completely. I mean seriously, a cup? My cupboard has an eclectic array of cups and they are all different sizes! Cups should be kept for tea.

    Stick to weighing your food and check it's packaging for correct calorie content.
  • Fioyne
    Fioyne Posts: 1 Member
    If I find cups for an item I look to see if there is another one by the same name and there usually is one in grams. If not I have to use the packet to get the right calorific values.

    I agree cups are daft, not accurate as you can have slightly over or under depending how you hold the cup. Ever tried those porridge sachets. they hold different amounts of milk depending on how you hold them.

    A cup of water was recommended by the hospital to be 200ml when I had to have one every hour before a procedure. I suppose it is 250ml if you are to get your 2ltrs of fluid per day. What ever happened to pints and oz and that's British pints of 20 oz!
  • josparkle
    josparkle Posts: 141 Member
    A US cup measurement of liquid is 250 ml - it varies for other items obviously but you will find that info on conversion sites all over the internet.

    Watch out for tablespoon measurements, it is a physical thing rather than the spoon you might use for eating cereal or soup - UK and US standard is 15ml ie. 3 x 1 teaspoon. Australian standard is 20ml ie. 4 x 1 teaspoon.

    If you hunt through the entries on the MFP database for a given product or foodstuff, you will generally find one in grams eventually - or you can add your own from google searching or the packaging info.

    You don't need to go on eBay US to buy cup measurements, you will find them in most supermarkets' utensil aisles, Poundland, Wilkinsons etc. If you can find metal ones they are better as they will not distort in the washing up or the dishwasher.
  • nessagrace22
    nessagrace22 Posts: 430 Member
    I'm from the UK too and the only thing I measure in cups is my water intake as that's easy to convert. I've never understood why you'd measure anything other than liquid in cups! When searching for food usually there's more than one option listed so grab some scales and hopefully you can find something logged in grams or ounces.
  • JasonKnight85
    JasonKnight85 Posts: 67 Member
    My advice, would be to invest in a cheap digital food scale (I've seen them as cheap as $10.00 USD) if you don't already have one. Measure all solid ingredients (noodles, rice, etc.) in grams/ounces, whatever system you're used to.

    Measuring cups (think volume) should really only be used for liquid ingredients(water, milk) i.e. milliliters, fluid ounces, etc.

    You'll never get an even remotely accurate calorie count estimating the way you're doing it.
  • josparkle
    josparkle Posts: 141 Member
    How the hell do I guestimate noodles though in cups? I'll even upload a picture if anyone can help.

    Go look at the packet - ask your girlfriend how much she used from the packet, and work out how much of that total you ate. I'm sure she'll help you figure it all out in future.
  • jennifries227
    jennifries227 Posts: 113 Member
    I'm an American and I find 'cups' and 'teaspoons' to be ridiculous measuring devices, too. Especially since I've never had a cup or teaspoon that held the amount of a measuring cup or measuring teaspoon.

    I highly recommend getting a food scale and finding the items in the database that are measured in grams (they're there!) or even ounces. Weighing is much more accurate and less of a headache when it comes to things like noodles and grapes.
  • Rachifloon
    Rachifloon Posts: 129 Member
    Cups should be kept for tea.

    Here here! :drinker:

    And yes, if I see a listing measured in "cups" I will ignore it, search for one that's in "grams", or simply just add it to the database myself. Cups are useless for chunks of solid food.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    weigh everything with scales, not cups. check out the packaging for the noodles, and use the recipe builder if you added other things to them, that way you can put in how many portions you had and it tells you the calories.
  • kinmad4it
    kinmad4it Posts: 185 Member
    I ignore any food items in the data base that have been input using this ridiculous cup measuring rubbish. It's so vague and as most of us here are trying to account for every single calorie we eat it makes sense to be as precise as we possibly can. So using some wishy washy measuring unit as a cup defeats the whole purpose of why so many people use this site.
    Try and find the food you want in the database that has been input using grams or ounces, a cup of sweet potato?!!! What's the soddin point?
  • milla1985
    milla1985 Posts: 153 Member
    THANK YOU! Someone else who is tearing their hair out about this! I also fail to see how certain foods can be measured in 'cups' . A cup of cooked chicken?! Nah, me neither.

    However, as numerous people have said above, for most foods it'll just be a case of going down the list and finding the same food but measured in grams/ml etc etc. Plus if you choose an entry from a UK supermarket, then that'll be more accurate.

    Best of luck!
  • SunnyDuckling
    SunnyDuckling Posts: 204 Member
    I was thinking the exact same yesterday.... 8 glasses of water a day is advised, but how big is the cup. Not very specific!

    250ml

    Are you sure? Because I have a feeling somewhere that I've seen American cups (as in the cooking/baking type) are smaller than our standard 250ml. I think I have seen them listed as 240ml, or even 236.6ml (which, presumably one rounds to 240ml).

    P.S. Australian. Weighs everything in grams. Has no idea how you are meant to measure out a cup of cooked string beans...?!
  • RoboProd
    RoboProd Posts: 6
    I have scales but as I say I don't cook, will have to have a look at packets and rough guess at weights.

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