how to get the right nutritional value of your meals?
mishkat
Posts: 99 Member
I have been wondering this for months and everytime i research it I get more confused because it doesn't seem to have just 1 clear answer.
Say you cooking meat, boneless, the packaging info says 4 oz = 110 calories
What process do you use to get your serving?
What I have been doing - weight all raw meat, cook, weigh all cooked meat. Then, use this formula. Cooked weight ÷uncooked weight x serving size(i.e 4 oz).
So if the whole meat was 16 oz uncooked, then 14 oz cooked--- 14÷16x4= 3.5 oz for a serving
So 3.5 oz serving would be why I serve myself but still log 4 oz for the nutritional value. Because the nutritional value was for the raw weight, right? So 4 oz turned into 3.5 oz after cooked.
Does this make sense? Is that how you guys do it?
I have read some ppl saying they just measure cooked meat, but then if you do that, and grab 4 oz of meat, you are eating more, no? Because the label gives you info for raw meat. At least that is what I understand. So you will end up over eating. Or is that wrong and I have been actually under eating meats?
Also, bone in meats, ugh. So if you measure all with bone in and have a serving size, then you will see that 4 oz is so little meat because the bone weight is taking most of it. So in reality you are eating less than the serving size of that meat. And if you weigh the bones and gizzards or whatever you left and then subtract that from your previous weight, that is great because you are getting the weight for the meat you actually consumed BUT what happened with the serving size you acquired when you measured it uncooked with bone in? Isn't that off now? Because first you had bone in weight and now you are determining portion after taking bones out.
With pasta, I have been measuring dry to get a serving, rice, I have been using the same formula as with meat to determine how much it actually expanded to determine serving size.
This is all very confusing and I just want to know how do you people usually measure and determine your serving sizes to get the nutritional value on the database or labels.
Thank you!!
Say you cooking meat, boneless, the packaging info says 4 oz = 110 calories
What process do you use to get your serving?
What I have been doing - weight all raw meat, cook, weigh all cooked meat. Then, use this formula. Cooked weight ÷uncooked weight x serving size(i.e 4 oz).
So if the whole meat was 16 oz uncooked, then 14 oz cooked--- 14÷16x4= 3.5 oz for a serving
So 3.5 oz serving would be why I serve myself but still log 4 oz for the nutritional value. Because the nutritional value was for the raw weight, right? So 4 oz turned into 3.5 oz after cooked.
Does this make sense? Is that how you guys do it?
I have read some ppl saying they just measure cooked meat, but then if you do that, and grab 4 oz of meat, you are eating more, no? Because the label gives you info for raw meat. At least that is what I understand. So you will end up over eating. Or is that wrong and I have been actually under eating meats?
Also, bone in meats, ugh. So if you measure all with bone in and have a serving size, then you will see that 4 oz is so little meat because the bone weight is taking most of it. So in reality you are eating less than the serving size of that meat. And if you weigh the bones and gizzards or whatever you left and then subtract that from your previous weight, that is great because you are getting the weight for the meat you actually consumed BUT what happened with the serving size you acquired when you measured it uncooked with bone in? Isn't that off now? Because first you had bone in weight and now you are determining portion after taking bones out.
With pasta, I have been measuring dry to get a serving, rice, I have been using the same formula as with meat to determine how much it actually expanded to determine serving size.
This is all very confusing and I just want to know how do you people usually measure and determine your serving sizes to get the nutritional value on the database or labels.
Thank you!!
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I wondered the same thing, esp when I cook with meat because it's not packaged so it doesn't come with the nutritional value on it... I just make educated guesses and hope for the best! haha
I figured all people aren't the same, so neither are chickens- the values will vary no matter what. At least that's what I tell myself LOL0 -
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I don't even weigh my meat, and I just estimate, but I use the raw meat ounces. I've always heard you count the weight raw. But I don't weigh it, I just estimate, so I'll take a package of chicken breast, for example, look at the total pounds, divide that my how I cut it up/how many servings I get out of it, and then multiply that by 16 to get the ounces. That works pretty well for me and I think it's a fine estimation. For my starches, I measure after their cooked, so when I eat a cup of rice it's a cup of cooked rice.0
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... so I'll take a package of chicken breast, for example, look at the total pounds, divide that my how I cut it up/how many servings I get out of it, and then multiply that by 16 to get the ounces.
I must not understand how that works lol. Sorry, could you give me an actual example?
Because if the chicken is 16 oz uncooked. Then you divide that by how many servings you get out of it, say 4, you have 4 then multiplying by 16= 64 no way that is 64 oz what you want for a serving, so what am I missing? >_<0 -
Ok, so the whole package of chicken is, let's say, 2.06lbs. There are 3 whole chicken breasts in there (boneless skinless) I cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise (and for me, I take one piece and cut it into chunks, the other I leave whole) which would make a total of 6 servings. 2.06/6=.343 of a lb. .343x16=5.488, so just under 5.5oz. Does that make sense? 16oz in a lb, times the percentage of the lb. If you added up all the servings that I cut out of one package, and divided by 16, you'd get the total number of pounds in the package.
Like I said, this is how I do it as I don't have a scale, but the principle should work. Same if I buy, say, ground hamburger. if you divide a 1lb package into 4 equal parts, each part is .25 of a lb, or 4oz.
The main thing is, I've always been told you count it at the raw weight, because that's how much chicken you have. Just cause it shrinks when you cook it, doesn't mean you have any less chicken.0 -
Ok, so the whole package of chicken is, let's say, 2.06lbs. There are 3 whole chicken breasts in there (boneless skinless) I cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise (and for me, I take one piece and cut it into chunks, the other I leave whole) which would make a total of 6 servings. 2.06/6=.343 of a lb. .343x16=5.488, so just under 5.5oz. Does that make sense? 16oz in a lb, times the percentage of the lb. If you added up all the servings that I cut out of one package, and divided by 16, you'd get the total number of pounds in the package.
Like I said, this is how I do it as I don't have a scale, but the principle should work. Same if I buy, say, ground hamburger. if you divide a 1lb package into 4 equal parts, each part is .25 of a lb, or 4oz.
The main thing is, I've always been told you count it at the raw weight, because that's how much chicken you have. Just cause it shrinks when you cook it, doesn't mean you have any less chicken.
Ok, I think I get what you are doing now.
You convert oz to lb to get weight that way and divide and multiple by 16. I was still using the 16 oz number. ;p
So with my example, the 16 oz uncooked meat that gave me 3.5 oz for a serving following my formula after cooked, would be 1lb/4(servings)x16 = 4 oz A perfect 4 oz portion which most likely won't happen after you cook it since it will shrink but if you separated it each as individual portions, it is what it is.
I guess unless I measure each serving raw and cook them individually, I will have to figure out the percent they shrunk when cooked. Just have to get over the fact that raw weight is what counts for the nutritional fact, even if you end up with a 2oz piece of meat for a serving. XD0
