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How do you measure a cup of a solid food?

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dmkins
dmkins Posts: 10
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I have been looking for an accurate list for net carbs. I have found quite a lot of variation between the lists so decided to go with the Atkins one. The only problem is that most of the measurements are in cups. I have a set of measuring cups and very comfortable using them for measuring liquids and small items. When it comes to larger items such as mushrooms how finely should I be chopping them before I measure out a 1/2 cup or cup full?

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  • SweetxCatastrophe
    SweetxCatastrophe Posts: 593 Member
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    It can be tricky. I prefer to measure my solids as oz or grams, since one person's cup of broccoli might be slightly differentthan my cup of broccoli depending on how small the pieces are, whether or not the broccoli is packed down, if it's cooked or raw, etc. I find it easier and more accurate to keep liquids to cups and everything else in oz or grams, even if I have to manually add it myself. Just one way of doing it though :)
  • strawmama
    strawmama Posts: 623 Member
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    If it is dry solid foods--like salad or any other veggies, I use my hand. One fist-full is generally equal to about 1 cup. Otherwise, I use my measuring cups--it's better than not measuring and just assuming.
  • wfte
    wfte Posts: 195 Member
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    I've never understood the idea of using cups as a measurement for most solids. Liquids, sugar, grains etc fair enough, but a cup of broccoli, cauliflower just seems wrong.
  • LowcarbNY
    LowcarbNY Posts: 546 Member
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    I take a water glass and smash that stuff into the measuring cup until it is packed in denser that a neutron star. I mean, a cup is a cup so it should make no difference, right? :wink:

    Seriously. I try to weigh everything. My 5lb electronic scale is fast and accurate, has precision 1g or 0.01 oz. I try to avoid entries in the database than only have volume measures and prefer the ones that have weight measure.

    That is one of the reasons I keep wishing and asking for the feature to be added to MFP to allow us to mark database entries as favorites. Once I wade through dozens of entries for Eggplant (1 eggplant) and Eggplant (1 cup chopped) I want to be able to quickly find the one that has Eggplant 280g, 1g data.
  • dmkins
    dmkins Posts: 10
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    I would prefer to weigh everything, but I cannot find a good list of net carbs in food by 100g/oz. The only useable list that has the majority of food I am eating on it is the Atkins one.

    If anybody has a good list by weight that would solve my problems
  • SweetxCatastrophe
    SweetxCatastrophe Posts: 593 Member
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    Here's a good UK counter that is by 100g/100ml: http://www.low-carbdiet.co.uk/Carb-Counter.htm
  • Bakkasan
    Bakkasan Posts: 1,027 Member
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    grams/oz of solids, and cups of liquids. No two cups of any fluffy solid like four is the same, but 40grams is 40 grams.

    I bought a postal scale because of the accuracy and I mail a ton of stuff too(free food scale!)
  • Bevkus
    Bevkus Posts: 274 Member
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    Well the technical scientific way is the displacement method. Fill a large measuring cup up to the one cup mark...add your stuff into the water until it displaces the water line to the two cup mark...yhen youve put in one cup of your stuff, no matter howv big or small youve cut it. You can put a ehole chunk of brocolli in, measure, then chop. Both the big chunk and small chopped pieces will diplace the same amount...1cup.

    edit..initially fill with Water, you want to measure how much water is displaced
  • manda1028
    manda1028 Posts: 148
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    I take a water glass and smash that stuff into the measuring cup until it is packed in denser that a neutron star. I mean, a cup is a cup so it should make no difference, right? :wink:

    Seriously. I try to weigh everything. My 5lb electronic scale is fast and accurate, has precision 1g or 0.01 oz. I try to avoid entries in the database than only have volume measures and prefer the ones that have weight measure.

    That is one of the reasons I keep wishing and asking for the feature to be added to MFP to allow us to mark database entries as favorites. Once I wade through dozens of entries for Eggplant (1 eggplant) and Eggplant (1 cup chopped) I want to be able to quickly find the one that has Eggplant 280g, 1g data.


    hahahah thats what i was going to say.. JAM PACK THAT CUP! lol
  • LowcarbNY
    LowcarbNY Posts: 546 Member
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    Well the technical scientific way is the displacement method. .....

    Except that the data for say a cup of chopped broccoli assumes that it is a loosely packed cup. It does not assume that you measured all of the air space out of the sample.

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