How can the potassium nutrient value change with cooking?

Doberdawn
Doberdawn Posts: 733 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Okay... I was looking at the "Top 10 Highest in Potassium Foods" on this page: http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-potassium.php

And something I read on there confused me completely. It said:
2: Dark Leafy Greens (Spinach)
1 Cup (Raw - 30g) has 167mg (5% DV) but 1 Cup (Cooked - 180g) has 839mg (24% DV)

How can it possibly go from 167 to 839 for the same amount of spinach just because you cooked it? Maybe they're measuring the 1 cup after they cooked it and it has shrunk down so a lot more spinach fits in the cup??? Otherwise, this just seems like nonsense.

Read more at http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-potassium.php#x3AMXEXCdeSyyiFt.99

Replies

  • morticiamom
    morticiamom Posts: 221 Member
    Yes, spinach shrinks dramatically when cooked. Therefore your cup of cooked spinach contains a great many more spinach leaves than a cup of raw spinach.
  • tonyalenore
    tonyalenore Posts: 58 Member
    If you cook a cup of raw spinach it turns into probably less than 1/4 of a cup cooked. 30g vs 180g

    1 Cup (Raw - 30g)
    1 Cup (Cooked - 180g)
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    More spinach, more potassium.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    More spinach, more potassium.
    ^This, without a single snarky comment added afterwards *pet self and OP on head* :tongue:
  • monicalosesweight
    monicalosesweight Posts: 1,173 Member
    I suspect they needed to clarify this one. I can see what you mean though...I would have translated that as they had you cook the one cup of raw spinach....but they really mean you cooked like 10 cups and ate them all. It's no wonder Popeye always had great potassium levels (and probably why I was tortured by the nuns with boiled spinach - ick).

    Monica
  • Cinflo58
    Cinflo58 Posts: 326 Member
    Seriously , did you ever actually cook spinach? If you take 2 pounds And sautéed it, it shrinks down to like 2 cups

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