Severe confusion about foods that absorb water!

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Streamlinedforlife
Streamlinedforlife Posts: 39
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone,

Ok, so i am a little confused about the caloric content of foods that absorb water. Lets take Buckwheat for example. The bag says that 1/4 cup of uncooked buckwheat is 160 calories. However, when i soak it with water then cook it with hot water, the grains end up expanding and the serving size looks huge and really fills me i up. it becomes more like one cup of buckwheat now. So does the caloric content change? Am i still really eating only 160 calories? I don't want to sabatoge my weight loss efforts. :wink:

Replies

  • BlueObsidian
    BlueObsidian Posts: 297 Member
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    No, the caloric content doesn't change. All that is happening is that the water is being absorbed into the food. Water has no calories.
  • vypeters
    vypeters Posts: 475 Member
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    No. The water has zero calories. It's easier and more consistent with foods like these to measure the dry serving. If you add any liquid with calories (say milk, for example) you have to add the calories of the liquid.

    Calories cannot appear from the air. The calories of a finished dish are equal to all the calories of the ingredients.
  • SDkitty
    SDkitty Posts: 446 Member
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    Ok I have a similar question about popcorn. What the heck is up with the popped vs un-popped nutritional values?
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    A lot of foods will give you calorie content for say, 1 cup uncooked, or 1 cup cooked, because the volume of the item changes during cooking. However, the calories don't change enough to matter. (for example; cooked pasta - there is some starch poured off with the cooking water - so cooking pasta TECHNICALLY reduces its caloric content (but not enough to measure or matter))

    But for something that absorbs all the liquid - nothing changes.

    Maybe think of it this way: a cup of cream has X calories - if you whip that cream, it might become 5 cups of whipped cream, but the whole 5 cups is still just X calories
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    Ok I have a similar question about popcorn. What the heck is up with the popped vs un-popped nutritional values?

    Popcorn is poped in oil.
  • AngelaPesta17
    AngelaPesta17 Posts: 20
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    If you're adding water (which we all know is 0 calories) then why would it add more calories to your meal?
  • SDkitty
    SDkitty Posts: 446 Member
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    Ok I have a similar question about popcorn. What the heck is up with the popped vs un-popped nutritional values?

    Popcorn is poped in oil.

    Well the popped value is generally less than the un-popped but I cracked up right now when I googled it. Apparently that is quite a debate on the internet :ohwell:
  • Delicate
    Delicate Posts: 625 Member
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    Cause unpopped and popped pop corn are completely different size wise. I use an air popper.

    I couldnt imagine how much popcorn i would end up with, if i put in a whole cup in.

    Buckwheat before cooked, fits more in the same cup, where as it expands when cooked in water (adds no calories) but you can fit less in said cup after cooking.

    If that makes sense
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    Ok I have a similar question about popcorn. What the heck is up with the popped vs un-popped nutritional values?

    Popcorn is poped in oil.

    Well the popped value is generally less than the un-popped but I cracked up right now when I googled it. Apparently that is quite a debate on the internet :ohwell:

    I just assumed it would be higher (if we're talking about say 1/4c. kernels turning into 2 or 3 cups of popped) because of the oil.

    Hmmpff.

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