Cooking your calories

HarrietTinsel
HarrietTinsel Posts: 2
edited February 23 in Food and Nutrition
I want to know if cooking food alters the calorific value of said food. For example, if I calorie count all the ingredients of my faviourite home baked cake - does it still have the same calories when it comes out of the oven? Or does the cooking process 'burn' some of the calories?

Replies

  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
    Only if you burn the cake!

    If you take everything out of the pan that went into it, it has the same amount of potential energy (calories). The only time there will be a difference is in cooking something like bacon or ground beef, where the fat renders and can change the calorie count depending on if you strain it off or eat it.
  • HarrietTinsel
    HarrietTinsel Posts: 2
    I suspected that was the answer - shame:sad: ! Okay - that makes calculating my home cooked meals simpler. And I get what you say about the fat from meat, etc.
  • madhatter2013
    madhatter2013 Posts: 1,547 Member
    Didnt I read somewhere that cooking veggies ups the nutritional value of them? Maybe it doesn't do anything for the calorie count but it changes the other health benefits for the better than if you consumed them raw? I could have just dreamed it up too. :yawn:
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
    Didnt I read somewhere that cooking veggies ups the nutritional value of them? Maybe it doesn't do anything for the calorie count but it changes the other health benefits for the better than if you consumed them raw? I could have just dreamed it up too. :yawn:

    Some nutrients are made more available when veggies are cooked, as some of the fiber is broken down, releasing them. Others are destroyed by the cooking process. Doesn't change the calorie count though.
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