How to figure out grams in a cup of solids?

kshierk
kshierk Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am confused and need some help here. I have read on here many times to always weigh any solids that you are going to eat, & not to measure with cups because those are very inaccurate. I know that if it is pre-packaged food it usually breaks down what the weight in grams a serving is as well as saying 2/3 cups etc. But when you are eating something that isn't pre-packaged & you are trying to use the database on here I notice a lot of them are in cup measurements but don't list the grams. How would I weigh them on my scale if I don't know what the grams are? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
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Replies

  • tazroni
    tazroni Posts: 24 Member
    http://calculator-converter.com/converter_g_to_c_grams_to_cups_calculator.php

    1 gm = 0.00423 cups

    I just google whatever I am trying to convert. I find that I have the same issues. I notice meat is measured in ounces, so I take the kg of the package and use the above calculator to convert it to ounces. It may not be 100% accurate but its much better than the way I used to do it, I didn't. Hope this helps you.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    You can't convert cups to grams. Cups, tablespoons, etc. are volumes, not weights. (That's why they're so inaccurate. 1 cup of popcorn does not weigh the same as 1 cup of almonds.)

    Find database entries that are in grams, and use those. They're usually given for 1g & 100g, to make it easy to log.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Either you make your own entries, or you learn how many grams are in a serving of what you use so you know for next time, or look for an entry in grams. Typically MFP's entries come in grams and are more accurate anyway.
  • Janette3x4
    Janette3x4 Posts: 135
    28 grams in an ounce. 8 ounces in one cup.
    My food scale weighs both.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    28 grams in an ounce. 8 ounces in one cup.
    My food scale weighs both.

    Accurate for water. :)

    Off the top of my head, it's 3.5 or 4 ounces of flour in a cup. Dat's what's up.

    It's weighing apples to find out how big your oranges are.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    http://calculator-converter.com
  • CindyMarcuzAdams
    CindyMarcuzAdams Posts: 4,007 Member
    Put an empty bowl on your scale and turn it on...
    Measure your cup of solids in a 1 cup measuring cup...
    Dump it in the empty bowl...

    Voila...you have your answer no?
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    ^Even easier: Put the empty measuring cup on the scale, tare it (zero it out), measure the food, then weigh the full cup.

    No bowl to clean.
  • drakeborn
    drakeborn Posts: 1
    28 grams in an ounce. 8 ounces in one cup.
    My food scale weighs both.

    Fluid ounces (a measure of volume) and regular ounces (a measure of mass) are not the same unless you're measuring pure water at 62 degrees Farenheit. You cannot interchange them.
  • kshierk
    kshierk Posts: 5 Member
    Put an empty bowl on your scale and turn it on...
    Measure your cup of solids in a 1 cup measuring cup...
    Dump it in the empty bowl...

    Voila...you have your answer no?

    What I thought people were saying was that you could actually fit more than a cup of a solid in a 1c measuring cup so if you measured it with a measuring cup you were consuming more calories than what was listed in the nutritional information. So for example if have want a serving of Honey Bunches of Oats it says serving size is 3/4 c (32g) but if I use a 3/4c measuring cup and make sure it is completely level then weigh that it actually weighs 45g so I would actually be consuming 12 g more than 1 serving size.

    So what my question was asking is if on here it just says 3/4 cups of Honey bunches of oats & doesn't tell me the grams how am I supposed to determine how many grams I am supposed to have because I know that using a measuring cup is not accurate.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    So for example if have want a serving of Honey Bunches of Oats it says serving size is 3/4 c (32g) but if I use a 3/4c measuring cup and make sure it is completely level then weigh that it actually weighs 45g so I would actually be consuming 12 g more than 1 serving size.

    So then it says the serving size is 32g? That means the serving size is 32g.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,096 Member
    Put an empty bowl on your scale and turn it on...
    Measure your cup of solids in a 1 cup measuring cup...
    Dump it in the empty bowl...

    Voila...you have your answer no?

    What I thought people were saying was that you could actually fit more than a cup of a solid in a 1c measuring cup so if you measured it with a measuring cup you were consuming more calories than what was listed in the nutritional information. So for example if have want a serving of Honey Bunches of Oats it says serving size is 3/4 c (32g) but if I use a 3/4c measuring cup and make sure it is completely level then weigh that it actually weighs 45g so I would actually be consuming 12 g more than 1 serving size.

    So what my question was asking is if on here it just says 3/4 cups of Honey bunches of oats & doesn't tell me the grams how am I supposed to determine how many grams I am supposed to have because I know that using a measuring cup is not accurate.

    If you can only find an MFP database entry that lists the serving by volume, not by weight, check it against the nutrition label on the package of cereal. If the entry is accurate (has the right calories, grams of fat, protein carbs, etc.), weigh out the amount that the nutrition label says equals 3/4 cup, and log it as 3/4 cup.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    What I thought people were saying was that you could actually fit more than a cup of a solid in a 1c measuring cup so if you measured it with a measuring cup you were consuming more calories than what was listed in the nutritional information. So for example if have want a serving of Honey Bunches of Oats it says serving size is 3/4 c (32g) but if I use a 3/4c measuring cup and make sure it is completely level then weigh that it actually weighs 45g so I would actually be consuming 12 g more than 1 serving size.

    So what my question was asking is if on here it just says 3/4 cups of Honey bunches of oats & doesn't tell me the grams how am I supposed to determine how many grams I am supposed to have because I know that using a measuring cup is not accurate.

    If you are eating the cereal, I'd sure hope you have the box in front of you.
    The box will say that the 3/4 cups is so many exact grams per serving.

    You put the bowl on scale and 0 it out, pour out the grams per serving (doesn't matter what volume cups is now).

    You can measure that amount to see how close to 3/4 cup if curious.

    Then you use the entry that says 3/4 cup, because you know looking at the label right in front of you that 3/4 cup is actually say 60 grams, and 60 grams is just what you ate.

    For instance, I put Hellman's Light Mayo on a sub. Serving size is 1 tbsp , but really 14 grams.

    Entry in database only says 1 tbsp, no grams.

    But I already know it's 14 grams, because I have the product.

    Your example is the easy one.

    The hard one is the entries for loose items, like banana for instance, if it happened to be in cups only. But keep looking, you'll find the grams one.
  • sculli123
    sculli123 Posts: 1,221 Member
    Food scale. I got mine for like $10 on Groupon.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    I am confused and need some help here. I have read on here many times to always weigh any solids that you are going to eat, & not to measure with cups because those are very inaccurate. I know that if it is pre-packaged food it usually breaks down what the weight in grams a serving is as well as saying 2/3 cups etc. But when you are eating something that isn't pre-packaged & you are trying to use the database on here I notice a lot of them are in cup measurements but don't list the grams. How would I weigh them on my scale if I don't know what the grams are? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
    In the database put in the food and grams. For example, "strawberries grams" or "banana grams" or find the USDA nutrition information and enter it into your food in grams. If something says one ounce, that is 28 grams. Weight your food until it says 28 grams, or if you want less or more, you can use the "1 gram" option and enter that many servings.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    So for example if have want a serving of Honey Bunches of Oats it says serving size is 3/4 c (32g) but if I use a 3/4c measuring cup and make sure it is completely level then weigh that it actually weighs 45g so I would actually be consuming 12 g more than 1 serving size.

    So then it says the serving size is 32g? That means the serving size is 32g.
    Yes, that is the point of weighing food- it's rare for a cup/spoon measurement to be the same as grams or ounces.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    So for example if have want a serving of Honey Bunches of Oats it says serving size is 3/4 c (32g) but if I use a 3/4c measuring cup and make sure it is completely level then weigh that it actually weighs 45g so I would actually be consuming 12 g more than 1 serving size.

    So then it says the serving size is 32g? That means the serving size is 32g.
    Yes, that is the point of weighing food- it's rare for a cup/spoon measurement to be the same as grams or ounces.

    At first I was going to write a rant about how this is so simple, then I remember how challenging it was when I was in bakery classes, and trying to figure out recipes for one batch to scale up to 40 batch size. I had to go from volume to weight, but didn't make the connection on how simple it is to convert volume to weight when you have a scale.

    Simply weigh the ingredients.
  • AndyMcMahan
    AndyMcMahan Posts: 20 Member
    I'm astonished at the amount of misunderstanding with regard to weight vs. volume in this thread. Didn't everyone have a slew of worksheets on this topic when they were in elementary school? I remember all kinds of worksheets on imperial vs. metric weight, volume, etc.. etc.. It was about the same time we learned about time and roman numerals ..lol.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    I'm astonished at the amount of misunderstanding with regard to weight vs. volume in this thread. Didn't everyone have a slew of worksheets on this topic when they were in elementary school? I remember all kinds of worksheets on imperial vs. metric weight, volume, etc.. etc.. It was about the same time we learned about time and roman numerals ..lol.

    :laugh: :drinker:
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    In fact, this is why bakers, including hobby bread makers like me, weigh their ingredients. You can experiment yourself to see the problem. If you scoop level cups of flour of flour, the weight of each is likely to vary widely.

    We bread bakers also tend to use a "baker's percentage" to make bread to make life really easy. The weight of all the other ingredients are stated as percentages of the total flour. For example, I make a bread that is 600g of Italian 00 flour (100%), 9 gr yeast (1.5 %), 12g salt (2%) and 450g water (75%).

    1 gram water = 1 milliliter water but that's not true for other ingredients, especially dry ingredients.

    For the non-metric among us, including me, I found the switch to thinking in grams for cooking great and simple because all the different measurements work in tens. Must easier arithmetic.

    1000g = 1 kilogram
    1000ml = 1 liter
    1000 mm = 100 centimeters = 1 meter
    There are 1000 meters in a kilometer

    Compare that to
    16 ounce = 1 pound
    8 ounces = 1 cup
    16 ounces = 1 pint
    32 ounces - 1 quart
    3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
    2 tablespoons = 1 ounce
    36 inches = 3 feet = 1 yard
    There are 5,280 feet in a mile ...

    And to be exact about it, dry ounces are different from wet ounces. So, in actuality a dry pint container would hold 1.1636 pints of water. For most of us, that's close enough for cooking purposes but not for large batch commercial bakers.

    Metric is MUCH easier!!
  • Ruckus85
    Ruckus85 Posts: 23 Member
    I have a cheap-o food scale that measures both. When I first started I measured everything in cups too, someone recommended me to a food scale, turned out I was jipping myself sometimes. I find that most veggies at 2cups weighs in around 300grams. I try to weigh everything raw. And of course it depends on what type of solid food you are weighing.
  • SunnyDuckling
    SunnyDuckling Posts: 204 Member
    In fact, this is why bakers, including hobby bread makers like me, weigh their ingredients. You can experiment yourself to see the problem. If you scoop level cups of flour of flour, the weight of each is likely to vary widely.

    We bread bakers also tend to use a "baker's percentage" to make bread to make life really easy. The weight of all the other ingredients are stated as percentages of the total flour. For example, I make a bread that is 600g of Italian 00 flour (100%), 9 gr yeast (1.5 %), 12g salt (2%) and 450g water (75%).

    1 gram water = 1 milliliter water but that's not true for other ingredients, especially dry ingredients.

    For the non-metric among us, including me, I found the switch to thinking in grams for cooking great and simple because all the different measurements work in tens. Must easier arithmetic.

    1000g = 1 kilogram
    1000ml = 1 liter
    1000 mm = 100 centimeters = 1 meter
    There are 1000 meters in a kilometer

    Compare that to
    16 ounce = 1 pound
    8 ounces = 1 cup
    16 ounces = 1 pint
    32 ounces - 1 quart
    3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
    2 tablespoons = 1 ounce
    36 inches = 3 feet = 1 yard
    There are 5,280 feet in a mile ...

    And to be exact about it, dry ounces are different from wet ounces. So, in actuality a dry pint container would hold 1.1636 pints of water. For most of us, that's close enough for cooking purposes but not for large batch commercial bakers.

    Metric is MUCH easier!!

    Yep! Metric is beautiful! Can't wait until y'all catch up. :laugh: I'm so glad that I don't have to work the imperial system.

    Don't forget, we even do temperature in nice numbers too. Freezing = 0*C, Boiling = 100*C. Pleasant days ~25*C
  • kshierk
    kshierk Posts: 5 Member
    The hard one is the entries for loose items, like banana for instance, if it happened to be in cups only. But keep looking, you'll find the grams one.
    [/quote]

    That is what I was talking about, the hard ones. I know my example was the easy one, I was just trying to show how just measuring wasn't correct.
  • kshierk
    kshierk Posts: 5 Member
    In the database put in the food and grams. For example, "strawberries grams" or "banana grams" or find the USDA nutrition information and enter it into your food in grams. If something says one ounce, that is 28 grams. Weight your food until it says 28 grams, or if you want less or more, you can use the "1 gram" option and enter that many servings.

    Thank you! I didn't know you could specify like that. I will try that.
  • kshierk
    kshierk Posts: 5 Member
    I think I wasn't explaining myself properly I was talking about weighing food (solid) that I don't have a nutrition label for like grapes. If the database says 1c of grapes is a serving how would I find what that is in grams. Yes I know 8oz of a liquid is equal to 1c but 8oz of grapes is not equal to 1c.

    Thank you all for your feedback! :smile:
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
    This link might help you with weighing and logging :)

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide?hl=logging+step+guide
  • rebeccaisafish
    rebeccaisafish Posts: 87 Member
    This has been explained. Simply don't select the one that uses cups. For any given fruit/vegetable there are at least 10 different database entries. Choose one that is by weight, not by cups.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    This has been explained. Simply don't select the one that uses cups. For any given fruit/vegetable there are at least 10 different database entries. Choose one that is by weight, not by cups.
    ^^^This.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I am confused and need some help here. I have read on here many times to always weigh any solids that you are going to eat, & not to measure with cups because those are very inaccurate. I know that if it is pre-packaged food it usually breaks down what the weight in grams a serving is as well as saying 2/3 cups etc. But when you are eating something that isn't pre-packaged & you are trying to use the database on here I notice a lot of them are in cup measurements but don't list the grams. How would I weigh them on my scale if I don't know what the grams are? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

    find an entry with grams...pretty much everything in the database has an entry with either grams or ounces. The easiest way to do this is just put "USDA" after whatever it is you are searching for....i.e. "Broccoli USDA"
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    nutritiondata.com has cups as an option and tells you the grams that match.

    http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1920/2 - 1 cup of grapes is listed as 151 grams

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