cous cous and calories

jenny3008
jenny3008 Posts: 97 Member
edited November 12 in Food and Nutrition
This has been bugging me for a while and I'm hoping some-one out there knows the answer.

I like to have cous cous to bulk my meal out if I have underestimated the amount of veg or just sometimes because I like it. I have noticed that on the back of the pack with the calories there are two values.

One for the raw weight at say 100g with 147 calories then the cooked weight at a serving being 130g and say 197calories.

Why when only water is added are the calories so different?

Replies

  • iLoveMyPitbull1225
    iLoveMyPitbull1225 Posts: 1,690 Member
    Do the directions say to add anything? Like the spice packet, or olive oil/butter? that could be added in to the total to bring it to 197 calories.
  • DeadsAndDoritos
    DeadsAndDoritos Posts: 267 Member
    If you cook 100g of couscous, it will absorb the water and weigh more. For the best accuracy, weigh your couscous dry and calculate the calories based on that because the weight of cooked couscous will depend on how much water you add.

    ETA: I am a bit confused by your example because 130g cooked couscous should have fewer calories than 100g raw. From the MFP database I am getting 100g dry couscous to be 376 calories and 130g cooked at 146 calories.
  • bubba_louie
    bubba_louie Posts: 4 Member
    When I've seen this discrepency, it's usually displayed in serving size by volume (cups). But in this example, do the math (divide the calories by the weight), it's the same calories per weight (approx. 1.5 calories per unit).

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  • pyrowill
    pyrowill Posts: 1,163 Member
    The water doesn't add any calories, it is merely stating two different weights. Typically most things have to say their cals per 100g first, then at a recommended serving. Use dry weight if you want or the cooked weight. Just make sure you are accurate.
  • jenny3008
    jenny3008 Posts: 97 Member
    Do the directions say to add anything? Like the spice packet, or olive oil/butter? that could be added in to the total to bring it to 197 calories.

    No it says you can add them but the calories are for water added only.
    ETA: I am a bit confused by your example because 130g cooked couscous should have fewer calories than 100g raw. From the MFP database I am getting 100g dry couscous to be 376 calories and 130g cooked at 146 calories.

    This is also why I am confused but these are the values straight of the packet. I realise its only 50 calories and so its not a big deal but there are 100g dry cous cous in the packet which it says makes 2 portions so if I was to eat both of those portions which I normally do as my evening meal is my large meal of the day with most of my calories then its 100 calories. Which is a bigger deal when I tend to eat most of my allowance over the course of the week if not in a single day.

    I'm sure its probably simple I just can't seem to work my head around it.

    According to the packet 100g raw becomes 260g cooked.... this I get

    If the raw cous cous in the packet weighs 100g and has 147 calories, I then add the 160ml of water as instructed, this is absorbed by the cous cous and my new weight is 260g cooked cous cous why does it now have 394 calories.... this I don't get
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
    I like to have cous cous to bulk my meal out if I have underestimated the amount of veg

    cous cous isn't a vegetable it's a grain
  • jenny3008
    jenny3008 Posts: 97 Member
    I like to have cous cous to bulk my meal out if I have underestimated the amount of veg

    cous cous isn't a vegetable it's a grain

    I know that. Its why I said I like to use it if I underestimate the amount of vegetables I have. I travel a lot and so keep frozen vegetables as the fresh ones go off before I can use them. Its easy to underestimate the actual portion size you are left with when all the ice melts and so on the occasions I have done this and I know I am hungry I use cous cous to bulk the meal to stop me snacking later in the evening.
  • madimurrell12
    madimurrell12 Posts: 29
    100g of raw cous cous is DEFINITELY more than 147 calories, I'd say that they've packaged wrong. I have cous cous multiple times a week and have used various brands and know that 50g raw is normally around 170-180....so pretty much you're consuming much more than you think you are.
  • Ryderod
    Ryderod Posts: 103 Member
    http://skipthepie.org/cereal-grains-and-pasta/couscous-cooked/compared-to/couscous-dry/
  • jenny3008
    jenny3008 Posts: 97 Member
    100g of raw cous cous is DEFINITELY more than 147 calories, I'd say that they've packaged wrong. I have cous cous multiple times a week and have used various brands and know that 50g raw is normally around 170-180....so pretty much you're consuming much more than you think you are.
    http://skipthepie.org/cereal-grains-and-pasta/couscous-cooked/compared-to/couscous-dry/

    Thanks both
    I may just get all righteous and write to them telling them their nutritional information is incorrect because it means that every time I have the cous cous I'm getting about 200 calories more then I think which does explain some of the achingly slow weight loss.

    In future I will ignore the packet and use some of the nutritional info that was in the link.
  • nikkicolescross
    nikkicolescross Posts: 1 Member
    Hi. Just having exactly the same debate. Roasted vegetable cous cous, per 100g packet, equals 140 kcal. Yet per half pack, cooked, it says 130g in brackets. So the weight increases, of course. But how can it then say, per half a pack cooked is 182 kcal? Thats more than a full pack of dry cous cous. If this is correct, and half a pack, 50g, of cooked cous cous is 182kcal, ive been over eating for weeks. Can anybody answer this? Thx
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    nikkicolescross wrote: »
    Hi. Just having exactly the same debate. Roasted vegetable cous cous, per 100g packet, equals 140 kcal. Yet per half pack, cooked, it says 130g in brackets. So the weight increases, of course. But how can it then say, per half a pack cooked is 182 kcal? Thats more than a full pack of dry cous cous. If this is correct, and half a pack, 50g, of cooked cous cous is 182kcal, ive been over eating for weeks. Can anybody answer this? Thx

    Are the packets definitely 2 servings exactly (ie: does it actually say "serving size: 1/2 packet (130g cooked)" or does it say "per 130 g cooked serving" with "servings per container: 2")?

    Serving sizes per container are often rounded to the nearest one's place, so in the latter example there could be closer to 2.5 servings in a packet.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    the raw weight is definately wrong...although couscous doesn't fully double in size, it definately increases - probably 70g raw is about 130g cooked
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