Question about lentils

Strawblackcat
Strawblackcat Posts: 944 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
So, tonight I cooked myself some Great Value brand lentils. The bag said that 1/4 cup dry was 80 calories, but when I came to log them, pretty much every entry had lentils at around 160 calories for 1/4 cup. That's a big difference for something as simple as lentils. I figured that all plain, dry lentils would have the same amount of calories. Which one is right? Which one should I log as being correct? Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • Swuddly
    Swuddly Posts: 16 Member
    I did a bit of poking around on Calorie King. Go with the higher number. It looks like the info on the bag is wrong.
  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
    edited March 2015
    There's almost no fat in lentils. 1 gram of carbs has 4 calories and 1 gram of protein also has 4 calories. So weight the 1/4 cup of lentils and multiply the weight in grams by 4 and you'll get close to how many calories are in there. It It'll be a slight over estimation since there's water weight in there (even if uncooked).
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    That info on the bag is for cooked even though it says dried. Jack Rabbit lentils say the same thing. Go with the MFP entry for lentils, raw. Weigh them by the gram.
  • gainer39911
    gainer39911 Posts: 125 Member
    According to the USDA database, 1/4 cup of dry lentils (48 g) contains 165 calories.
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