Measuring Spinach??

kiela64
kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
edited November 22 in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, so I just made a (really delicious) spinach omelette. I measured all of the ingredients, but spinach changes so drastically in size when it's cooked I'm not really sure how to input it.

I had a 1/2 cup of raw, washed, & torn up spinach leaf pieces before I put it in the omelette. But then it was cooked, and the Amazing Shrinking Spinach fit comfortably into one egg.

I know the nutrients of spinach also changes with heat, so I'm not sure about adding "1/2 cup - raw spinach".

I don't currently have a food scale yet, and I know it would all be so much easier with one, but I'd like to know the best way of inputing this just at the moment?

Replies

  • cuckoo_jenibeth
    cuckoo_jenibeth Posts: 1,434 Member
    I would log 1/2 cup spinach, raw.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    The best way, which you already acknowledged, is a food scale.

    But since you don't have one yet, I would just log it as the raw 1/2 cup. Yes, there is some nutrient changes when you cook it, but that level of detail is probably not necessary for most of us. By logging it raw, you will account for the calories and that's the most important part of weight loss.
  • BakerAcer
    BakerAcer Posts: 27 Member
    I generally go with the raw amount, even though it's cooked. Caloriclly it shouldn't change much. I tend not to even bother measuring spinach or arugula since they're pretty negligible: I.e. Super low calorie and awesome for you.
  • kiela64
    kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    The best way, which you already acknowledged, is a food scale.

    But since you don't have one yet, I would just log it as the raw 1/2 cup. Yes, there is some nutrient changes when you cook it, but that level of detail is probably not necessary for most of us. By logging it raw, you will account for the calories and that's the most important part of weight loss.
    MaddieSpinks wrote: »
    I generally go with the raw amount, even though it's cooked. Caloriclly it shouldn't change much. I tend not to even bother measuring spinach or arugula since they're pretty negligible: I.e. Super low calorie and awesome for you.
    jenibethbu wrote: »
    I would log 1/2 cup spinach, raw.

    ok, will do, thanks!!

    Yeah, I know I need to get on that soon :)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I put spinach in my omelets all the time. I weigh it raw (estimating by cup is fine for spinach, IMO, I just weigh everything when making my omelet so it's easier) and use that number.

    For logging what's important is the state it's in when you weigh or measure it. I wouldn't worry about possible nutrient changes, as it won't be significant for the things you are tracking.
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,771 Member
    edited August 2015
    The bioavailability of nutrients does generally increase with cooking, but it's not something I would worry about unless I had a medically diagnosed deficiency and had to meet a minimum.

    I agree with everyone above about logging it raw. Only if I precook a batch of something (like carrots) do I look for a cooked entry.

    ETA: A food scale is much less important for spinach than it is for cheese or other calorie-dense foods.
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
    I agree with logging it raw. HOWEVER, spinach is so very low in calories (3 cups raw = 85g raw=20 calories) worrying about precision for calorie counting is pretty pointless. If you are tracking nutrients it might be more useful to get a reasonable measurement.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    You should weigh everything, but in the case of spinach, a half cup will be about 5 calories. It's like swallowing the toothpaste.
  • GeddesFit
    GeddesFit Posts: 75 Member
    I never weigh spinach as its so low in calories I don't feel like it matters
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    i eat a lot of spinach and its so low calories that for something like an omelet, i probably wouldnt worry about it. next time weigh it beforehand, though.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Put bag of spinach on the scale, tare it, put what I want in my pan, put the bag back on the scale, and write down how many grams I used.
  • Strawblackcat
    Strawblackcat Posts: 944 Member
    I would measure it raw, if I was bothering to measure it at all. Spinach and most other leafy greens are so low in calories that I usually just eyeball my portion and call it about 2 cups. I figure that any caloric descrepency can't amount to much.
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