Should i be logging my Apples/Bananas?

Bhyde21
Bhyde21 Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
For breakfast i usually have Oats with an apple chopped up. Should i add the apple to my breakfast logs? If so how do i do it, does it matter on the brand of the apple etc. And should i weigh it? I'm kinda confused.


Cheers

Replies

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,956 Member
    Definitely log it, a banana can come in at over 100 cals. Weigh it, only the edible portion (no core/skin) and add it from a verified entry. Brand doesn't matter so much, but if you can find the right variety that's good.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    Log everything you put in your mouth that has calories. How you log depends on how exact you want to be... There are many entries for apples of various sizes, or by weight. I would personally go by weight.
  • rbiss
    rbiss Posts: 422 Member
    Yes, you should log everything, especially in the beginning. It's best to weigh everything because you will have the most accurate measurement. I do try and log the brand of apple as well, but red apple, green apple, yellow apple are also close enough. The calories will not be that different, its the weight that matters. Also, try not to use volume measurements for solid food. For example, a serving of oats is 1/2 cup. Weigh the 1/2 cup and log that weight. Sometimes the volume and the weight can be very different.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,585 Member
    If you eat it, log it.

    Weighing will help you be a bit more accurate so I know I would! :)

    Also definitely weigh the oats. Cereals are notorious for having out of whack serving sizes if you just use a measuring cup.
  • SamandaIndia
    SamandaIndia Posts: 1,577 Member
    Surprising how much natural sugars occur in apples and bananas. Worth weighing and logging as folk mention above. Helps me learn what I do that adds up to significant calories and the nutritional information is also interesting. Different cereals, can be quite different in calories too.
  • schibsted750
    schibsted750 Posts: 355 Member
    It doesn't really matter which brand or variety of apple you use. It's going to be 80 calories per apple plus/minus maybe 10 calories.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    Weigh it and log it.
  • GsKiki
    GsKiki Posts: 392 Member
    Log everything you eat. Use a scale to weigh it before you eat it. Even tho some food is healthy it still has calories, and bottom line is calories in vs calories out.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Yes you should

    A banana added to my porridge doubles the calories
  • ultrahoon
    ultrahoon Posts: 467 Member
    I weigh mine and use the specific brand. There is quite a large difference between a 'medium' generic apple on the low end of medium, and a 'medium' Granny Smith on the high end of medium.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
    schibsted750 wrote: »
    It doesn't really matter which brand or variety of apple you use. It's going to be 80 calories per apple plus/minus maybe 10 calories.

    Apples vary much more in calorie content than this, that is why it is best to weigh them, and everything else including liquids ( oils, dressings, maple syrup, etc) by using liquid cup and spoon measurements.

    Cheers, h.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    edited December 2015
    Bhyde21 wrote: »
    For breakfast i usually have Oats with an apple chopped up. Should i add the apple to my breakfast logs? If so how do i do it, does it matter on the brand of the apple etc. And should i weigh it? I'm kinda confused.


    Cheers

    Yes. An apple or banana can add more calories than you probably want to leave unaccounted.
    Just weigh it before you cut it up and choose the right entry from the database.
    I'm not sure what you mean by brand... like the company/grower Chiquita or the variety of apple? I don't think a banana from one company is different from a banana from a different company. I haven't found a difference in calories in the database here or on the internet between different varieties of apples of the same weight.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,961 Member
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    Bhyde21 wrote: »
    For breakfast i usually have Oats with an apple chopped up. Should i add the apple to my breakfast logs? If so how do i do it, does it matter on the brand of the apple etc. And should i weigh it? I'm kinda confused.


    Cheers

    Yes. An apple or banana can add more calories than you probably want to leave unaccounted.
    Just weigh it before you cut it up and choose the right entry from the database.
    I'm not sure what you mean by brand... like the company/grower Chiquita or the variety of apple? I don't think a banana from one company is different from a banana from a different company. I haven't found a difference in calories in the database between different varieties of apples of the same size.

    Since almost all the bananas you find in the grocery store are Cavendish bananas that are clones of each other, the only thing that matters is the amount of banana that you eat (best determined from weight). (We've bred the seeds out of bananas grown for human consumption, so the only way to reproduce them is through methods that leave you with genetically identical plants -- not quite sure of the method they use, I assume it's something like taking cuttings and planting them.)

    Apples will vary across varieties (apples of the same variety should be the same). The USDA database shows about a 6 calorie difference per 100 grams between fuji and gala, but I just use the generic "apples, raw, with skin" entry, since I usually buy less common varieties (heritage varieties or new varieties, which seem to have more flavor when they're first introduced, I guess because initially they're being produced in smaller quantities and moved to market more quickly, rather than being held in storage for months. I used to believe that over the decades they "bred the flavor" out of old favorites like Golden Delicious, but after I understood that once they decide on a new variety, there's no more breeding, since apples don't breed true, I had to come up with a new theory :)

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