how much is a serving

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amber_hanners
amber_hanners Posts: 388 Member
in Food and Nutrition
i have some 85% lean ground beef that i plan to make into pattys for dinner i have a food scale but i dont know how much one sserving is and i dont know if i should measure before or after cooking??? please help someone

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  • lijparsons
    lijparsons Posts: 258
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    A serving of meat is generally 4oz, but I make my burgers 5 or 5 and a half oz, because I like them a bit bigger. You weigh meat raw.
  • momma3sweetgirls
    momma3sweetgirls Posts: 743 Member
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    Depends on how big you want your burger. I usually make 1/4 lb (4 oz) burgers. I weigh before I cook them. Search 85% ground beef and you'll find an option for burger.
  • LillysGranny
    LillysGranny Posts: 431
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    For meat, a serving is usually around 3-4 ounces, more if you have higher protein requirements and you can spare the calories. Most of the calorie counts I've found are for ground beef before cooking, although I've seen some for grilled. The main thing is to make sure the count you choose matches when you weigh the meat!
  • Morglem
    Morglem Posts: 377 Member
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    Hi, I'm new here... I would say make the pattys 4 oz ( last night I made meatballs and calculate that they were about 1.3 oz each (75 cal each) so I had 3 of them. My groundbeef was 93% lean. I you go to enter new recipe and put your ingredients there it will calculate for you. I've learned that 4oz of meat is smaller than I thought, and 1/2 cup of pasta is really almost nothing :)
  • TessieDue
    TessieDue Posts: 8
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    I would say no more than 4oz of meat. And measure it before you cook it. I am not possitive, but I think a "healthy" portion size is anywhere from 3 to 4oz of meat for red meat, pultry and fish... at least that is how much I have been eating :)
  • mikeyml
    mikeyml Posts: 568 Member
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    A serving of meat is generally 4oz, but I make my burgers 5 or 5 and a half oz, because I like them a bit bigger. You weigh meat raw.

    This is true. The only thing I would add is you weigh meat before AND after cooking. Make the pattys and weigh them raw so they are all 4 oz. But after cooking them, weigh them again to see how much you are actually going to eat. Final weight will vary depending on the cooking method, cooking time, and how much fat was in the meat. No point in logging 4 oz if you only wound up with 3.
  • dee412
    dee412 Posts: 3
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    i would think you should weigh after it's cooked since there is a change once cooked.
  • kelika71
    kelika71 Posts: 778 Member
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    I was told by my dietician that it's typically 4 oz. raw. If you make it larger, it counts...just have to do the calculations for that extra amount.

    While a previous poster said to weigh before and after, I do that, too...but, that's because I'm usually making more than one for later in the week. However, I log it as 4 oz because that's what the nutrition labels are generally based off of. That's just me and I've always logged the raw weight.
  • ChantalGG
    ChantalGG Posts: 2,404 Member
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    Measure the full amount raw meat, if it is packaged you should have it on there already,.calculate the total calories and then figure out how much your are allowed to eat and split it up to whatever size you want within your limit. you got to watch out for the fat though.
  • mikeyml
    mikeyml Posts: 568 Member
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    There is debate about this topic and I say do whatever works for you. The safest way is to log the raw portion and overestimate what you're eating. I personally only log what I actually eat. Nutrition labels are based off raw portions because they have no idea how the meat is going to be cooked. One person might want a well done burger and one person might want it medium. The well done burger is going to weigh less than the medium one.
  • kelika71
    kelika71 Posts: 778 Member
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    There is debate about this topic and I say do whatever works for you. The safest way is to log the raw portion and overestimate what you're eating. I personally only log what I actually eat. Nutrition labels are based off raw portions because they have no idea how the meat is going to be cooked. One person might want a well done burger and one person might want it medium. The well done burger is going to weigh less than the medium one.

    Very true and nutrition labels aren't exact, either. They're only estimates. Ever notice that pretty much every food item ends up on an even number?! OP, log how you wish. If things aren't working out, then try the other way. :)

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