Serving Sizes for Fruit and Vegetables
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OP, just for future reference, when you post something on a public forum, anyone can comment on it, for any reason. And they will. Sometimes because they want to add more info for newbie lurkers who are still finding their way, sometimes because they have an agenda they are quick to inject, sometimes because they misunderstood your point. And sometimes random internet people are just jerks. It happens in every public forum, that's kind of how internet forums work, for better or worse. Your best bet is to ignore the replies that you don't think apply, have a conversation with the ones that do, and see if there is anything you can learn from the criticisms. If you ever do make a post that everyone agrees with, you should print it out and have it laminated and framed for posterity. But letting every reply that doesn't 100% agree with your OP get under your skin is a recipe for disaster, and a waste of time and energy.
You're right of course. I generally avoid the message boards for precisely this reason, and the person I'm most annoyed with is me, for continuing to comment back. I just get frustrated at people who cannot for the life of them understand that there is more than one way to eat healthily, lose weight, etc. And that being healthy does not need to be an exact science. And also that being a nitpicking so-and-so is annoying. I digress.
You are right. (But I stand by my request that they stick an apple in it).0 -
We're on page 3, but I didn't want the point of the post to get lost. It isn't actually apples.
Since I'm always wondering what a "serving size" of a vegetable actually is, I went and looked it up. And made a chart. And am sharing it here. Obviously, a serving size of apple is 1 apple, but what about apricots (it's 3). If you're ever in doubt, it looks like "1 cup" is a good rule of thumb, but here's the exact servings and their calorie contents. (Ok, not EXACT. Just, you know, more accurate.)
**note: this is for RAW produce unless otherwise noted, in which case it's STEAMED. Roasting, sauteeing, etc. add their own nutritional spin, so this is just the plants.
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What are kiwiberries and where do you buy those?0
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chastity0921 wrote: »What are kiwiberries and where do you buy those?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actinidia_arguta
Not in my local grocery store. I'll look next time I go to the Chinese food mart (great variety and good buys on produce and fresh fish, dried shiitake, etc.).0 -
Yes, I think the cup and the general resistance to weighing is an American thing. (I'm European and a metric girl. lol) But the black/white thinking (either using scales, or not have OCD) is universal. I'm not being negative (or maybe I don't understand what being negative means), I just don't understand the usefulness - at least here, where most people (I think) weigh their food on a scale - in having defined exact portions that because of their nature never can get anywhere near anything exact. What is a medium apple? How can I determine that? And why is that meaningful? Do I refuse to eat big or large apples? What if I have five apricots, should I throw away two? Or do I work with percents of servings, like, ok, this apple is maybe about 1.27 of a serving, that means I have 1.73 left today?
Common sense is not so common...
Anyway, interesting to see how differenently we all think, and how we express that, both muffled and exaggerated through writing. Sometimes we get angry, but that's part of the fun.0 -
ChristieisReady wrote: »ALSO, on precise measurements, do you weigh the core when you're done to see how much you didn't eat? Do you account for the caloric difference in core and seeds vs. flesh? Just how much time are you devoting to this exact study of how many kCals are entering your body?
When I'm at home and can do so, I do weight the core and adjust my calories. I've done it with steak too(fat trimmings).0 -
I don't think most of my FL does...kommodevaran wrote: »where most people (I think) weigh their food on a scale
It's meaningful because I know I need at least 7 servings of produce a day, and if I ate a LARGE apple, I can go, "ok, that's one and a half, I need 5 and a half more produce servings today". If you're weighing food, yeah, it's more accurate. But I neither have nor want a food scale. So this was for me. And I thought "maybe someone else might find this helpful".kommodevaran wrote: »What is a medium apple? And why is that meaningful? Do I refuse to eat big or large apples? What if I have five apricots, should I throw away two? Or do I work with percents of servings, like, ok, this apple is maybe about 1.27 of a serving, that means I have 1.73 left today?
When clearly I *should* have remembered "20% of the ppl who frequent the message boards are *kitten*" (not necessarily directed at you).
No kidding.kommodevaran wrote: »Common sense is not so common...-1 -
chastity0921 wrote: »What are kiwiberries and where do you buy those?
They're mini, hairless kiwis that you can eat like a berry. I get them from Sprouts Farmer's market. Not super common, but as I made this list for me, I added them on there.0 -
just weighing in here... hehe pun intended
I am one of those unicorns that does a blend. I weigh some stuff and guesstimate others.
I have set my activity level to sedentary and I'm not sedentary, so I know I get some extra cals there.
I will grab a bag of gala apples and take one in my lunch every day. I pick "medium" apple and do not weigh because I figure some days they're tiny and some days they're bigger, and in the end it all works out.
I do weigh chicken and meats, because I am horribly bad at recognizing 85g or 3 oz, or what have you.
I weigh pastas because those buggers are high cals and low volume (in my mind).
I don't typically weigh cucumber because 100 grams is like 32 cals... so if I'm 80 grams or 120, the few cals don't make a difference to me.
So in my case, I've found and adopted what works for me, and as long as I can stay around maintenance (which is more tied to whether I can resist the chips and donuts, as opposed to the apple size), then I'll keep at it.
Thanks for sharing a method that works for you, I'm sure it will work for and help others too.
And thanks also to those who do weigh, and who shared their reasons for doing so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJTBPdVpdMc 0 -
juggernaut1974 wrote: »ChristieisReady wrote: »I'm a fairly well-educated woman, but as an American, I have no real frame of reference for "grams". Ounces, yes. Grams, no.
1 gram = about 2 paper clips
@juggernaut1974 Thanks to this statement right here... I have now been measuring my chicken in terms of paperclips. Truth. I had a bite left over (gristle) and I thought... hmmmm... I wonder how many paperclips that would weigh. :laugh:
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Thanks for the chart it is a handy rule of thumb reference.0
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ChristieisReady wrote: »
I don't weigh my food. I do know what a cup looks like. You have a WHOLE DATABASE on here for food by the gram. This is a quick takeaway for me to know that I'm getting at least 7 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. I thought it might be useful to someone else.
I'm not saying this is all you need or that this tool is for everybody. I made it, it's useful to me, I'm sharing it.
If you're checking this out and pausing to say "I don't like what you've made here. It's accurate, but it's not exact and it's not what I want to use", well, this is why your friends don't like you.
This is so true!!! Especially for fruits and veggies! I can see why people are so strict about weighing in grams on fats and protein and even grains cause those cals add up so quick. But fruits and veggies aren't quite as bad.
I reeeally agree about the " knowing what a cup is" I was just thinking this the other day, that I couldn't possibly eye ball 100g of carrots vs 100g of green beans. (I know that's why there's scales but of your out and about, etc) but I can eyeball a cup and if I'm a little over or under on a 30 cal cup of whatever veggie its not going to kill me one way or another.
It's all about keeping this doable in the long term for me, and weighing exactly 150g of veggies is going to make that much harder than using a cup, again ONLY for veggies and certain fruits.
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A portion is a handful- for example a handful of strawberries would be a portion.
Dried fruit however is half a handful for a portion.
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I want to point out to some of those tit-for-tatters -- I don't think ANY of us got to be overweight by eating too many apples or 5 servings of carrots. So be nice!!
and @ChristieisReady - Thanks for the handy guide! (Who knew pears have so much sugar!!)0 -
Cups, LOL. I guess they were cool in the age of the covered wagon when the local tinsmith made them.0
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I never understand what size a 'cup' is supposed to be. I weigh everything in grams, it's easier and more accurate.. Unless it's like a few lettuce leaves. Then it's so calorie-low that I just don't bother. But vague measurements just make me anxious as I'm never sure what they mean and how far out I am and how big a difference that makes in calories. I have to be accurate and weigh everything because it's the only way I can feel comfortable that I'm being accurate.
Yup, with cups I never knew how much I was supposed to mash food down (or not.) Now I don't have to stress about it. Or wash cups.0 -
ChristieisReady wrote: »You honestly can't look at an apple and say "that looks quite a bit larger than yesterday's apple, it must have proportionately more calories. I should probably consider it as a 'large' apple, which is about a serving and a half"?
ALSO, on precise measurements, do you weigh the core when you're done to see how much you didn't eat? Do you account for the caloric difference in core and seeds vs. flesh? Just how much time are you devoting to this exact study of how many kCals are entering your body?
I don't weigh the inedible part, as that is not included in the calorie counts. I got a scale Christmas 2014 and it is faster and more accurate than using cups. Plus, no washing of said cups.0 -
ChristieisReady wrote: »
Hence the caveat of "medium apple". Which is about 2 3/4" in diameter. Seriously, you guys. You are telling me that you believe that a person who cannot differentiate between a "small" and "medium" apple CAN look at it and go "well, that's about 80 grams"? Who are these savants and where do you find them?The WHO's serving size for "five a day" policies is 80 grams isn't it ? That would make some apples almost two servings.
I'm a fairly well-educated woman, but as an American, I have no real frame of reference for "grams". Ounces, yes. Grams, no.
I had no reference for grams either until I got a food scale and started using it.
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kshama2001 wrote: »ChristieisReady wrote: »You honestly can't look at an apple and say "that looks quite a bit larger than yesterday's apple, it must have proportionately more calories. I should probably consider it as a 'large' apple, which is about a serving and a half"?
ALSO, on precise measurements, do you weigh the core when you're done to see how much you didn't eat? Do you account for the caloric difference in core and seeds vs. flesh? Just how much time are you devoting to this exact study of how many kCals are entering your body?
I don't weigh the inedible part, as that is not included in the calorie counts. I got a scale Christmas 2014 and it is faster and more accurate than using cups. Plus, no washing of said cups.
Exactly, why bother using cups when it is just as quick and a LOT more accurate to use scales.
And as some one said earlier a serving size (especially when it is lower calorie vegetables, for me anyway) is what I want at the time. Some days, I want 2 mushrooms another time I may want 10. I weigh them and log it, easy!0 -
I'm with the PP who said she was a unicorn - so am I.
I weigh some things and guesstimate others, mainly fruit and vegetables.
I can eyeball whole fruits and estimate if they are small, medium or large, so I don't weigh bananas or mandarines or kiwi fruit, the main 3 whole fruits I eat.
Every banana is a small banana ( I buy small ones so they fit in my lunchbox) every mandarine is a medium mandarine- unless it is smaller then it is 3/4 of a medium mandarine etc.
works for me - have maintained for 2 years doing this.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »ChristieisReady wrote: »You honestly can't look at an apple and say "that looks quite a bit larger than yesterday's apple, it must have proportionately more calories. I should probably consider it as a 'large' apple, which is about a serving and a half"?
ALSO, on precise measurements, do you weigh the core when you're done to see how much you didn't eat? Do you account for the caloric difference in core and seeds vs. flesh? Just how much time are you devoting to this exact study of how many kCals are entering your body?
I don't weigh the inedible part, as that is not included in the calorie counts. I got a scale Christmas 2014 and it is faster and more accurate than using cups. Plus, no washing of said cups.
You'd still have to wash something though. Even if you put raw food directly on the scale I assume (hope) you'd wipe the scale off. But if you are adding ingredients to an already bubbling pot, you are going to have to put the food in something for weighing.
I couldn't care less whether you weigh your food or not but washing a measuring cup seems a silly reason to promote weighing unless you work with a filthy scale.0 -
ChristieisReady wrote: »
Well, there's about a 15 calorie difference in between apple sizes. So, unless you are eating a LOT of apples, the delta isn't really a meaningful difference. You know when you're eating a medium apple (say, a pink lady) vs an extra small (like a crab apple). If you NEED to the gram measurements, well, then you'll need to use a scale and calculate to the gram. But for lifestyle use, a loose guideline is perfect. Having been counting calories on and off for 5 years, I can tell you that micromanaging 15 calories will make you crazy, and may cause stress eating.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Medium can be pretty subjective if you are counting calories.
Been there, done that.
Yes, I see your point and it is a handy quick-reference chart, but for someone like me, (short, old and only 10 pounds from goal weight) those 15 calories can make a difference, if it's 15 here, 15 there, and on and on. Most fruits and veggies are fairly low in calories, so the difference can be negligible, but some stuff is not, and the difference between a serving size and 1/2 cup can be a lot more than 15 calories. For an apple, I don't eat them much so I wouldn't really sweat it but for some stuff I would want to be more accurate.
Speaking of apples, I tried a new one this week, a Ruby Frost. Brand new species, apparently, and very tasty!0 -
@christieisready. Thank you!! The chart is fabulous ❤️❤️ would love to be friends0
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