Spinach 152 cals per 100g??? Cannot be -- HELP!

shivers42
shivers42 Posts: 20
edited September 28 in Food and Nutrition
So -- today I thought I'd be healthy, help my iron count and stay on the right side of the calorie count.

I cooked some Jamaica's Pride Callaloo (spinach) with codfish for lunch. When I entered it into my diary I almost fell over. 152 calories (304 for half a can) of which 126 cals are from fat. I thought it was an error, so I quickly dug the label out of the bin. This confirmed it!

Please help, the meal is already eaten, tell me this is not true....:sad:

Replies

  • SarahLovesCheesecake
    SarahLovesCheesecake Posts: 520
    Spinach on its own is virtually nothing. Look at various sites or did you look at the label any way?
  • FemininGuns
    FemininGuns Posts: 605 Member
    Even we would tell you it's not true, I think the proof is in the pudding... Or here - in the spinach label...
  • misscristie
    misscristie Posts: 643 Member
    If they put a bunch of junk in it it can definitely happen :( Stick with fresh vegetables or canned or frozen vegetables that are just that - vegetables.

    It's just one meal though - Not a biggie :)
  • JulieBoBoo
    JulieBoBoo Posts: 642
    Obviously there's more than just spinach in that can.
  • Yocum1219
    Yocum1219 Posts: 400 Member
    I know the entire bag of fresh spinach I buy at the store has a total of 40 calories. I'm sure the one you're looking at is one that's cooked with something in it. I'm not sure how many grams it is (I know, US just HAS to be different) but it's about 4 cups-64 oz.

    The data base shows one brand of baby spinach with 25 calories for 100g
  • dhardy7710
    dhardy7710 Posts: 1
    Sounds like a great meal, but try to duplicate it by using fresh spinach instaed of canned. Check the can for the ingredients and try it yourself. I do this often it you save on so many calories as well as sodium. Alot of sodium in canned foods.
  • uniquesoul73
    uniquesoul73 Posts: 151 Member
    canned spinach has a lot of extra sodium and crap added to it. go for fresh spinach next time for virtually no calories or fat. I use the pre-washed bagged Dole spinach
  • twinkle1074
    twinkle1074 Posts: 35
    Hey since it came from a can I assuming they added preservative and other ingredients to preserve the taste. also my mom is West Indian and we always ate callaloo which is a form of Spinach but denser and she definitely added a lot of different stuff to it..Next you will know better so no worries : )
  • shivers42
    shivers42 Posts: 20
    Thanks MFP buddies! The can says calalloo water and salt. Not sure how water and salt can affect the spinach but I'll take your advice and go for fresh next time. Shame really cos the iron count was great.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    That's wrong. Here's another brand of callaloo just in water and salt and there's only 19 calories, more or less the same as fresh spinach:
    http://www.westbestfoodsltd.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=&product_id=17&category_id=7&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

    Correct the MFP entry if you like.

    BTW tinned food doesn't need preservatives or other added artificial ingredients as teh tin preserves it. As it's all sealed up while fresh, tinned veg really isn't a bad choice, and you can get most of it with no added salt these days.
  • sbperry72
    sbperry72 Posts: 12
    Um, yeah, callaloo isn't just Spinach. It's a Caribbean recipe that starts with a leafy green (Spinach or the leafy green plant called callaloo), but that's cooked in heavier things such as coconut milk and sometimes meat or fish to add flavor. It's like collard greens. They themselves have few calories, but if you do the traditional southern thing and cook them with bacon or lard it's a different story.

    If you like calllalooo, you can make your own low-fat, low-calorie version by getting fresh or frozen spinanch or callaloo and looking up a recipe on line. There are low and no-fat coconut milks out there and I bet you could even make a quick version in the microwave.
  • chels1605
    chels1605 Posts: 206 Member
    have cabbage next time - sweetheart cabbage is 42kcals per 100g!
  • shivers42
    shivers42 Posts: 20
    Hey Sbperry72 -- callaloo is a hybrid spinach. I come from Caribbean parentage, my Dad grew this stuff for years. Unfortunately, he's gone home now so I have to resort to this canned stuff. The can says it contains callaloo and water and salt (for 152 cals). The recipes you refer to may contain callaloo, but do not define callaloo.

    I appreciate your advice tho' and will perhaps go for the frozen variant with no salt added. Can't believe a little salt can add so many calories!!
  • shivers42
    shivers42 Posts: 20
    Great thanks -- think I'll do that :smile:
  • persistenttiger
    persistenttiger Posts: 25 Member
    Salt couldn't add that many calories. Strange! Are you sure it's labelled in cals and not kj?
  • BrewerGeorge
    BrewerGeorge Posts: 397 Member
    Salt doesn't add ANY calories.

    Canned spinach is a lot denser than fresh or frozen, but I still doubt it could have that many. I'm guessing it might be labeled in some other units.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    152 kj is about 36 calories, which sounds closer to correct for 100g of canned spinach/callalo. Though, double check your can vs the database, because 14g of fat can't be right if it's only 36 cal.
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