Apple calories

Blondehershey
Blondehershey Posts: 4 Member
in Food and Nutrition
When searching the database for one medium apple, it gives at least three different calories, how do I know which to choose?

Replies

  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,757 Member
    Weigh it if you really care. I usually take the highest one to be safe.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    I weigh it.
  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,940 Member
    edited October 2019
    They also vary somewhat by variety. If you’re eating a Pink Lady, look for a gram weight entry for Pink Lady apple. Weigh the part you’re going to eat. Most people don’t eat the core, after all. Likewise any other variety - use the most accurate entries and weighing will get you as close as possible on accuracy.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    I weigh the apple, eat it, weigh the core, subtract the core from the original weight, and log what I ate. I use the database entry for the variety of apple I had and use the 1 gram entry.
  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 1,992 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    I weigh the apple, eat it, weigh the core, subtract the core from the original weight, and log what I ate. I use the database entry for the variety of apple I had and use the 1 gram entry.

    THIS
  • Luke_rabbit
    Luke_rabbit Posts: 1,031 Member
    Is the difference between varieties really significant enough to make the extra work of using a different entry for each worthwhile? I kinda figure it evens out just using apple, raw and grams.
  • JenniferM1234
    JenniferM1234 Posts: 173 Member
    If you're off by 10 calories or so, is it really so important? I mean, think about when you measure, say, salad dressing. You note how many calories of course, but then there's some smeared at the bottom of your salad plate that you don't eat. So being off by around 25 calories in a meal isn't a big deal IMO. It all balances out.
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 6,550 Member
    I weigh, eat, and weigh the core. I found choosing a medium apple is actually a tiny one when weighing, my medium apples were actually 1 1/2 medium apples! Not a gigantic calorie increase but I eat a lot of produce so choosing by size can be way off for me.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,981 Member
    boldknee wrote: »
    Is the difference between varieties really significant enough to make the extra work of using a different entry for each worthwhile? I kinda figure it evens out just using apple, raw and grams.

    I must admit this would be my approach - weigh an apple of about the average size you eat. Do this once.
    Then enter every apple as one apple, however many grams that one was.

    I figure the slight different sizes of apples compared to that one and slight differences between varieties would all average out.
  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,940 Member
    edited October 2019
    I think you’re more than likely right that any slight fluctuations will even out and that apples are probably not the densest calorie things anyone eats, anyway!

    For me, though, I think there’s an element of physiological control going on, which is essential for me to stay on track long term.

    I slice mine up into even slices and put it in a pretty bowl, with the bowl on the scale set to zero, thus weighing just the bits I’m going to eat. Then log that weight using the specific variety of apple.

    Knowing I’ve done this, and do this with every single thing I eat helps me keep the faith with the process, even when it seems too slow! I know I’m going to get there if I do it!
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,981 Member
    Yes that applies to everything - keep doing whatever mentally works for you and find your own sweet spot between over estimating/averaging and being overly and uneccesarily precise.

    As long as what you are doing works - ie you are losing/maintain/ gaining as desired - then continue doing that.
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
    Ignore the MFP database. Most of the entries are wrong. Add USDA to your google search string.

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