Why You Need to Use a Food Scale

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MsCzar
MsCzar Posts: 1,042 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Sorry the Nutritional Label picture is out of focus, but my favourite spicy snack mix that I top everything from stir-fry to salads to chili lists 171 calories per 1 cup (30 grams). I was counting it as about 25-35 calories since I knew I always used less than 1/8 cup (2T) per serving.

Today I decided to weigh the amount I added to my salad. Uh oh.

I'm absolute rot at numbers, but by my figuring, the snack mix has 5.7 calories per gram and I was using about 15-20 grams per serving. The 18g I sprinkled on my salad was not 30 calories, but 102!!! I have no idea why the 1/2 cup doesn't weigh 44g, but know the 1/2 cup isn't filled to the top. I stopped adding the mix at 30g. That's tough to see looking straight down.

Moral of the story: Whenever possible, always use the gram weight.

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Replies

  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
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    Oil is the same problem. At 9 calories per gram, the difference in sighting a tablespoon can easily be 50 calories. I weigh the bottle before I pour and after and subtract.
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,042 Member
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    In this case, I'm thinking the 1 cup - even a metric cup - is a downright fib! Listing 1/2 cup on the label would have been acceptable. I usually measure everything - especially calorie dense things like granola. The 'topping' nature of this one totally fooled me.

    Lesson learned!
  • Antiopelle
    Antiopelle Posts: 1,184 Member
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    Do the cups weigh the same? One seems much bigger than the other :wink:
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,986 Member
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    Antiopelle wrote: »
    Do the cups weigh the same? One seems much bigger than the other :wink:

    One would hope she tared it before filling the cup(s.)

    That's Digital Food Scale 101. :)
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,042 Member
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    Yes. Tared.
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,158 Member
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    I definitely have a few products at home where the volume and weight on the label really don't match at all, not even close. I imagine it must be that it settles a lot over time after packaging. Some things, though, tend to match very closely.

    So frustrating, though!
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,137 Member
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    wilson10102018 wrote: »
    Oil is the same problem. At 9 calories per gram, the difference in sighting a tablespoon can easily be 50 calories. I weigh the bottle before I pour and after and subtract.

    Easier to put the oil on the scale, tare, pour and then put the oil back on the scale :smile:
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
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    Lietchi wrote: »
    wilson10102018 wrote: »
    Oil is the same problem. At 9 calories per gram, the difference in sighting a tablespoon can easily be 50 calories. I weigh the bottle before I pour and after and subtract.

    Easier to put the oil on the scale, tare, pour and then put the oil back on the scale :smile:

    On your scale. But many people have a scale that does not weigh negative values.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,137 Member
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    wilson10102018 wrote: »
    Lietchi wrote: »
    wilson10102018 wrote: »
    Oil is the same problem. At 9 calories per gram, the difference in sighting a tablespoon can easily be 50 calories. I weigh the bottle before I pour and after and subtract.

    Easier to put the oil on the scale, tare, pour and then put the oil back on the scale :smile:

    On your scale. But many people have a scale that does not weigh negative values.

    Well I've had several scales and they all allowed for negative values when tared, so I thought it was a common feature. But yeah, only if your scale allows it.
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,042 Member
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    penguinmama87 wrote: »
    I definitely have a few products at home where the volume and weight on the label really don't match at all, not even close... Some things, though, tend to match very closely.

    Costco granola and Kashi cereals match gram to volume fairly closely. I was skeptical, but I've weighed against volume and the labels are accurate. As for oil, if starting with a cold pan, I'll just weigh in the cold pan since my food scale will weigh and tare up to 11 lbs. I often build my cold salads on the scale - taring between additions. I don't place hot dishes on my scale, which is how this example escaped being weighed. I was just blithely adding two tablespoons. Duh!

  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,158 Member
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    MsCzar wrote: »
    penguinmama87 wrote: »
    I definitely have a few products at home where the volume and weight on the label really don't match at all, not even close... Some things, though, tend to match very closely.

    Costco granola and Kashi cereals match gram to volume fairly closely. I was skeptical, but I've weighed against volume and the labels are accurate. As for oil, if starting with a cold pan, I'll just weigh in the cold pan since my food scale will weigh and tare up to 11 lbs. I often build my cold salads on the scale - taring between additions. I don't place hot dishes on my scale, which is how this example escaped being weighed. I was just blithely adding two tablespoons. Duh!

    Could you tare the scale with a pad or towel on the scale to protect it from the hot dish? That's my go to so I can accurately get a total count for recipes served directly out of whatever I cooked it in.

    I do my salads and sometimes sandwiches the same way.
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,042 Member
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    Yes, in fact I did that with today's hot veg chili.

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