Wheres my other serving?

jencute
jencute Posts: 35 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Does anyone else notice that the servings in products are off a lot of the time? Say a can or soup/rice/ says it has two servings of 1 cup each. So far, 10 out of 10 times I'll measure out a 1 cup serving, and then whats left over doesn't even fill out 2/3 of a cup. Is the serving really half of the contents on the can and I'm actually taking in more calories than I think I am?

Replies

  • orderofconfusion
    orderofconfusion Posts: 27
    A lot of the foods in the database are member entered. Some entries are set for whatever amount the person inputting the information ate. I always recommend looking at packaging for calorie counts just to make sure that you are getting the proper nutritional info. If you click "nutritional info" after you click on the desired food but before you input the information into your food diary it tells you what it considers the calorie/nutritional info, as well as the supposed serving size.

    Usually on canned foods it will give an approximate calculation of how many servings are in a can. I always go by the actual measurements listed on the can just to make sure I have a close estimate of calories consumed.

    If ever in doubt you could always double check/compare the information with a calorie counting/nutritional information site.
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 Member
    have to compare with the label yourself to be sure, someone might enter a condensed tomato soup as 1 cup serving but they mix it with milk so there are more calories than what's on the can label obviously due to the milk... or they may add more or less water than called for (IE the can I have says it's a 125mL serving (condensed) so 250mL or 1 cup prepared IF you mix it 1:1 with water, there is some reduction in volume due to the cooking, all that vapour coming off is water coming out of it.



    What bugs me is the serving is 125mL but the container is 284mL so 9mL more than just having it be 1/3 of the container.
  • ChRiStA_1983
    ChRiStA_1983 Posts: 380 Member
    That's a really good question, and I've noticed the same thing. Really, the only way to combat the inaccuracy is to measure it by weight, instead of volume.

    If it says " X number of calories for 1/4 cup (30 grams)", then measure out 30 grams, and that will be the accurate number of calories.

    It's so frustrating, though!
  • photo_kyla
    photo_kyla Posts: 322 Member
    I've noticed that too. It's all in how they estimate it. Sometimes if you look at the ounces, you can see it.

    For example:
    Serving size is 1 cup (8oz) but a lot of times the can will be 14 oz.
    Half of the can is 7oz - That's almost a serving
    But if you measure out one 1 cup serving, that only leaves 6 oz (2/3 cup)
    They just say "2 servings" because it's more than 1 1/2 and it sounds like you're getting more.
  • jencute
    jencute Posts: 35 Member
    Haha i'm kind of okay with getting less product, I just want to make sure theyre not tricking me into eating more calories than I think I am =]

    it just happened to me again tonight too. I made a box of cauliflower in cheese sauce and the serving size was 1/2 a cup, with 3 servings. I took maybe one floret oer the half cup mark and there definitely was not two servings left in the bowl i made it all in. Lies they tell!
  • jencute
    jencute Posts: 35 Member
    I jut remember reading on "Eat This, Not That" that its against the law or something for companies to under-provide, so in order to try and stay in line they actually OVER-fill containers. Clearly, they heard wrong.
  • jencute
    jencute Posts: 35 Member
    ughhh you dont know how long ive been wanting a food scale, but the looks of confusion and concern that my mother would undoubtedly throw at me have stopped me from getting one.
  • PBmaria
    PBmaria Posts: 854 Member
    I do everything by weight, even my cereal! That's really the most accurate way to track :)
  • PAWeissenstein
    PAWeissenstein Posts: 37 Member
    Jen - are you losing the weight and getting healthier for you or for your mother? The heck with it - just get the scale if you want one...and if you decide it isn't for you then don't feel bad. Life is a journey and every so often you come to a fork in the road. The sign and everyone you know encourages you to take the right turn but you wonder what is down the left path. Don't listen to them! March to your own beat and take the left path. It won't necessarily be fatal and you won't spend your whole life wondering if you should have gone left instead of right... In this case you won't spend your life wondering about food scales.. :-)

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