How do you measure food?

quietlilsis
quietlilsis Posts: 43 Member
edited December 24 in Food and Nutrition
Think I have no clue how to measure food.

For example, how do you measure 1 cup of blueberries? Is it how many blueberries fill up to the 1 cup mark on a measuring cup, or is it 8 oz on the scale?
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Replies

  • rumpusparable
    rumpusparable Posts: 160
    I use measuring cups or my measuring bowls. If you're asking how to do it right for baking, you use measuring cups.
  • 4myhealth77
    4myhealth77 Posts: 77 Member
    Both ways are fine. I use the scale and measuring cups for everything I eat that isnt already pre-measured.
  • feast4thebeast
    feast4thebeast Posts: 210 Member
    Both ways are fine. I use the scale and measuring cups for everything I eat that isnt already pre-measured.

    I get laughed at for measuring skittles lol At least you are making your hips go in the right direction ;)
  • TheFitFireman
    TheFitFireman Posts: 185 Member
    Scale is the most accurate; packaging will say that one serving may be 1 cup but filling a cup full of blueberries does not mean it will weigh 8oz. So if you want to be precise than use a scale, if you want to half a** it than just use measuring cups and have inaccurate calorie measurements.
  • sara11679
    sara11679 Posts: 7
    ooh thats helped i know now what 1 cup is on the scales. cheers guys
  • curvymomo3
    curvymomo3 Posts: 253 Member
    measuring cups and spoons! heck sometimes I even eat out of my pyrex measuring cup!
  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
    ooh thats helped i know now what 1 cup is on the scales. cheers guys

    No no no! 8 oz in WEIGHT does not equal a cup in VOLUME. A cup of blueberries is actually about 5.2 oz, and every food is different.
  • maggie2731
    maggie2731 Posts: 51
    ooh thats helped i know now what 1 cup is on the scales. cheers guys

    No no no! 8 oz in WEIGHT does not equal a cup in VOLUME. A cup of blueberries is actually about 5.2 oz, and every food is different.

    you are right. i usually look on the back af the package and see what is a portion. then i measure
  • xxmzangel
    xxmzangel Posts: 119 Member
    Personally, I ALWAYS weigh. It's the most accurate way to measure the amount you have, because one person may fill a cup with something, but it won't necessarily be the same as someone else who does. That's how I see it anyway.
  • Kel92676
    Kel92676 Posts: 20 Member
    No no no! 8 oz in WEIGHT does not equal a cup in VOLUME. A cup of blueberries is actually about 5.2 oz, and every food is different.
    [/quote]

    ^^this^^

    I think you have to measure each food differently, and according to the serving size listed on the package.
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
    A cup is 8 fluid ounces, not a weight of 8 ounces.....which would be a half pound. A cup of dry food is a measure of volume, not weight.

    To put this in perspective, a serving of puffed rice cereal is 1 cup. To get 8 ounces, you'd have to eat 2/3 of the box.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    I use different measures for different foods and different occasions.

    Most often I use cups (for things like cooked rice or dry rolled oats) or numbers/pieces of fruit (half a medium apple for example).
    Recently I bought a new digital scale so I have been having fun weighing things to see how they compare to the other measures. I'm pretty spot on with things like rice, pasta I have been overestimating and fruit has been mostly fairly close though some of it I've been underestimating.

    As others have already pointed out, cups are measuring volume not weight, so it doesn't translate so simply.

    When you are searching in the database look for entries with no * in front. These entries have been put in my MFP and they usually have a range of serving sizes - including 1 cup, 1 fruit/veg, 100g etc. This makes it easy to pick the measurement that is most helpful for you.
  • Mommahatch
    Mommahatch Posts: 8
    I guess unless it is a prepackaged thing. This is not an exact science to me: Just a good tool to be more aware of what I eat.
  • carld256
    carld256 Posts: 855 Member
    I use a digital food scale and measure my food in grams whenever possible. My biggest problem is sorting through the database to find entries in grams instead of cups, tablespoons, or ounces.
  • rooster70460
    rooster70460 Posts: 206 Member
    My biggest problem is measuring pasta. If you cook a pot of pasta who much does 2oz weigh cooked???
  • carld256
    carld256 Posts: 855 Member
    My biggest problem is measuring pasta. If you cook a pot of pasta who much does 2oz weigh cooked???

    2oz. of dry pasta generally equals one cup cooked.
  • Creativeballance
    Creativeballance Posts: 57
    I try measuring by weight. As you pointed out with blue-berries, a bunch of very small blueberries is a lot more blueberry than the same container of large blueberries.
  • NAcetoLang
    NAcetoLang Posts: 517 Member
    To put this in perspective, a serving of puffed rice cereal is 1 cup. To get 8 ounces, you'd have to eat 2/3 of the box.

    I like the way you clarified this.... 2/3 a box of puffed rice is A LOT of puffed rice
  • rooster70460
    rooster70460 Posts: 206 Member
    My biggest problem is measuring pasta. If you cook a pot of pasta who much does 2oz weigh cooked???

    2oz. of dry pasta generally equals one cup cooked.

    Thank you fir clearing that up for me. I always weighed it dry and cooked in separate pot like a dumb *kitten*...lol
  • along21291
    along21291 Posts: 45 Member
    I always weigh my food now with a digital scale for a few reasons. It is much more accurate than using cups (I was way overestimating my calories even with level measurements) and now I don't have to clean all those dang measuring cups/spoons! I just zero out the scale and keep adding stuff (like yogurt, fruit, and granola).
  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
    My biggest problem is measuring pasta. If you cook a pot of pasta who much does 2oz weigh cooked???

    Depending (slightly) on how al dente you cook it, the 2 oz / 56 g dry serving size will weigh about 130 g cooked.
  • FitBunnyEm
    FitBunnyEm Posts: 320
    scales definately!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • wewon
    wewon Posts: 838 Member
    ooh thats helped i know now what 1 cup is on the scales. cheers guys

    No no no! 8 oz in WEIGHT does not equal a cup in VOLUME. A cup of blueberries is actually about 5.2 oz, and every food is different.

    Agree.

    This is why I bought a small food scale for $30.

    I weight most things a few times and I have some tupperware containers that are all the same size so I can start getting good eyeball estimates (fruits and veggies only) I'm more precise on protein.
  • Living4Liz2012
    Living4Liz2012 Posts: 312
    Measuring cups, and spoons for things like salad dressing etc
    When it comes to meats I like to buy it already portion or I measure my using my fits(which is about 4 oz)
  • carld256
    carld256 Posts: 855 Member
    My biggest problem is measuring pasta. If you cook a pot of pasta who much does 2oz weigh cooked???

    Depending (slightly) on how al dente you cook it, the 2 oz / 56 g dry serving size will weigh about 130 g cooked.

    Thanks for posting. Going by weight, especially grams, is far more accurate.
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    I use both but mostly the scale.
  • quietlilsis
    quietlilsis Posts: 43 Member
    Thanks all, the information here is helpful.

    My question wasn't related to baking, mostly to portions when eating because a cup of blueberries is incomparable by volume to say a cup of popped corn... it's all just so confusing sometimes.

    I do have a food scale (not digital) and I do use it, but if I'm no clear on how particular foods are measured then measuring isn't really helping me too much.

    Anywho, think I've got a lit'l better understanding now.
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
    i use a scale
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
    I just look at it, guess, then eat it.
    Life is tough.....:drinker:
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    I weigh everything. I don't want to cheat myself out of an extra blueberry or have too many because I most certainly do not know proper portion sizes.
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