Working out calories in food !!! Advice pleeeease.

mpn

I know how many calories a day etc i need to loose weight but never strictly counted. Im going to start counting them better, however i need some advice on working the amount in certain foods. The calorie count is on the back of foods, but i have a question. Im looking at the back of a packet and it says this ......

typical values per 100g ..... 82kcal ( calories)

typical values per satchet .... 1015kcal

The satchet is 67g so im wondering how it can be more calories, all you do is add water ??? I have noticed this on other foods, cous cous being one of them. Does anyone know how this is worked out.

Dancook

Could it be a mistake?

I have just had a look at the Ainsley Harriott Cous Cous I have here

Per 100g, 138kcal

Per Serving 180kcal

2 Servings per satchet.


I did calculate calories for rice once based on it's dried weight, then I had a shock after when I realised I'd eaten 600 calories of rice... I thought it was pretty filling for a measley 300 calories.

mpn

I have a 100g satchet of cous cous ......

per 100g 126kcal

per serving 130g 165 kcal

And it says the satchet serves 2

How can it serve 2, its only 100g and 2 servings is 260g

Dancook

What makes you think the satchet is 100g?

If you weighed the satchet, then perhaps the weight is the prepared weight once water has been added.

mpn

It says on the front that the weight is 100g, the original item i was wondering about was an asda sween n sour mug shot.

Even if its the prepare weight, its only water which is being added, could that really take the calorie content up so much.

Dancook

Ok i weighed the cous cous packet, it is 100g.

So the nutritional value must be based on prepared weight, water obviously adds to the weight.


If you're stuck for meals, I've found having a tin of tuna with lettuce, cherry tomatoes and cucumber at lunch takes seconds to prepare, is filling and costs only 200 calories

huwg

Yes, I agree that the per serving weight would be after it has been re-hydrated.

mpn

The cous cous says typical values prepared as per instructions, so i would asume that would mean those contents/weights after water has been added.

My main query is how a 67g perpared as instructions can contain more calories than 100g prepared as instructions. And which one do i use to count calories, the actual satchet size ?