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Should I weigh foods raw or cooked?
Should I weigh foods raw or cooked?
Carbon Diet Coach avatar
Written by Carbon Diet Coach
Updated over 2 years ago

Whether you should weigh food raw or cooked depends entirely on the items you are selecting in the food database.

Some food in the tracker will explicitly state that the nutrition information is based on a cooked weight. If the food is not said to be cooked, you can assume the nutrition information is based on its raw weight and you should weigh it that way.

Typically, the nutrition information on packages is based on how food is packaged. Please keep in mind that if you choose to weigh foods cooked, the chance of error is greater because different cooking methods can change the final weight.

  • Generally, meat, poultry, and fish weigh 25% less after cooking.

  • Foods like rice, pasta, potatoes, and quinoa will absorb water and largely increase volume.

To be as accurate as possible, you should weigh foods raw, especially carbohydrates that absorb water in the cooking process. If you prefer to cook foods in large quantities to plan for the week, we would recommend

  1. Searching for food entries that specify the nutrition information is for cooked weight

  2. Assume the volume of many proteins will decrease by about 25% after being cooked.

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