Why does the calorie count differ between raw and cooked lentils?

Question

If you read the nutrition facts on lentils you get about 26 grams protein and 350 kcal for 100 grams of raw lentils and about 9g protein and 120kcal for 100 grams of boiled lentils.

By my understanding there is no loss in any of the values, only that the lentils get diluted in water.

The problem is that I also eat about 350 grams of oats a day and adding the calories up it would go to 2700 kcal alone just by these two and I eat other things as well. I calculate my data according to Cronometer. There is something wrong, if I ate all these calories I'd be super fat.

Any help or suggestion would be greatly appreciated!

How many grams of lentils and oats are you estimating you eat per day? — skippy619, Jan 16 '20 at 22:12
Welcome, Kermilli :) Unfortunately I need to close this because it is not an issue unique to a vegetarian lifestyle. — Erica, Jan 17 '20 at 03:08
why don't you cook 100 g of raw lentils and find out what is the actual raw/cooked ratio — jsotola, Oct 02 '20 at 00:07

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 16 '20 at 21:29

Grams are a unit of mass (or weight). Packaged lentils will show different calorie counts for dry vs. cooked because the mass will change when water is absorbed. So if you start with 100 grams of dry lentils, you will not end up with 100 grams of cooked lentils.

When counting calories, it's best to measure lentils raw instead of trying to weigh them after cooking.

Why does the calorie count differ between raw and cooked lentils?

1 Answers1