Calorie count in porridge...

Zulu

Hi folks, looking for help.
Each morning I eat a bowl of porridge from the work canteen. Today I weighed it as I'm interested to work out how many calories are in it. It transpires that I eat 340g of cooked porridge each day. I asked in the canteen and I was told that "it's made from milk & water, but mostly milk".

So I've had a look online, but all the calorie counters give the calories based on the weight of uncooked oats. ...which is no good to me.

How do I calculate how many calories are in my cooked 340g of porridge? (I was going to assume it was completely made with milk to simplify & err on the side of caution).

Thanks.

SunnyDub1

tbh it's really hard to tell.
It all depends on how much oats are in the bowl and how much milk is been used.
340g seems like a lot though as the average portion of porridge would 30-50g with 100-200ml milk or water.

If you are conscious about how much calories you are eating you should just weigh and bring in your own and cook in the microwave.

Zulu

Not a bad idea I suppose.
The 340g was essentially a soup ladle & a half, filling an ordinary sized bowl. Nothing too extravagant.

RobAMerc

Zulu wrote: »

Not a bad idea I suppose.
The 340g was essentially a soup ladle & a half, filling an ordinary sized bowl. Nothing too extravagant.

I presume this is cooked weight ?

Forest Demon

You sure its 340g. A standard portion is 40g and is 155 calories + the milk.

Maybe 34g?

340 = 1317.5 calories without the milk (or a third of a 1kg bag)

thegreatiam

http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/generic/oatmeal-cooked-in-milk/

value for one cup. sounds like youre getting a 2+ cup measure.

Forest Demon wrote: »

You sure its 340g. A standard portion is 40g and is 155 calories + the milk.

Maybe 34g?

340 = 1317.5 calories without the milk (or a third of a 1kg bag)

Im assuming OP is weighing the cooked serving he is given in the canteen.

Zulu

Forest Demon wrote: »

You sure its 340g. A standard portion is 40g and is 155 calories + the milk.

Yup, see the op! I've no access to weight it uncooked, I'm talking about it cooked. So I go into the canteen and fill my bowl from a vat of cooked porridge.
Cheers though

thegreatiam wrote: »

http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/generic/oatmeal-cooked-in-milk/

value for one cup. sounds like youre getting a 2+ cup measure.

Thanks for that.

Im assuming OP is weighing the cooked serving he is given in the canteen.

Exactly.

Eamo01

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=100g+oatmeal+%2B240g+whole+milk

| | mean value | % daily value | range total calories
| Quaker oatmeal | 384 Cal | 19% | 384 Cal
| whole milk | 139 Cal | 7% | (138 to 142) Cal
| total | 520 Cal | 26% |
fat calories | whole milk | 65 Cal | | 65 Cal

seamus

Porridge is roughly in a 1:4 ratio, though it depends on how you like it. That is, for every 1g of porridge, you have 4g of water or milk (though milk is slightly heavier than water by volume, but not much). A 50g portion of porridge requires about 200ml of water/milk.

You can't create weight so if you have 50g of porridge and 200ml of water, the absolute maximum weight of them combined is 250g. Some water is lost through evaporation, but if we ignore that (because the whole thing is about estimates) and apply the same logic to your 340g bowl of porridge, then it's probably roughly 70g porridge with 270ml of milk.

For the purposes of calorie estimation, assume that it's made with whole milk and has a tablespoon of sugar in it. Then add 5%.

This is the problem with eating food that someone else has made for you

SunnyDub1

seamus wrote: »

This is the problem with eating food that someone else has made for you

Agree!!!
I use to love the porridge that was made in the canteen back in college. Always wondered why it taste so much better to my own porridge I'd make at home, until one day I seen the cook in the kitchen adding nearly a full bag of sugar to the large pot of porridge

Personally I think you are better bringing in your own op.

thegreatiam

seamus wrote: »

For the purposes of calorie estimation, assume that it's made with whole milk and has a tablespoon of sugar in it. Then add 5%.

This is the problem with eating food that someone else has made for you

Apart from making the food you eat your self (which would be the optimal situation) you can always ask how much porridge they use in making one batch and how much milk. work out the calories for the whole tub and figure what your portion equates too. might get a few funny looks from the staff in the canteen tho. but youll know more accurately what youre eating.

Might even suggest the chefs give this info for all the food they serve, other diners might be interested to know. Would only require some basic maths on the chefs part and a bit of paper on the table

adox

Heres my portion and calories with porridge oats and milk only included:

Odlums Porridge Oats - 48 grams - 153 calories
Avonmore Supermilk low fat - 360ml - 151 calories

Thats me adding 3 times the liquid to oats. Its a half cup measurement.

Trent Houseboat

Did you just weigh the bowl full of porridge?
If so you need to weight the empty bowl and subtract that from your total.

Zulu

Trent Houseboat wrote: »

Did you just weigh the bowl full of porridge?
If so you need to weight the empty bowl and subtract that from your total.

Ahh come on, what do you take me for? I weighed an empty bowl 420g and a full bowl 760g, then using the magic of numbers....

matrim

So I did a quick test this morning, 50g of uncooked oats with 200ml of Hazlenut milk came to a cooked weight of 275g

Zulu

Now the canteen in work isn't the plushest, and I suspect there's a greater water/milk : oats ratio. Unfortunately I'll probably never know the exact ratio. Sooooo, I think I'll start making my own gruel.

Thanks for the help folks.

Trent Houseboat

Zulu wrote: »

Ahh come on, what do you take me for? I weighed an empty bowl 420g and a full bowl 760g, then using the magic of numbers....

Good god man, this is science, leave your feelings at the door. If you'd written out your method to begin with we wouldn't have to worry about such things.

Also I thought that 340g was quite a high total. I make porridge with roughly 40g oats 50ml milk and 50ml water, which should weigh around 140g not allowing for evapouration. 200g for a bowl is a reasonable assumption.

adox

``

frag420

Sorry to hijack but quick question......

If I wanted to increase my protein intake in the morning would it be a good idea to make a choc protein shake with milk and add it to porridge. This would eliminate my need for using sugar to sweeten the porridge. Would the heat of the porridge have any negative effects in the protein?

Any good reasons not to do this? I would intend to eat this in office after morning gym workout.

thegreatiam

frag420 wrote: »

Sorry to hijack but quick question......

If I wanted to increase my protein intake in the morning would it be a good idea to make a choc protein shake with milk and add it to porridge. This would eliminate my need for using sugar to sweeten the porridge. Would the heat of the porridge have any negative effects in the protein?

Any good reasons not to do this? I would intend to eat this in office after morning gym workout.

should be fine.

are you cooking the porridge with the protein powder in it or sprinkling the powder on after? It wouldn't make much difference any how plenty of recipes for cooking with protein powder

frag420

thegreatiam wrote: »

should be fine.

are you cooking the porridge with the protein powder in it or sprinkling the powder on after? It wouldn't make much difference any how plenty of recipes for cooking with protein powder

I usually make porridge with milk in microwave. Once cooked I was going to make a protein shake ( about half a pint) and mix it in with porridge to make it to the consistency I like which is similar to lumpy soup!!

thegreatiam

frag420 wrote: »

I usually make porridge with milk in microwave. Once cooked I was going to make a protein shake ( about half a pint) and mix it in with porridge to make it to the consistency I like which is similar to lumpy soup!!

lol, either way will be grand

frag420

And il assume that would be a good post workout breaky? Alongside a black coffee and a bit of fruit?

thegreatiam

frag420 wrote: »

And il assume that would be a good post workout breaky? Alongside a black coffee and a bit of fruit?

Id prefer bacon and eggs and a piece of fruit, but up to you i spose ;-)

rubadub

Zulu wrote: »

Sooooo, I think I'll start making my own gruel.

You don't have to cook it of course. Uncooked oats can be just thought of as muesli without the nuts & fruit. I eat raw oats mixed with cold milk and some maple syrup mixed in, and sometimes unflavoured whey protein powder. Some find cooked stuff more filling, and nicer on cold days, I prefer the cold version. It could be put in a thermos bowl and brought in cooked.

SunnyDub1

frag420 wrote: »

Sorry to hijack but quick question......

If I wanted to increase my protein intake in the morning would it be a good idea to make a choc protein shake with milk and add it to porridge. This would eliminate my need for using sugar to sweeten the porridge. Would the heat of the porridge have any negative effects in the protein?

Any good reasons not to do this? I would intend to eat this in office after morning gym workout.

I usually add some choc whey, wheat bran with some water - heat in the microwave until cooked and top with some Greek yogurt and berries. Delish

There's surprisingly loads of breakfast you can make with oats and whey.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

i got some mocha whey this morning


mocha porridge is... oddly tempting

thegreatiam

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

i got some mocha whey this morning


mocha porridge is... oddly tempting

sounds gross, no whey Id eat that

SunnyDub1

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

i got some mocha whey this morning


mocha porridge is... oddly tempting

I'd say it will be tasty. IMO any flavored whey goes well with oats. I've had vanilla, strawberry, choc, banana. Never a bad experience :P

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

i'll report back in the morning

possibly the afternoon, i seem to be switching breakfast and lunch around these days

Stench Blossoms

thegreatiam wrote: »

sounds gross, no whey Id eat that

hehehehehehe

I've put chocolate protein powder in my porridge and don't find it that bad.