(not available)  Equipment for the ketogenic cook

(not available) Scales

(not available)   Measuring food

Changes during cooking

Parents are often concerned whether food should be weighed before or after cooking. The answer is simple - it just depends whether the food values you use are for the uncooked or for the cooked version.

Cooking has two effects:

• The weight may change, usually due to the gain or loss of water

• The chemical composition of the food will change - after all, this is the "purpose" of cooking.

Foods which are boiled or simmered will usually gain weight; obvious examples are rice and pasta, which can increase their weight by three or four times. By contrast, vegetables will not change much in weight. These variations are caused by water being absorbed and are not important to the diet.

Foods which are toasted will lose weight as they dry out, toast may be up to 20% lighter than the bread from which it is made. These variations are not important to the diet.

Meat will lose weight when it is cooked; part of this weight loss will be water, and part may be fat - so it is important to ensure that the "juices" are eaten along with the meat. Typically meat will lose up to 30% of its weight, and bacon can be up to 40%.

Fish will lose up to 20% of its weight when cooked - I think this is mostly water, so is not important to the diet.

Food may also lose weight when it is frozen. Again, this is due to loss of water (as in freeze drying) and is not important. Water loss may indicate that the food has not been sealed very well.

Overall, the effects of cooking on the fat : protein : carbohydrate ratio are not significant. Its effects are to change the state of food, ie by creating or destroying emulsions, and to increase the edible proportion of some foods. It also degrades sensitive proteins, like vitamins, although the degraded products remain as protein.

return to   The practical management of the ketogenic diet
continue to   Weaning from drugs (not available)
return to   Calculating the ketogenic diet

(checked: )
(update 1.2: 18 July 2002)
(issue 1: 18 September 1997)