Measurements--cups vs. ounces

[garygr]

Is a pound (16 ounces) of fresh veggies at the market equal two cups of veggies?
I just need a simple answer to this question.
I know that frozen weight is different---I just want to confirm fresh veggies.
Thank you

[Chris55]

No, it completely depends on the density of the vegetable. Just think about the difference in weight between a cup of bean sprouts and a cup of cucumbers.

[Kimboroni]

Our American cups are each equal to 8 oz volume, not weight. 1 cup = 240 mL

[garygr]

I can see that this is not going to be easy for some old farts over 60 that forgot most of their math skills.
The deli counter at Wegman Supermarkets sells veggies by the pound. How many cups are in the pound of Green Beans?
Any way to make this simple for those of us operating with half a brain?

[Magna]

A cup of raw green beans is roughly 1/4 pound.

I figured this out using www.calorie-count.com and entered "green beans" as the food. It showed me that 1 cup of raw green beans is about 110g (approximately 30g = 1 ounce).

[Chris55]

If you're buying cooked veggies from the deli that are put in those clear round containers, I would find out how many cups the containers hold and go from there. I imagine they have 1 cup and 2 cup containers - I would think that they would have a volume stamped on the bottom - they usually have some by the salad bar. You could also just buy a container full of the veggies and measure them when you get home. Once you know how much it holds, you're set for the next time.

[garygr]

If you're buying cooked veggies from the deli that are put in those clear round containers, I would find out how many cups the containers hold and go from there. I imagine they have 1 cup and 2 cup containers - I would think that they would have a volume stamped on the bottom - they usually have some by the salad bar. You could also just buy a container full of the veggies and measure them when you get home. Once you know how much it holds, you're set for the next time.

I buy a pound of brussel sprouts, green beans, broccoli, from the deli that are already cooked and ready for the microwave.
I still have no clue how to measure one cup of veggies.

I purchased a 12 ounch container of brown rice at Wegman yesterday and measured them when I got home. The 12 ounces gave me 3 half cups. A half cup is 4 ounces X 3=12 ounces. The brown rice measurement worked fine.

My problem is converting pounds to cups with the green veggies listed above.

[Chris55]

I don't understand the problem. You pick out a small container at the deli and have them fill it with your veggies. You don't have to tell them a weight of veggies, just have them fill the container. Take it home, dump the veggies out and figure out how many cups the container holds. Once you know that, say, the smallest container they have in the deli holds 1 cup, next time you order veggies in that size, you know you're getting one cup. You're really complicating something pretty simple. It's not an exact science - if you have some leftover veggies, just eat them!

[ami]

I agree with Chris. You're complicating the situation. Those veggies are unlimited, so you don't have to be exact in your measurements either by weigh or volume. You should measure closer the starchy carbs like rice, cereal, etc.

[Kimboroni]

With some practice you should get so you can eyeball what 2 cups looks like. It doesn't have to be exact.

You might also find some guidance in the "For our European friends" post-- it's in the FAQ as well as being a sticky in the main South Beach Diet forum.

[garygr]

I don't understand the problem. You pick out a small container at the deli and have them fill it with your veggies. You don't have to tell them a weight of veggies, just have them fill the container. Take it home, dump the veggies out and figure out how many cups the container holds. Once you know that, say, the smallest container they have in the deli holds 1 cup, next time you order veggies in that size, you know you're getting one cup. You're really complicating something pretty simple. It's not an exact science - if you have some leftover veggies, just eat them!

I've been away for a few days and just read your reply. I guess I'm just not explaining my question since your replies are not helpful.
Chris, you go to the deli and have them fill a small container with green beans, take them home and figure how many cups they hold.
THAT'S THE PROBLEM!!!!!!!!! Green beans are a couple inches long ---Are you saying that you fill up the measuring cup with the green beans?
I took a one cup measuring cup and filled it with fresh brussel sprouts and got 4-------If I chopped them up I probably would have gotten a lot more. The same holds true with the green beans--If I cup them up in tiny pieces and placed them in the 1 cup measuring cup, I would get a lot more. There must be some easier way to convert ounces to cup measurements when purchasing fresh vegetables, because you order by weight when you go to the deli counter, not by cups.

[Chris55]

OK, this is not a science experiment. You do not need to measure your veggies. Just eat them. If you think a few more brussels sprouts would be good, throw caution to the wind and go for it. They're unlimited. Use the measuring cup for things you can measure, like rice.

[RedRox]

There really isn't any easy way to convert volume to weight measures or vice versa. Back when I worked in a deli, we used to say "a pint's a pound the world around!" but that really isn't the case because of the relative density issues mentioned previously. A pound of green beans and a pound of lettuce are going to take up significantly different volumes. If you are actually trying to measure a vegetable like the green beans or brussel sprouts, ideally it would be an amount without air spaces. So if you got 4 brussel sprouts in a cup and it looks like maybe 3/4 of it is air space, then have 3 cups that measure that way or if 1/2 of it is air, then get 2 cups. As everyone has said, it just doesn't matter that much. Veggies are the only food that have minimums and there are virtually no negatives for eating more than the minimums so just estimate generously. I often use a 1.5 or 2 quart storage bowl for my lunch salads.

If you prefer a visual method, figure half your plate should be vegetables, 1/4 or slightly more protein and 1/4 or less should be starches. Or figure a cup as about the size of a baseball, so put two baseball sized portions on your plate. http://www.ehow.com/how_6650751_measure ... scale.html

[garygr]

OK, this is not a science experiment. You do not need to measure your veggies. Just eat them. If you think a few more brussels sprouts would be good, throw caution to the wind and go for it. They're unlimited. Use the measuring cup for things you can measure, like rice.

OK--I think I beat this issue around enough and will just let it go for now--------LOL
Let's move on to more interesting topics cause I don't want to be banned from this site--LOL

[Chris55]

Oh, it was entertaining!