So I made chickpea salad and used this entire can of chickpeas. I drained the chickpeas and they weighed 260 grams, which would make the calories for the entire can 240 calories since the label says that 130 grams is 120 calories. But the label also says that there are 3 servings at 120 calories each, which would total to 360 calories for the entire can.
Honestly, both of these numbers seem low for an entire can of chickpeas but I’m new to counting calories so I genuinely don’t know. Please help!
by ollie_oodles
4 Comments
I believe that the FDA allows calorie count to be off by 20% but still the numbers you’re getting are way off. I would check your scale and make sure it’s reading accurately. Proteins and carbs are 4 calories per gram, fats are 9 calories per gram. A quick google search says chickpeas are 364 calories per 100 gram so maybe that nutrition label is factoring in the liquid included in the can? Hope this helps but I’m honestly stumped too
Most similar sized cans have this same nutrition label only for 1/2 cup (130g). I’m guessing that this can is measuring it undrained.
Usually nutrition labels would specify “drained” if it were to reflect the drained weight. Otherwise, it should be measured as packaged.
For simple foods like this, USDA is a pretty good resource:
[Chickpeas, canned, drained](https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173800/nutrients)
[Chickpeas, canned, solids and liquids](https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/175206/nutrients)
Your label is much more consistent with “solids and liquids”, so you can be pretty confident that your label means undrained.
So, either weigh portions before draining (proportions of water will cause variance unless you’re using the whole can unfortunately), or go with the USDA drained values, which will be close enough.
Nutrition coach here. The nutrition labels def leave room for variation and are not exact measurements. Overall, as you can see, chickpeas are an excellent high quality source of protein with low calories, low fat, and high fiber. These are staples for many folks choosing the gold standard whole food plant based diet, or Mediterranean diet – both will do wonders for your health. The best way to keep your eye on the prize is to maintain a rough idea of your caloric intake, but more so to focus on products that have low saturated fat, zero trans fat, no added sugars and a good amount of protein which will make you feel fuller on top of all the other benefits. Take care of this and your body will function better on a metabolic level, helping you the most to get to what I assume is a weight loss goal. Remember to stay hydrated and move your body too. Good luck