# Kinda dumb question about nutritional fact labels: Before or after cooking? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinda-dumb-question-about-nutritional-fact-labels-before-or-after-cooking/250716 "2004-06-16T19:15:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinda-dumb-question-about-nutritional-fact-labels-before-or-after-cooking/250716/1 "2004-06-16T19:15:44Z")
That is, do the labels reflect the nutritional values before I cook the food or after. Of course, this would only apply to foods that need to be cooked. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinda-dumb-question-about-nutritional-fact-labels-before-or-after-cooking/250716/2 "2004-06-16T19:49:28Z")
I don’t think cooking changes a foods nutritional value at all. Unless your losing some of the food by cooking it. Like cooking a fatty hamburger on a George Forman and letting the grease drain off. Or cooking carrots in boiling water then dumping out the water. But if your just heating something, I couldn’t see the nutritional values changing. ---
**Author:** ![KP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a9adbd/32.png) [@KP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KP)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinda-dumb-question-about-nutritional-fact-labels-before-or-after-cooking/250716/3 "2004-06-16T20:08:20Z")
Cooking can modify nutritional content, but cooking according to package directions usually doesn’t change things much (usually vitamins) For most foods, which could be prepared in various ways [e.g. salmon patties, pasta, etc.], the nutritional info is “as provided” – i.e. uncooked, which not coincidentally, is usually the “best-looking” value: no added fat or salt, maximum vitamins, etc. For prepared foods, which are only heated (e.g. TV dinners) the values are very similar, but _if they are derived from testing_ (not all are) the testing is generally done on cooked food. You’ll see the most difference is in “simple ingredients” -meat, veggies, nutritive grain flours, etc. but FDA nutritional labeling regs don’t apply to most of most of these. If it’s present, expect it to be the “best case” scenario. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Cooper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@Agent\_Cooper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Cooper)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinda-dumb-question-about-nutritional-fact-labels-before-or-after-cooking/250716/4 "2004-06-16T20:51:57Z")
I work for a food manufacturer (to remain anonymous), and have had some experience in nutritional labels. To the best of my knowledge, it is mostly up to the manufacturer. For instance, we make some baking mixes… On our label we had the choice to put nutritional facts for just the dry mix alone, for the final product (BYO eggs, milk, butter), or both. We choose both because it fits on the label, and we had no reason _not_ to include both. It is also at the manufacturer’s discretion to decide what types of ingredients to use for the nutrition calculations. Our packaging tends to be based on adding lowfat milk, margarine instead of butter, and real whole eggs instead of various substitutes. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinda-dumb-question-about-nutritional-fact-labels-before-or-after-cooking/250716/5 "2004-06-16T20:56:24Z")
If your cooking rather than just re-heating stuff, a whole bunch of funky stuff happens although I wager it has more to do with the vitamins and minerals side than the carb and fat side. Some inedible things become edible, some edible things break down and become inedible and some nutrients escape protective casings so that they become digestible. It may be an old wives tale but apparently uncooked potato is completely indigestible, much Vitamin C is lost when vegtables are cooked. uh, I don’t know if denaturing the proteins when you cook eggs changes any of the nutrtional value. ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinda-dumb-question-about-nutritional-fact-labels-before-or-after-cooking/250716/6 "2004-06-17T00:35:44Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > I don’t think cooking changes a foods nutritional value at all. Hold on to your hat when you [read this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=241083&highlight=microwave+nutrients), it got ugly. Thanks for the info. After going through some of this food, I realized that I’m taking in only about 2,000 calories a day at best. And I’m a growing boy.