How to Measure Olive Oil Spray

Co-authored by Hannah Madden

Last Updated: December 23, 2022 References

If you are trying to bulk up or are watching your weight, you’re probably very meticulous about how many calories you eat in a day. Measuring olive oil spray and figuring out how many calories you're getting can be a little tricky since you can’t pour it into a measuring cup. Fortunately, by checking the nutrition label on your can of olive oil spray, you can figure out how many calories you are adding to your meal.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Weighing Olive Oil Spray

1
Remove the lid and put the spray can on a scale for a base weight. Set up a small kitchen scale and make sure it is set to 0. Take the lid off your can of olive oil spray and wait for your scale to measure it. Most serving sizes are in grams (g), so set your scale to that if you can.^{[1]
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2
Take the can off the scale and spray the oil once for about 1 second. Hold the can of oil upright and away from your face. Press the nozzle down just slightly and let it spray out for about 1 second. Try to spray as accurately as possible so that you can gauge an accurate measurement.^{[2]
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- If you are worried about accurately timing yourself, you can set a timer on your phone or your computer for 1 second.
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3
Weigh the can on the scale again, keeping the lid off. Set your kitchen scale to 0 and then place your olive oil spray back onto it. Wait for it to give you a measurement to see how much oil you sprayed out of the can.^{[3]
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Tip: If 1 spray wasn’t enough to register on your scale, you can spray the can 2 or 3 times. Just remember how many times you sprayed it so you can do your conversions later on.
4
Subtract the second weight from the first one to get your measurement. Whatever your total is will tell you how much olive oil is in a single spray. Then, you can calculate how many calories are in 1 spray of oil.^{[4]
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- For example, if your olive oil spray weighed 100 g the first time and it now weighs 85 g, subtract 85 from 100 to get 15 g.
- If you sprayed your olive oil 2 times, divide your sum by 2 to get a measurement for 1 spray.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Counting Calories

1
Check the nutrition label on the can for a serving size and calorie count. On the back of the can of olive oil, check for the label that says “Nutrition Facts.” Look for the serving size at the very top of the label to see how many calories are in 1 serving size.^{[5]
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- If you’d like to calculate the total fat you are eating through olive oil spray, check out the nutrition label for the number as well. Most olive oil sprays have 0.25 grams of fat per 1/4 of a second spray, even if they say they’re fat-free.
Did You Know? Most olive oil sprays have 2.4 calories in a single spray, even if they claim to have 0 calories.
2
Multiply the calories by the number of sprays you use. Typical serving sizes for olive oil spray only last 1/4 of a second. However, spraying olive oil for 1/4 of a second is super hard, and you’ll probably spray it for at least 1 second. Take note of how many times you spray your olive oil, then use that number to calculate how many calories you are eating.^{[6]
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- For example, if you sprayed your olive oil for 3 seconds and it has 2.4 calories in each 1/4 of a second spray, add up the amount of 1/4 sprays are in each second (4). Then, multiply 3 seconds x 4 to get 12. Finally, multiply 12 x 2.4 to get 28.8 calories in a 3 second spray.
- Some fitness tracker apps and websites will do this calculation for you, but it’s always good to double check yourself.
- If you are calculating total fat, take your total number of 1/4 second sprays (in this case 12) and multiply it by 0.25 to get 3 grams of fat for a 3 second spray of olive oil.
3
Try to spray oil for less than 5 seconds at a time to cut back on calories. Since the amount of calories can quickly add up, you should try to be cautious when you use olive oil spray. Hold your can about 6 inches (15 cm) away from the surface you’re spraying, and count the seconds in your head as you spray.^{[7]
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- If you spray your olive oil for about 5 seconds at a time, you are consuming more calories than 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of canola oil (41 calories). Multiply 5 seconds x 4 (for the amount of 1/4 sprays in 5 seconds). Then, multiply 20 x 2.4 to get 48 calories.
4
Avoid spraying a lot of oil by spreading it with a paper towel. Instead of holding your spray nozzle down for 4 to 5 seconds, try spraying the oil once in the center of your pan or baking sheet. Then, use a paper towel to spread the oil out and coat the edges and the sides.^{[8]
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- This will cut back on calories without having to give up olive oil spray.