DANGER the hidden calories lurking in your home

Merkavar

would that title be considered click bait?

Anyway

Do you log medicines? Count their calories?

Should you?

Last night when I was coughing so much I was on the verge of throwing up I was looking for cough syrup or something and thought I should log this in mfp. I didn't find any medicine and sucked on some lollies instead.

But I don't recall ever seeing nutritional data on medicine. Probably because it isn't food.

Multivitamins, makes sense to log those for all the micro nutrients they are meant to contain.

So a quick google I found paracetamol has like 3 calories for the maximum dose. Meh forget logging that.

Cough syrup apparently has up to 15 cal per teaspoon, that would add up fast if your sick for a few days.

Any other medications, antibiotics, etc that you have found with surprising calorie counts?

elphie754

Medications themselves do not have calories. It would be the additives that have calories, such as the sugar for the flavoring in cough syrup.

Honestly? No, I wouldn't even consider logging medication.

Qskim

Lol you bored again?

How many calories does the body use to cough or make phlegm?

Merkavar

mrsbaldee wrote: »

Lol you bored again?

How many calories does the body use to cough or make phlegm?

Good point. Could log it as exercise.

irenehb

I found this in the database "Ascend Laboratories - Rx - Hydrocortisone Acetate Suppositories"...ummm.
Though 0 calories, apparently.

I would log cough medication, as it can add up due to the sugar content.

Alatariel75

I actually tried to find out how many calories were in Rennies when I ran out of my once daily heartburn tablet and couldn't get a repeat for a week. I was eating those suckers by the boxful and the packet notes that they contain sugar but don't give nutritional info. I believe I started a thread on here about it, and if you found that thread I think you'd see that I did not get a single response, lol.

tincanonastring

I log my daily pills. Most have no calories and/or micros (except for my calcium supplement), but it helps me make sure I stay on top of my maintenance meds.

Machka9

No, I do not log medicines or vitamins.

That said, I had a look at the ingredients list on one of my vitamin bottles last night, and it assured me that no sugar was used in the making of that particular vitamin. Good enough ... I took it and didn't log it.

And when it come to being sick ... usually I'm eating a whole lot less than anyway.

Merkavar

elphie754 wrote: »

Medications themselves do not have calories. It would be the additives that have calories, such as the sugar for the flavoring in cough syrup.

Honestly? No, I wouldn't even consider logging medication.

Isn't that like saying coke doesn't contain calories, it's the sugar that's added that contains the calories?

Not like you can easily seperate the sugar from the medication in cough syrup.

elphie754

Merkavar wrote: »

elphie754 wrote: »

Medications themselves do not have calories. It would be the additives that have calories, such as the sugar for the flavoring in cough syrup.

Honestly? No, I wouldn't even consider logging medication.

Isn't that like saying coke doesn't contain calories, it's the sugar that's added that contains the calories?

Not like you can easily seperate the sugar from the medication in cough syrup.

Not at all. Coke is a specific product made up of specific ingredients. Medication additives can differ based on the manufacturer. They also have sugar free cough medications.

seska422

My doctor recommended Citrucel soon after I started MFP. I didn't see any nutritional info on the Regular Orange container except for fiber per dose but Citrucel has an online FAQ:

How many carbs and calories are in a dose of Citrucel with SmartFiber?
Citrucel with SmartFiber Regular Orange - 17g carbs and 60 calories
Citrucel with SmartFiber Sugar Free Orange - 8g carbs and 24 calories
Citrucel with SmartFiber Caplets (2 caplet dose) - 0 carbs, 5 calories

Not only that, the dosage is "heaping tablespoon" which isn't exactly precise.

If I managed to nail a "heaping tablespoon" and took Regular Orange 3 times a day, that would be 51 carbs and 180 calories that I wouldn't be counting.

Needless to say, I have a nearly full container of Regular Orange sitting around and I bought the Caplets.

ETA: now that I scour the label, I can see 80mg Calcium, 110mg Potassium, and 60 calories, which would have let me figure out 15 carbs per serving. This info certainly didn't jump out when I read the label before. It's in the Other Information section.

PaulaWallaDingDong

Tums smoothies: 2 tablets, 10 calories. I don't need them much now that I'm on Prolisec.

85Cardinals

The calories are under your bed, waiting for you to go to sleep and jump out at you.

Alatariel75

85Cardinals wrote: »

The calories are under your bed, waiting for you to go to sleep and jump out at you.

Nah, they just sneakily crawl into your mouth

brower47

Side note: The listed active ingredients in cough medicines have never been proven to prevent or stop coughing. It's one of those FDA grandfathered OTCs because it was already on the market before many of the FDA's more stringent protocols for proving effectiveness were put into place. It may be nothing but expensive snake oil, or at most, a placebo.

http://www.m.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/cough-medicine-should-you-shouldnt-you

So they are probably just empty calories anyway.

Alatariel75

brower47 wrote: »

Side note: The listed active ingredients in cough medicines have never been proven to prevent or stop coughing. It's one of those FDA grandfathered OTCs because it was already on the market before many of the FDA's more stringent protocols for proving effectiveness were put into place. It may be nothing but expensive snake oil, or at most, a placebo.

http://www.m.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/cough-medicine-should-you-shouldnt-you

So they are probably just empty calories anyway.

Yup, you're better to go for the old fashioned recipes. My mum has my great-great-grandmothers recipe from the 1880s written down, it's 1/2c honey, 1/2 cloves and half a bottle of Jack Daniels. Combine, let it sit for at least a week and make sure to strain it before drinking. Take half shots til you stop coughing or pass out.

barbecuesauce

tincanonastring wrote: »

I log my daily pills. Most have no calories and/or micros (except for my calcium supplement), but it helps me make sure I stay on top of my maintenance meds.

I did that when I had medication. I logged tap water at breakfast (there is an entry).

But if you're sick, your BMR is higher anyway.

And I can see how someone might pause before logging NyQuil, which wouldn't be a great idea for their partner. (Maybe those cough medicine ingredients don't work, but the sleep aid in it damn sure does)

I personally consider it within the margin of error--I try to incorporate extra movement in my day and I don't log those steps, so it cancels out.

Also, IDK how it is in NZ, but in the US most syrups have sugar free versions. Maybe look for those next time you're sick.

barbecuesauce

Alatariel75 wrote: »

brower47 wrote: »

Side note: The listed active ingredients in cough medicines have never been proven to prevent or stop coughing. It's one of those FDA grandfathered OTCs because it was already on the market before many of the FDA's more stringent protocols for proving effectiveness were put into place. It may be nothing but expensive snake oil, or at most, a placebo.

http://www.m.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/cough-medicine-should-you-shouldnt-you

So they are probably just empty calories anyway.

Yup, you're better to go for the old fashioned recipes. My mum has my great-great-grandmothers recipe from the 1880s written down, it's 1/2c honey, 1/2 cloves and half a bottle of Jack Daniels. Combine, let it sit for at least a week and make sure to strain it before drinking. Take half shots til you stop coughing or pass out.

I want to party with your grandma. We just got the Vaporub and chicken noodle.