recipes, carbs, and spices

zanyterp

when you are creating foods for tracking, do you include the spices used (e.g. garlic, paprika, thyme, rosemary) or do you leave them out since the calorie and carb impact is, generally, minimal-to-non-existent? I have been leaving them in and finding some items have carbs that I would not have expected (or at least not that much) and wanted to get opinions from others

thanks!

aar2972

errrrmmmm hemphrehemhphhh. my bad, indigestion. I think ya'll dun answered yo own question. Dem calories and carbs be negligible. But depends on how anal you wanna be wit all dat. My opinion is that tracking every last calorie and carb is exhausting and ultimately pointless. Nutrition labels are never exact, and some have incredible variation according to studies/surveys. Being cognizant of what you are eating on a daily basis through consistent tracking on MFP and staying within a reasonable range of calories/carbs without wild inconsistencies will generally guarantee results.

teresamwhite

I don't typically enter herbs or spices. The amount is usually very low, and is spread through the whole dish, which is usually 4-6 servings in my house. The only thing I track is salt because I need to make sure I am getting enough of it.

zanyterp

thank you, both, for your thoughts. that will make recipes easier (at least when they are mostly meat-based with spice added for flavor)

KristinLeeD

I count certain seasonings depending on what they are how much time I have available. I have found that there are some things we eat on a regular basis, so it doesn't take much time at all to log if it is already in my tracker. And it does all add up. For example, the taco seasoning I use has a few carbs and depending on the day, the seasoning alone could put me over my desired count.
As with anything, it depends on how strict you are trying to be and how quickly you are trying to see results. I personally don't want to work hard and have my results affected because I am eating 'hidden' carbs in seasonings. Not worth it.

zanyterp

Thank you

kpk54

I don't worry about random carbs in small amounts of spices and herbs in a recipe that is spread over several servings (except perhaps when I ate medically therapeutic keto as a trial).

I'd be more inclined to skip the several carbs in chocolate or wine or keto cheesecake so I wouldn't have to worry about fractional carbs in oregano, paprika, etc.