logging spices etc

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gotcardi
gotcardi Posts: 19 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am wondering how you all handle the logging of non stick spray and spices you might use to season your food. For instance, tonight I made a chicken breast and used a seasoning mix on it, and used salt and granulated garlic on my zucchini. Would you guys add the seasonings and non stick spray? I do add olive oil if I use it in cooking, but haven't added the spray.... Thought I'd check :)

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  • dancerbyday
    dancerbyday Posts: 61
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    I'd say don't worry about the spices unless they contain salt and you are watching your sodium intake. The spray... that's a tricky one because it is such a minimal amount. I personally don't use cooking sprays, so I'm not even sure what it's like calorie-wise. You might want to include that if you are using a good amount of it, but if it's only a little bit or only a few calories I don't think it's necessary.
  • nklp
    nklp Posts: 62 Member
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    I log everything, personally, just so I know what I'm actually eating!
  • Debbjones
    Debbjones Posts: 278 Member
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    If you are logging for calories, then most cooking sprays contain 0 calories so I would not be concerned if it was left off. If you are logging for nutrients, then log it all! The scanning feature in the MFP mobile app makes logging anything with a bar code a piece of cake... the choice is yours.

    Remember, all food items logged are not down to an exact science anyhow. Even the FDA allows a variance in the nutritional information listed on food labeling...
  • rachelamber_x
    rachelamber_x Posts: 104 Member
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    I don't usually log spices, more because I just chuck them in and don't measure them.
    Maybe I should log them, I never really thought about it.
  • EHisCDN
    EHisCDN Posts: 480 Member
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    Depends. I'm not anal about it or anything but if I put in a tbsp of paprika or something it has over 20 calories. If I'm making chili or something I'll add it because those calories really add up (and I just put it in the recipe creator - super simple). If it's like half a tsp of thyme leaves on my chicken or something I consider the calories negligible.
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
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    I log my spices in recipes, partly for the calorie count, but mostly because a lot of the time I add spices that I think will taste good, so if a recipe comes out tasting very good, I'll know what I threw in it.

    I don't log things like oregano I sprinkle on a slice of pizza, pepper on a salad, etc.

    I do not log cooking spray generally, but if I use more than a quick spray, I will log some oil of the same type (generally 1/2 to 1 tsp just to be safe) since the spray is basically oil and does contain calories if you use more than one serving.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    I don't log them. I've tried before and it's just a PITA.
  • elisabeisme
    elisabeisme Posts: 308 Member
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    I log spices about half the time. If I'm just putting a smidge of chili pepper, I might skip it, however, I try to add anything significant for the vitamins. I tend to be anemic and spices have a lot of iron. For example, a tablespoon of dried parsley has 7% of the RDA for iron. Dried parsley doesn't have a ton of flavor so you can use lots.
  • NaurielR
    NaurielR Posts: 429 Member
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    If you are logging for calories, then most cooking sprays contain 0 calories so I would not be concerned if it was left off. If you are logging for nutrients, then log it all! The scanning feature in the MFP mobile app makes logging anything with a bar code a piece of cake... the choice is yours.

    Remember, all food items logged are not down to an exact science anyhow. Even the FDA allows a variance in the nutritional information listed on food labeling...
    You might already be aware, but the cooking sprays are NOT 0 calories. Legally, the nutrition label can say that it has zero calories because the serving size is so small that it has less than 5 calories (anything less than 5 calories can be marketed as "calorie free"). But take a look at the ingredients and you'll see that oil is the main ingredient. Oil is not calorie free. If you only use a serving size (which I believe is a mere 1/3 of a second spray) there are only 3 or 4 calories, which is negligible. But most people use more, and if you're using it for every meal AND assuming it has zero calories, it could really add up. There's nothing special about the spray oil. You're essentially just using regular canola oil from a jug.
  • sugaspice999
    sugaspice999 Posts: 164
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    I just assume I'm eating 20 cals of "0" cal stevia/sweetner and spices. Most sugar free/0 cal foods have 2-3 cals in them but the FDA allows the companies to round down to 0. For me, 3-4 servings would be about 15 cals extra and a couple from spices (I use a LOT of cinnamon and black pepper and sodium free-mrs.dash). When I'm eating oatmeal, greek yogurt, or sweet potatoes I realize I eat atleast 1/2 tsp of cinnamon which amounts to around 1 -1.5 tsp per day.
  • gotcardi
    gotcardi Posts: 19 Member
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    Thanks everyone. If I'm making a recipe (like chili, or my enchilada meat) I will include the spices I use.... but if I'm just tossing spices on a couple of breasts of chicken, I don't generally bother.
    With regards to the cooking spray, I am not planning on measuring how much I am using, or counting how long I am spraying, so I am not sure I can see measuring it at this point. I cover the bottom of the pan if I am sauteing veggies - but even then, I can't see it being enough to make a difference.
    I was just curious as to what others did.... glad to see that I am not alone in my feelings with regards to spices and cooking spray. But like I said - if I use olive oil (or coconut oil), I WILL log that by the tsp, etc.
    THanks everyone! This is such a great resource :)

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