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Foods you don't count

24

Replies

  • FionaAnne22
    FionaAnne22 Posts: 178 Member
    Spices and herbs, that's it! My diary is a mammoth read sometimes lol!
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Spices and herbs unless they are going into a recipe
    diet soda
    Walden Farms calorie free salad dressing

    Some of them (like the dressing) have sodium but I am not on a sodium restricted diet so I don't worry about it.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,363 Member
    I don't log herbs & spices, salt & pepper - they're pretty much close to 0 and frankly I'd rather be over my goal by a few calories than faff about trying to measure and log them.

    I can be pretty rough & ready when logging salad leaves and some veggies, but again they're so low calorie it doesn't make a major difference.

    Yes I agree with this - spices don't get logged here or dash of ketchup and whilst I do log things like leafy greens, I don't measure them meticulously like other items - the calorie content is so low, a difference in accuracy by guessing isn't going to make any difference really.
  • aubyshortcake
    aubyshortcake Posts: 796 Member
    Hot Sauce
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,363 Member
    i dont log spices unless i KNOW they have calories (am i ignorant and dont know that the ones i use have cals??), i dont log my splenda intake (yeah i know artificial sweeteners are bad).. i dont log my gum.. and usually forget to log an occasional mint after mexican dinner. other then that i log everything. even my vitamins.

    oh i havent been logging my melatonin vitamins lately because i didnt know i was gonna use them.. but usually i have at least 30 calories left over so technically they are accounted for. just not logged.

    oh and coffee. but isnt coffee zero calorie unless you add stuff? i dont log tea either.. or any zero cal drinks.

    I don't know what spices you use, but I was logging some recipes and googled the calories for the spices I used out of sheer curiosity and it was pretty surprising (we're talking up to 30 cals per tablespoon - don't recall which though). Coffee is about 5-8 calories per cup (just black) from what I understand, but I may be mistaken.

    Yes some spices may be up to 30 calories per tablespoon - but who ever eats a tablespoon of a spice in one time?? - the tiny bit of pepper you sprinkle on your food or the pinch of nutmeg in your cake recipe - not going to make any difference to your calorie intake that day.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    There are very few items I don't log, most of which are food "enhancers":

    Stevia or Splenda (1-2 packets a day, max)
    Mio-type water enhancers (max of 2 moderate "servings" a day)
    Spices (which are mostly just a dash of salt and pepper on stuff, sometimes fresh garlic or ginger or cilantro in tiny amounts)

    So, probably less then 20 cals a day not logged. I DO log lettuce, spinach, veggies, coffee, Diet Pepsi, hot sauce, salsa, etc. since I consume those things in large quantities, well enough to add up to a few 100 cals/day. I do also like to see my coffee and Diet Pepsi consumption, so I can keep it "in check." No need to overindulge in my favorite food group-caffeine, lol.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Herbs and spices, garlic, diet soda, coffee.

    I often estimate salad greens (1 cup/1.5 cups), although at other times I weigh them.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    i don't count

    seasonings - pepper, dill
    0 calorie sweeteners (pure stevia, splenda, sweet n low, etc)
    i also don't log 1 tsp of no-salt mustard

    i do log lettuce and other low calorie veggies
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Spices, gum, sweetener, coffee, those 1/5 of a second spray oil or I can't believe it's not butter spray, water mixers in the pouch or liquid water enhancers, "insignificant" licks and bites, Taco Bell sauce pack...
  • Tomboly1
    Tomboly1 Posts: 42
    I don't log my gummy vitamins or spices. I've been loosing weight so i don't see the problem with not logging it.
  • shannonkw2013
    shannonkw2013 Posts: 9
    I don't bother counting calories for my cups of tea as I only have a touch of semi skimmed milk in them and no sugar. Now and again I'll treat myself to some red or brown sauce which I don't count either as I don't often have any and that's even before I joined MFP :)
  • Flutterloo
    Flutterloo Posts: 122 Member
    Spices. If I have enough calories at the end of the day, sometimes I will have a snack that fits in my calories and just not log it. Other than that, I love everything.
  • tmaryam
    tmaryam Posts: 289 Member
    Spices, lettuce, tiny slices of pickle. Typically if something is under 10 calories, I don't bother. I DO count my gummy vitamins though, 20 calories for 2!
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,832 Member
    Like others, herbs, spices, salt & pepper and sometimes things like soy sauce, vinegar, or nam pla. I'm not tracking sodium at this point. I often do include such things in my diary so I can go back and remind myself the next time I have something what I put on it. I have pots along the front walk with rosemary, basil, marjoram, thyme, and chives. A handful of leaves often finds their way into whatever I'm cooking.
  • walleyclan1
    walleyclan1 Posts: 2,784 Member
    Pickles
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  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    I weigh and log almost every single bite of all the everythings. I don't count most spices, although I do count seasonings that have calories. I don't count salt, because sodium limits can bite my hiney. And when I'm out at a sandwich shop and I have a Diet Coke at the fountain, I squeeze lemon slices into the Diet Coke and don't count those. Sometimes almost half a lemon's worth. Oh, and yesterday I ate a blackberry while I was washing several boxes' worth fresh from the store, and I didn't weigh and log that either. Yikes, I'm gonna regain all teh poundz. :laugh:
  • RToland45
    RToland45 Posts: 57 Member
    Don't count spices or coffee (with sugar free creamer). I usually eat under my 1200 calories unless it is my cheat day so I am not too worried. I am losing but hit a plateau so now I am fasting 2 days a week. I feel good about the time I take to log in the foods that I do and don't want to feel overwhelmed.
  • Bel0602
    Bel0602 Posts: 135 Member
    -Splenda
    -Spices
    -Coffee. Unless it has sugar/creamer. Most of the time I drink my coffee black
    -Veggies. Unless they're marinated.
    -Fruit. Unless I eat a ton!
  • walleyclan1
    walleyclan1 Posts: 2,784 Member
    Mustard too
  • tiffanylachaparrita
    tiffanylachaparrita Posts: 5 Member
    I don't really count celery but that's the only one. and yeah spices too
  • w734q672
    w734q672 Posts: 578 Member
    You don't count food, the foods counts you
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,150 Member
    Spices - no calories listed on the package, but they`re one of those items that falls under the <5 government rule.

    Cough drops - again, no calories listed though I believe they're about 15 calories each drop.

    Gum - I used to log it, but I stopped since I only chew 3 pieces (10 calories) a day.

    My general rule is if there isn't any nutritional info on it/I can't Google nutritional info on something close to is, I don't log it.
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  • aedreana
    aedreana Posts: 979 Member
    Pickles that say 0 calories on the label. Like the Splenda-sweetened bread-and-butter pickles. Yes I know it's cheating. And mustard. And vinegar.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    black coffee
    0 cal spices
    sweeteners
    diet cordial
    sf gum

    I think that is it.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    I count almost everything except zero calorie spices. I even count the 5 grams of unsweetened cocoa and the 4 grams of sugar I put in my coffee each morning,which has like one calorie.
  • w734q672
    w734q672 Posts: 578 Member
    "I wish I could count like you"- w734q672
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,150 Member
    I forgot about my vitamin D pills. Never log my vitamins.
  • Karababy51
    Karababy51 Posts: 124 Member
    I don't log spices (with the exception of cinnamon), salt, pepper and the butter-flavored non-stick cooking spray I use. I don't log my daily multi-vitamin & biotin supplement either, but I do make a 'food' note every day for them. I track everything else, even if it logs as '0' like my coffee and Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry.

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