Spices... do you count them?

islandgirl29710
islandgirl29710 Posts: 5 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I usually don't count black pepper (I love putting that on my food) as part of my food intake. I only count salt because I'm also trying to do low sodium. Do you count every single spice?

Replies

  • cdudley628
    cdudley628 Posts: 547 Member
    I don't count most spices, unless I added a significant amount to a recipe.
  • dinosaurparty
    dinosaurparty Posts: 185 Member
    I dont think they could alter your calories enough for you to need to count spices. Maybe cocoa powder, but that's a stretch.
  • Owlfan88
    Owlfan88 Posts: 187 Member
    No, I don't list them, unless I'm putting a recipe into the recipe builder.
  • moribunny
    moribunny Posts: 417 Member
    cdudley628 wrote: »
    I don't count most spices, unless I added a significant amount to a recipe.
    +1
  • Rage_Phish
    Rage_Phish Posts: 1,507 Member
    hell no
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,963 Member
    I do sometimes. If cornstarch is included in that, definitely.
  • starryphoenix
    starryphoenix Posts: 381 Member
    I'd go crazy if I tried to do that. Mom uses a lot of spices and seasoning in her cooking.
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
    No I skip them. Even the Savory blends & rubs because whatever sugars or salts they add in small measure will be negligible.
  • cnbbnc
    cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
    Omg..... No!
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,147 Member
    If I'm seriously in a deficit, yes. If I'm on maintenance (now), no.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I've never counted spices.
  • kyrannosaurus
    kyrannosaurus Posts: 350 Member
    If I add a tiny pinch to something I don't track it. If I add half a tsp or more (which is usually the case since I batch cook) I always track it. It helps me having it all written down for the next time I want to cook the same recipe. The calories it adds are barely worth measuring but I like being thorough and adding a few spices to a recipe only takes a few seconds.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,368 Member
    Only the ones that I can find calorie counts for.
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
    I only count it when I am building a recipe. Other than that no.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Nope.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    Only when I make large batches of recipes, because I usually use a couple teaspoons to a couple tablespoons.
    I have posted this before, but here again is the list I put together for spices in descending order of Calories per tablespoon.

    Spices, Calories per tablespoon
    Spices – Mustard seed, yellow, 53
    Spices – Poppy seed, 47
    Spices – Nutmeg, ground, 37
    Spices – Fenugreek seed, 36
    Spices – Garlic powder, 28
    Spices – Celery seed, 25
    Spices – Mace, ground, 25
    Spices – Chili powder, 24
    Spices – Cumin, 24
    Spices – Onion, powder, 24
    Spices – Turmeric, ground, 24
    Spices – Anise seed, 23
    Spices – Cumin seed, 23
    Spices – Caraway seed, 22
    Spices – Cloves, ground, 21
    Spices – Curry powder, 20
    Spices – Dill seed, 20
    Spices – Fennel seed, 20
    Spices – Paprika, 20
    Spices – Ginger, ground, 19
    Spices – Pumpkin pie spice, 19
    Spices – Cardamom, 18
    Spices – Cinnamon, ground, 18
    Spices – Oregano, dried, 17
    Spices – Pepper, red or cayenne, 17
    Spices – Allspice, ground, 16
    Spices – Pepper, black, 16
    Spices – Coriander seed, 15
    Spices – Poultry seasoning, 11
    Spices – Rosemary, dried, 11
    Spices – Dill weed, dried, 8
    Spices – Saffron, 7
    Spices – Thyme, dried, 7
    Spices – Sage, ground, 6
    Spices – Bay leaf, 6
    Spices – Basil, dried, 5
    Spices – Marjoram, dried, 5
    Spices – Spearmint, dried (mint), 5
    Spices – Tarragon, dried, 5
    Spices – Parsley, dried, 4
    Spices – Spearmint, fresh (mint), 3
    Spices – Rosemary, fresh, 2
    Spices – Thyme, fresh, 2
    Spices – Basil, fresh, 1
    Spices – Peppermint, fresh (mint), 1
    Spices – Pepper, white, < 1
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    I used to, but they never register anything but zeros, so I really don't these days.

    I cannot weigh them because they don't come up to a gram. When I did try to measure how much I used, I just got zeros in all the columns, so I generally don't log them.

    Is there a calorie in 20 single leaves of thyme? I don't know. If there is, I'm off by one calorie. I'm sure every single thing I log is off by at least one calorie because this just isn't an exact math kind of deal. I can live with that. :)
  • IdLikeToLoseItLoseIt
    IdLikeToLoseItLoseIt Posts: 695 Member
    Around once a week I add 25 calories to my diary to account for my spices. It's a rough guess, but as CyberTone's list shows, spices do add up to something eventually. I tend to add seasonings to all my food, though.
  • ariana_eatsandlifts
    ariana_eatsandlifts Posts: 197 Member
    I don't. I keep my deficit slightly larger than my calculated one to make up for these small omissions.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,596 Member
    Sometimes I do. But that's 'cause it's easier to remember recipes when I've logged all the ingredients in the recipe builder or saved meal.
  • superhockeymom
    superhockeymom Posts: 2,000 Member
    Funny never salt and pepper but for some reason reason if I use red pepper
    Cajun spice or Old Bay I always log it. They are all zero so it's kinda funny.
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