Vegetables as part of caloric intake?

Fitladyboo
Fitladyboo Posts: 22
edited October 1 in Food and Nutrition
I don't get why we have to count or vegetables in the food diary... I was planning on eating some vegetables with my dinner tonight but at 120 calories it seems I should maybe go ahead and subtitute with something that will sustain me more for about the same amount of calories, like maybe some couscous or a bit of rice. What do you all think, do you count your veggies as part of your calorie intake?
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Replies

  • saadler
    saadler Posts: 116
    Of course! Some veggies (or large amounts of others) have a lot of calories... to ignore them is bad! It'd be a surefire way to go over.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    I count my vegetables, they have calories! Don't ever think it's better to substitute more carbs for veggies. Rice doesn't have the vitamins and minerals that vegetables do. If you don't eat them, you'll be missing out. What kinds of vegetables are you eating that are 120 calories? Today I've having 100g of both carrots and spinach. 100g of carrots is only 41 calories and 100g of spinach is only 24. If you've never measured it out, 100g is a LOT of spinach.
  • sharonuk10
    sharonuk10 Posts: 277
    Yes I count mine.
  • rrrbecca11
    rrrbecca11 Posts: 477
    Lol. If I didn't count vegetables I wouldn't be able to count much, since I don't eat meat. Yes, vegetables need to be eaten and counted, they contribute nutrients to your diet that you can't get anywhere else.
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
    count everything.
  • pa_jorg
    pa_jorg Posts: 4,404 Member
    Yes, I count everything. Are you implying that veggies are a waste of calories? Hope I'm just misreading this...
  • Alissa_Sal
    Alissa_Sal Posts: 141
    I try to count everything. I think it depends on what you are doing to your veggies. Raw or steamed veggies are actually usually fairly low cal compared to everything else. I think that a nice sized salad (2 cups - about 50 calories before dressing) seems way more filling than 50 calories of rice or pasta. If salad dressing is adding too many calories to your veggies, I suggest those Salad Spritzers - only 1 cal per spritz, and I find 10-15 is PLENTY.
  • DreamLittleDarling
    DreamLittleDarling Posts: 800 Member
    if it's a calorie, you should count it...

    thats just like saying "i'm not going to count this big mac cuz it will put me over."
  • lausa22
    lausa22 Posts: 467 Member
    I count them. I think everyone should. 80g of garden peas have 55calories.
    A small piece of brown bread has 55calories, but you'd still count the bread, why not the peas?

    If you eat 1000 calories worth of vegetables, it's exactly the same as eating 1000 calories worth of any other food.
    All food counts!
  • RachelSRoach1
    RachelSRoach1 Posts: 435 Member
    You bet! Sometimes those are a majority of what I eat! :) You will learn to be sustained on them. They are a much better and filling snack than other things you could eat.
  • Artemis_Acorn
    Artemis_Acorn Posts: 836 Member
    If it goes in your mouth, you count it. You can actually have a sizeable and very filling meal of pure vegetables for very few calories. It's one of my fall-backs when I'm low on calories at the end of the day. Non-starchy vegetables are the lowest in calories.

    I watch ALL of my nutrients, and not counting the veggies would not give me a clear picture of my intake of important things like potassium, Vitamin A & C, Calcium and Iron. With reduced caloric intake, making sure you're getting enough of these other things is really important.
  • MrsCon40
    MrsCon40 Posts: 2,351 Member
    Some days I eat 800 calories worth of vegetables - of course they should be counted!

    If you don't think they should be counted, clearly you are not eating enough of them!
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
    I think it would be incredibly silly not to count them, considering they also contain carbs, fiber, calcium, iron, protein and a whole lot of other nutrients. Not only that, I pretty much live off of mostly vegetables and fruit, so why wouldn't I? Vegetables are good for you. Eat them. Count them.
  • Heather75
    Heather75 Posts: 3,386 Member
    I don't get why we have to count or vegetables in the food diary... I was planning on eating some vegetables with my dinner tonight but at 120 calories it seems I should maybe go ahead and subtitute with something that will sustain me more for about the same amount of calories, like maybe some couscous or a bit of rice. What do you all think, do you count your veggies as part of your calorie intake?

    I don't get why you don't get it.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Sometimes I don't log lettuce because it has so little calories and nutrition. But I log all other veggies. I can't think of any reason not to.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    Yes.
  • MamaKatel
    MamaKatel Posts: 180
    If they are over 50 cals. than I count them. But If I have a cup of fresh green beans (45) cals. than i don't count them.
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
    Sometimes I don't log lettuce because it has so little calories and nutrition. But I log all other veggies. I can't think of any reason not to.

    that depends on the lettuce. many greens have far more micronutrients than you can imagine. i understand why you may not log it (because it's like 10c /cup) but the nutritional benefit is astounding as well as by logging everything you can have a clearer picture of your diet in reality.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Sometimes I don't log lettuce because it has so little calories and nutrition. But I log all other veggies. I can't think of any reason not to.

    that depends on the lettuce. many greens have far more micronutrients than you can imagine. i understand why you may not log it (because it's like 10c /cup) but the nutritional benefit is astounding as well as by logging everything you can have a clearer picture of your diet in reality.

    Greens (kale, collards, mustard, spinach etc.) are not lettuce. I log those.
  • Lizmhoughton
    Lizmhoughton Posts: 92 Member
    I think it's okay to go over a little bit, especially for a veggie. Better to go over with a simple carb than a complex one. I go way over my sugar intake because of all of the fruit I eat in the morning, but that doesn't stop me from eating it. The site can't distinguish between the good/natural sugar and the sugar from syrups, ect. This is all just an estimate anyway, so I wouldn't worry about going over just because you had veggies with your dinner. Perhaps you can eat smaller portions of everything else instead so you don't go over. For example, instead of eating as large of a steak as I would like, I will eat approx 8oz instead of 10 or 12. I do 1 cup of the carb for the night and then 1-1.5 cups of veggies.
  • TDGee
    TDGee Posts: 2,209 Member
    "This calorie counting and vegetable thing, I do not think it means what you think it means"
    inigo-montoya-lrg.png
  • lausa22
    lausa22 Posts: 467 Member
    I log every leaf of lettuce, every mushroom, every cherry tomato, ect.

    It also makes your diary look better :P
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    The most compromising I'll ever do in terms of counting vegetables is to lump them all together since most of them are so low calorie. In other words, if I'm eating a half cup of carrots. a half cup of yellow squash and a half cup of broccoli, I might count it as 1.5 cups of broccoli. I've only done that when I've been in a serious hurry, though.
  • angelar1022
    angelar1022 Posts: 52
    I agree with you that they SHOULDN'T be counted (since you're SUPPOSED to eat them, right!?!). But unfortunately, I guess they do... Sigh... I guess if they weren't we could just eat fruits and veggies all day without counting anything at all! It does seem a little steep taking 120 calories just for a banana though!
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
    Sometimes I don't log lettuce because it has so little calories and nutrition. But I log all other veggies. I can't think of any reason not to.

    that depends on the lettuce. many greens have far more micronutrients than you can imagine. i understand why you may not log it (because it's like 10c /cup) but the nutritional benefit is astounding as well as by logging everything you can have a clearer picture of your diet in reality.

    Greens (kale, collards, mustard, spinach etc.) are not lettuce. I log those.

    lettuces are greens. and i'm talking about good lettuce, not standard iceburg and romaine, but even those have lots of dietary fiber and calcium that you may be missing if you don't log it. you can do what you want, and we can argue about what is a green or not - it really doesn't matter to me. i'm just saying there are hundreds of kinds of lettuce and many of them are very, very nutritious, equal to spinach, baby kale or early chard.

    i understand not logging it for ease, but i'm just saying lettuce shouldn't be disregarded solely by the fact it is "lettuce". my mesclun mix is extremely nutritious and it is made of a number of lettuces, wild and cultivated.
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
    I don't get why we have to count or vegetables in the food diary... I was planning on eating some vegetables with my dinner tonight but at 120 calories it seems I should maybe go ahead and subtitute with something that will sustain me more for about the same amount of calories, like maybe some couscous or a bit of rice. What do you all think, do you count your veggies as part of your calorie intake?

    i'm curious to what may sustain you more at 120c .. i'm not trolliing, i'm just curious.
  • judyDFW
    judyDFW Posts: 12 Member
    I count things like carrots and potatoes, but I don't count lettuce, celery, or broccoli. They're pretty low calorie, and I don't want to give myself any incentive to not eat them. I may go 30-50 calories over, but it helps encourage me to eat them.
  • Heather75
    Heather75 Posts: 3,386 Member
    A wise friend of mine had this to say: "Anything you eat with your eyes closed you don't have to log. It's the seefood diet; if you don't see it, it doesn't count as food."
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    I agree with you that they SHOULDN'T be counted (since you're SUPPOSED to eat them, right!?!). But unfortunately, I guess they do... Sigh... I guess if they weren't we could just eat fruits and veggies all day without counting anything at all! It does seem a little steep taking 120 calories just for a banana though!

    I'm SUPPOSED to eat protein too, so I'm not gonna count my steak. I don't understand this logic. :P
  • dp1228
    dp1228 Posts: 439 Member
    errrr yes. this is just my personal opinion but they should definitely be counted. you cant not count something just because it may put you over your daily limit or because it takes up too many calories and you want to eat somethinge else. that seems a bit silly if your serious about calorie counting. a calorie is a calorie. yes some calories are better for your body (more nutritious) then others but vegetables are still a part of your daily calorie limit.
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