The olive oil problem
Options
goatelope
Posts: 178 Member
So.... 120 cals in a tablespoon!!
How do you adjust / avoid this? I often avoid it in dressings and just have vinegar etc, but when you are cooking food or preparing marinades, are there are substitutes?
Same for sweetener / honey - best low cal alternatives? Am uk-based
How do you adjust / avoid this? I often avoid it in dressings and just have vinegar etc, but when you are cooking food or preparing marinades, are there are substitutes?
Same for sweetener / honey - best low cal alternatives? Am uk-based
0
Replies
-
I don't avoid it. It's a healthy fat. I also use avocado oil, grass fed butter and ghee. You would have to pry them from my cold, dead hands.
I don't use sweeteners other than real sugar and that's for a rare cup of tea.18 -
Use a smaller amount.20
-
I don't avoid it. It's a healthy fat. I also use avocado oil, grass fed butter and ghee. You would have to pry them from my cold, dead hands.
I don't use sweeteners other than real sugar and that's for a rare cup of tea.
Agree, I don't avoid olive oil or avocado oil. I look for dressings that have these and avoid the ones that contain vegetable oils and canola oils.2 -
Yes I do lower the amount but you do need some fat for cooking on hot pans etc.
Agree healthy but I find if you’re not careful it can hugely increase the calorie count of the meal.1 -
Yes I do lower the amount but you do need some fat for cooking on hot pans etc.
Agree healthy but I find if you’re not careful it can hugely increase the calorie count of the meal.
Me too. I also lower the amount for cooking, if my calories are close to topping my calorie range for day. Often use 1/2 a tbsp.
If Im having trouble meeting my calories for the day, I throw 1--2 tbsp in pan to up my calories.0 -
Depending on what you are cooking with the oil, very little of it could be getting absorbed into the food. Unfortunately, there's not a great way to estimate, but you are not likely taking in close to 120 extra calories if you cook with a tablespoon of olive oil.
If you want a lower calorie option, you could always use cooking spray.5 -
I have an oil spritzer, I can put any oil I want and then I spritz it on. I find I actually need to use much less oil then I ever thought before for cooking and salads. If you want to make a marinade or salad dressing try searching for low can recipes. Many use much less oil and add flavor with vinegar, and citrus juices, and different herbs and spices. I did not replace oil at all, I just use much less of it. I do however love butter on my toast so I just make sure I leave room for that in my calorie goal.
5 -
Depending on what you're cooking, you can usually get away with less oil or even no oil at all. When I roast vegetables, for example, I spray on a smaller amount of oil rather than tossing the veggies in oil.
If it's a marinade, I usually leave the oil out completely and see how it works--it will depend on what you're marinating and what the other ingredients are.
We eat a lot of salad greens with just a nice balsamic vinegar and no oil.
For baking, though, you may not be able to reduce or substitute for oil unless you're okay with changing the taste/texture substantially. It all just depends on what you're using the oil for.4 -
Depending on what you're cooking, you can usually get away with less oil or even no oil at all. When I roast vegetables, for example, I spray on a smaller amount of oil rather than tossing the veggies in oil.
If it's a marinade, I usually leave the oil out completely and see how it works--it will depend on what you're marinating and what the other ingredients are.
We eat a lot of salad greens with just a nice balsamic vinegar and no oil.
For baking, though, you may not be able to reduce or substitute for oil unless you're okay with changing the taste/texture substantially. It all just depends on what you're using the oil for.
I do much of this. i use very little oil. i always have though.
LOVE balsamic vinegar in salads. a good one you need very little.
As a volume eater, I need to make choices on calories. and for me that means often opting for foods low in calorie density. I have noticed this can leave my fat macro a bit too low, so have worked to ensure i hit them (I added nuts, 2-4% yogurt...).
for things that need a bit of oil in the pan, i use a spray and try to keep it as light as possible.0 -
I cook my breakfast veggies (spinach, onions and mushrooms) with olive oil every morning and had to cut back due to the calories. Now I use 1/2 tbsp and add a bit of water to the veggies while sauteeing them.2
-
I do the same veggies with la tourangelle garlic oil. Less calories and great flavor.
Edited to add: I was wrong, it's actually higher in calories BUT the flavor is so concentrated, I use less of it.0 -
I would be lost without my Misto sprayer. Most cooking sans baking can be done with very little oil. When I do use, it's olive oil or cooking spray.0
-
I love olive oil. Probably where most of my fat macros go. Mostly on fresh salads.
I don't really substitute that much .. marinades I don't use too much oil. Sugar/honey I just use less.0 -
Fat is an important macro, no matter how low cal you're eating you need some fat in your diet. Despite the current demonization of sugar, I find its just as important to find the places in my diet I was wasting cals on fat and make sure I was getting it from the places it was the most useful and enjoyable. I found I could at least halve the oil I was using when stir frying or marinading, so I could save room for salmon. And ice cream
6 -
Yes I do lower the amount but you do need some fat for cooking on hot pans etc.
Agree healthy but I find if you’re not careful it can hugely increase the calorie count of the meal.
I've found that around 5g worth (44 calories) is enough to cook almost any one-serving thing in my smaller (maybe 7-8"?) well-seasoned cast iron frying pan . . . even pan-filling one-serving things. I put the olive oil bottle on the scale, zero it, pour a small dollop in the pan, and put the bottle back on the scale: The negative number is the amount used.
The idea of using an oil mister (a thing you can buy separately and fill with the oil of your choice) is a good one, or just buy a pre-packaged commercial olive oil spray. You can also weigh the spray bottle, similar to the method described above, to figure out how much you used. It should be possible to do a lot with only a few grams . . . and you do need fats in your diet for good nutrition.7 -
I get plenty of fat, so to reduce oil calories from cooking, I use my well-seasoned cast iron pan for some things. For stickier foods, like scrambled eggs or stir fry, I use non-stick pans. I also grill.3
-
Yes I do lower the amount but you do need some fat for cooking on hot pans etc.
Agree healthy but I find if you’re not careful it can hugely increase the calorie count of the meal.
When I took stock of easy ways to cut cals/ways I was getting too many at the beginning of my weight loss, a heavy hand with olive oil was an easy one to identify. I now use a spritzer with olive oil, cut way down the amount I use in vinaigrette (still tastes as good IMO), or use coconut oil where it's easy to add just a tiny bit. (I also use avocado oil.)
Basically where I would have estimated a TBSP before (and probably gone over), I now use a tsp -- it's plenty.0 -
I have lowered the amount of oil I use to cook. I use about half the oil called for in most recipes.0
-
I cook my breakfast veggies (spinach, onions and mushrooms) with olive oil every morning and had to cut back due to the calories. Now I use 1/2 tbsp and add a bit of water to the veggies while sauteeing them.
YES. I found myself doing this-- cut the oils/fats and adding water. Sometimes that's what you're really needing to cook that darn food anyway.
And sometimes it's just being mindful that you don't need that much oil in the first place! I had pancakes this morning, carefully added very little oil to the pan, and they cooked fine. Perfect actually: I had never made pancakes before today that didn't require a screw-up to start, and I think that's because I used less oil.2 -
I only count it if I'm using as a dressing. If I'm cooking with it I don't bother as I don't think (by the looks of the pan) that much gets absorbed.
We don't really have low-calorie cooking sprays here in NZ.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.6K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.2K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 913 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions