Calories and spices

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Replies

  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    edited November 2019
    For the disagree-er...
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    Cumin 22cals tbsp
    Turmeric 29 cals tbsp
    etc.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,146 Member
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    For the disagree-er...
    0b4lua3ctitn.png
    szgwbbmhumvf.png

    Cumin 22cals tbsp
    Turmeric 29 cals tbsp
    etc.

    I'm not the disagreer, but I'm not putting 3 Tbsp of turmeric in a pot of food with multiple servings, much less in a single serving of food, so no, it's no adding 100 cals quite easily. I might put 5 Tbsp of cumin in a large pot of chili, and thus add 100 cals to the whole pot, but then I would be including it in the recipe. I use a lot of spices when cooking, but seldom in the amounts that it would take to add significant calories to a single serving.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Well I wouldn't use ONLY turmeric either. I might however use turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala, mustard seeds and other like things in a single dish. If someone is accustomed to not tracking the things that have calories, there are likely going to be other things they are overlooking too. I don't know about you, but 200 cals a day is the difference for me.
  • kristen8000
    kristen8000 Posts: 747 Member
    I don't add calories from most spices to my recipes. Including hot sauces, mustard, etc. If the container says "0 Calories", I don't bother adding it. I do add calories for Garlic (each clove is an average of 5 calories, and if you use 3-4 that adds up).

    Now, some spices do have calories. If I'm making tacos for example, you use a ton of spice and when you are using that much there will be calories. I'll add them.

    For me it depends on if that 10 - 50 calories will make a difference in my day.

    Other things I don't count: Gum & Pickles.
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 948 Member
    I don’t bother logging my garlic and onion granules, cinnamon, turmeric, paprika etc. Life’s too short to log spices! I already find tracking calories so hard because I live with my family so I don’t need another headache.
  • ploomka
    ploomka Posts: 308 Member
    I personally do not add spices to my diary because I figure the calorie count of spices is generally within the margin of error window for imprecise measuring (I don't use a food scale) and ingredient label errors, especially since MFP seems to round down on macros (at least it looks that way). Since I have a tendency toward being obsessive, I try to relax on my logging, going more for overall trends rather than the nitty gritty.

    All that said, if I hit a time where the data I am tracking and my progress don't seem to gel, I may get more precise with my logging to spot trouble areas. I can see how this would be helpful to someone trying to pinpoint an issue they are experiencing. More data FTW!
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