How to log calories that are the drippings/broth from another recipe?

MichaelWen1
MichaelWen1 Posts: 3 Member
edited November 2021 in Food and Nutrition
So most food logging is pretty easy, but there are some recipes where the meat drippings are quite generous. I use instapot a lot so everything is easily collected. Recently I've been using my Instapot to make some shepherd's pie and there's a fair amount of beef broth that collects at the bottom, which I use to put on top of rice. But obviously it's not just pure beef broth and I was wondering how I'm supposed to log this kind of meal?

Replies

  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,941 Member
    edited November 2021
    Surely, if you’ve weighed and logged the ingredients that ‘broth’ - whether it’s meat juices, fat or mainly water is already accounted for so if you’re pouring that over your rice it’s fine?

    It hasn’t appeared from nowhere, you can’t create something from nothing!

    Edit to add - just realised you may mean on your rice *at a different meal*. My answer is still the same, really, though. You’ve accounted for it in the original meal so it’s relatively immaterial when you consume it.
  • MichaelWen1
    MichaelWen1 Posts: 3 Member
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    Surely, if you’ve weighed and logged the ingredients that ‘broth’ - whether it’s meat juices, fat or mainly water is already accounted for so if you’re pouring that over your rice it’s fine?

    It hasn’t appeared from nowhere, you can’t create something from nothing!

    Edit to add - just realised you may mean on your rice *at a different meal*. My answer is still the same, really, though. You’ve accounted for it in the original meal so it’s relatively immaterial when you consume it.

    I mean, I suppose so. Right now I'm logging it as beef broth (10 cal per cup), but given how there is essentially fat drippings in it, I'm not quite certain how to add that component.

    Should I just estimate how much generic fat drippings would be in a cup of this "broth" and add those calories onto the base beef broth calories?
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,976 Member
    MichaelWen1 wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    Surely, if you’ve weighed and logged the ingredients that ‘broth’ - whether it’s meat juices, fat or mainly water is already accounted for so if you’re pouring that over your rice it’s fine?

    It hasn’t appeared from nowhere, you can’t create something from nothing!

    Edit to add - just realised you may mean on your rice *at a different meal*. My answer is still the same, really, though. You’ve accounted for it in the original meal so it’s relatively immaterial when you consume it.

    I mean, I suppose so. Right now I'm logging it as beef broth (10 cal per cup), but given how there is essentially fat drippings in it, I'm not quite certain how to add that component.

    Should I just estimate how much generic fat drippings would be in a cup of this "broth" and add those calories onto the base beef broth calories?

    if you logged your beef as raw meat (all the fat inluded), then those calories of the fatty beef broth are already included in your shepherd's pie calorie count. So no need to count them again, or you'll be counting double.
    Provided you are the only one eating these foods at least (no sharing the meal with others).
  • Cheesy567
    Cheesy567 Posts: 1,186 Member
    edited November 2021
    There are homemade broth entries. Mine is “SJK’s bone broth” You can always adjust and make up your own.

    See how your progress is over the first few weeks. If you’re worried about something this high-level, you’re probably doing just fine and realize this falls into the close enough category, and if you’re as accurate as possible with most things, you’ll be doing just fine.
  • Cheesy567
    Cheesy567 Posts: 1,186 Member
    I’ll also estimate the fat drippings and log it as pure fat sometimes, if it seems excessive to the amount of broth; there are entries for “beef tallow” “lard” “bacon fat” etc. The entries are by gram, tablespoon, teaspoon.
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
    When you have drippings from a roasted chicken, turkey or beef dish, simply put them in a measuring cup and let them separate for a few minutes. Then see how much is in the "fat" layer: 1/4 cup? 1/8 cup? And log that at 2000 calories per cup. All fat and oil is about the same. 9 calories per gram 2000 calories per cup.

    Disregard the broth: it has near zero calories.
  • MichaelWen1
    MichaelWen1 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks guys for the advise! I've been logging for about a month now and since then, have lost 7 lbs, so I'm super excited to keep it going!

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