Do You Track Olive Oil??

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Shesabigstar
Shesabigstar Posts: 17
in Food and Nutrition
I have a recipe that I want to try tomorrow and it calls for sauteed garlic in 4 tbsp of olive oil. When you guys are tracking your food, do you track the olive oil or cooking spray that you cook with? I know olive oil is "good" fat but this is a really healthy recipe and the fat in the olive oil makes the numbers shoot right up there! Any suggestions for substituting the oil with something else?
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Replies

  • ldalbello
    ldalbello Posts: 207 Member
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    Yes I always track olive oil as it has alot of calories.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Yes, I track all oils because they make the calories shoot right up. Not logging them won't make them disappear.
  • Shesabigstar
    Shesabigstar Posts: 17
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    Thanks for your help! I'm not trying to make them disappear, I just didn't know if it cooked down while simmering, etc.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Thanks for your help! I'm not trying to make them disappear, I just didn't know if it cooked down while simmering, etc.

    I know, I was just being silly. Actually if there is some left in the pan after cooking I'll subtract that amount. For instance if I cook a salmon fillet in 3 tbsp of oil and there is 1.5 left in the pan when I'm done, then I only log 1.5.
  • Shesabigstar
    Shesabigstar Posts: 17
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    Oh, good thinking! This recipe calls for 4 but I'm going to see if I can get away with half that just to trim down the fat and calories.
  • belovedromena
    belovedromena Posts: 14 Member
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    You can just sautee the garlic in less oil. Just make sure you keep stirring so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn!
  • Wolfena
    Wolfena Posts: 1,570 Member
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    4 tablespoons sounds like a huge amount of oil.... why so much?? I'd think half of that (or even just one!) would be plenty.
    :smile:

    (and yes, I count the calories in both oil and cooking spray- which is what I use more often)
  • kstep88
    kstep88 Posts: 403 Member
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    I agree with using less, maybe cut it in half. I always count the oil, even though I hate the numbers! (at least its healthy though)
    Anyway, when I sautee garlic I use 1-2 tablespoons, and it works out great. I even add like half an onion and it's still enough. :)
  • Pangui
    Pangui Posts: 373 Member
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    4 tablespoons of olive oil is NOT healthy. No wonder your tracker went off the charts.

    I don't use any oil when cooking. I easily substitute water, vegetable broth or some other liquid. The garlic and onions come out just as great, even without a non-stick pan. I see no benefit to consuming all those low-nutrient fat calories.
  • lsjett1
    lsjett1 Posts: 20
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    Use less! You won't even miss it!
  • vinylscratch
    vinylscratch Posts: 218 Member
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    Pangui -- you sautee in water? Does that work? You'd make my life if that were true! How about rice vinegar? Would that do the trick?
  • quiksandy
    quiksandy Posts: 246 Member
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    I always track Olive Oil. I like that idea about subtracting what is left in the pan though. I never thought of that.
  • RedHotRunner
    RedHotRunner Posts: 850 Member
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    I don't track the cooking spray. They make an olive oil one that you could use and will work just as well as regular olive oil.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    4tbsp of olive oil = 477 calories. 56g of fat, mostly unsaturated.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    I do log it, but 4 Tbsp. sounds like a ton of oil, unless it is a pasta dish and you will be tossing it in the oil to coat the pasta/veggies/whatever. To just saute garlic I would use 1/2 to 1 Tbsp. if you aren't going to be using the oil as part of a "sauce"
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
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    Yep. And butter. And worcestershire sauce. I cook with all 3 regularly...
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
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    How funny, I was just thinking about asking this same question today. Doesn't some of it "burn off" when you're sauté-ing, though? I just hate how many calories olive oil has, even though it's the "good" kind of fat.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    Pangui -- you sautee in water? Does that work? You'd make my life if that were true! How about rice vinegar? Would that do the trick?
    I just saw a recipe the other day where they sauteed onions in 1/4 cup of water so I tried it with onions, green peppers and mushrooms and they turned out perfect. Huge eye opener and calorie saver!
  • adlwilmot
    adlwilmot Posts: 117
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    If it contains calories, track it. We track our healthy calories, right? So why fail to track olive oil just 'cos it's considered a healthy fat?

    You don't need anywhere near that much oil to do garlic, and hardly any if using a non stick pan. I used to lob half a tablespoon in with everything to get it going in the pan e.g. spag bol, steaks, stir frys, etc. but when I started logging and realised how many calories are in oil, I cut WAY back. I know use a maximum of 5gr and everything tastes exactly the same as it did when I was using 4 or 6 times as much.
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
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    4 tablespoons of olive oil is NOT healthy. No wonder your tracker went off the charts.

    I don't use any oil when cooking. I easily substitute water, vegetable broth or some other liquid. The garlic and onions come out just as great, even without a non-stick pan. I see no benefit to consuming all those low-nutrient fat calories.
    Low nutrient fat calories? High calories is not the same as unhealthy...and guess what...your body needs dietary fat. Perhaps do some research on olive oil before you say it's flat out not healthy....because that's incorrect.

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