Do You Track Olive Oil??

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Replies

  • ruby_red_rose
    ruby_red_rose Posts: 321 Member
    Yes, I always track everything that goes into my mouth, including oil and spray.
  • ericapage
    ericapage Posts: 108 Member
    Sometimes I will add fat free chicken stock vs. oil. So far, it's worked great!
  • BOGmama2010
    BOGmama2010 Posts: 599 Member
    Yup, I track it an my coconut oil and flaxseed oil that I take occasionally. At 120 calories a tablespoon, it's not something to forget!

    I sauteeing my onions and mushrooms right with some water and a little bit of Organic Chicken broth base to mix in for flavor. I'll add my mustard greens once those are soft enough. I prefer the broth because it adds some sodium and more flavor than the olive oil. Don't shun fats completely though as your body needs it to dissolve some important vitamins. Just work it into your daily allotment of cals.
  • AnnieFJ
    AnnieFJ Posts: 82 Member
    Start off with just one tbsp oil or less, then as you are cooking add small amounts of boiling water from the kettle, adding more every time the pan dries. Eventually you get a lovely tasty sauce, expecially if cooking something like chicken and herbs, with all the lovely concentrated flavours coming off the pan into the small amount of water. Water works fine, boiling water is best.
    Enjoy!
  • GrammyWhammy
    GrammyWhammy Posts: 484 Member
    I always track Olive Oil. I like that idea about subtracting what is left in the pan though. I never thought of that.

    Hard to do if there are pan juices from other ingredients. Spray pan with cooking spray, reduce amount of olive oil by half or more. A little HEALTHY oil each day is GOOD FOR YOU. By healthy I mean olive or coconut oil, not canola or corn oil.
  • brit49
    brit49 Posts: 461 Member
    Yep track olive oil it has a lot of calories, 1 tablespoon 120 I use the spray when I can
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
    I do count the oil but look at it this way, if you count it and you end up counting more than you actually took in, it's not as bad as not counting what you did eat. That way you aren't kidding yourself.

    Last night I made a yummo dish with olive oil to start. I usually just splash till it looks right. The recipe probably calls for that because garlic burns easily and if you use too little, you'll char it and it will not only ruin the recipe, but it will smell like crazy.

    Another option you can look into is seeing if you can substitute with organic garlic powder instead. Most recipes you can get away with this as the garlic is there for taste, not as a primary piece of the meal. Then, you don't have to worry so much! It's also a time saver ;)
  • KimbersNewLife
    KimbersNewLife Posts: 646 Member
    Great Idea! Thanks I am going to start measuring the left over oil and deducting it too good thinking.
  • wildon883r
    wildon883r Posts: 429 Member
    Olive Oil is extremely healthy for everybody. You have to weigh the benefits vs a simple numbers game of which calorie counting is. Reach for a lifestyle that doesn't require a calculator..
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,324 Member
    I frankly would not use 4 Tbls of Olive Oil even if the recipe called for it. That is a huge amount of calories which you probably don't need. I would try it first with 2 Tbls. If it cooked fine I would even consider reducing it more.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,324 Member
    I always track Olive Oil. I like that idea about subtracting what is left in the pan though. I never thought of that.

    Hard to do if there are pan juices from other ingredients. Spray pan with cooking spray, reduce amount of olive oil by half or more. A little HEALTHY oil each day is GOOD FOR YOU. By healthy I mean olive or coconut oil, not canola or corn oil.

    What is wrong with Canola oil?
  • rosepomerleau
    rosepomerleau Posts: 1
    If your concerned about the calories (as it's still VERY healthy for you), you can saute things in chicken/turkey broth and it works just as well.
  • JamesonsMommy
    JamesonsMommy Posts: 771 Member
    Yes
  • mblanchard0625
    mblanchard0625 Posts: 74 Member
    Why don't you put the recipe into your recipes? That way you can put in the number of servings and log 1 serving of the recipe. Plus, if you do that, if you make it again you don't have to go through the process of logging every single item again, you can just log the recipe again.
  • fisherlassie
    fisherlassie Posts: 542 Member
    I used to use excessive quantities of extra virgin olive oil in everything. It is really wonderful but I am discovering that I don't have to use nearly as much as I was and it still tastes good. I think your idea of cutting it in half is really good! I've worked myself down to using about a teaspoon per person in most recipes unless there will be left overs. There are lots of really good ideas in this thread! I'm sure you will figure out what works for you! Enjoy!
  • BellydanceBliss
    BellydanceBliss Posts: 330
    I have found recipes over do the oil...I used to not eat oil which isnt good. I then started using a tsp oil oil then a little bit of cooking spray and turns out really good
  • DKev
    DKev Posts: 266 Member
    If at all possible ,I'll use the Olive Oil cooking spray. But I definitely log olive oil.
  • SuzanneRichards
    SuzanneRichards Posts: 9
    I also track cooking oil, but if I use cooking SPRAY then I don't track it. I use the Olive Oil cooking spray.
  • mbs0257
    mbs0257 Posts: 2
    I make sure to track all oils I cook with. They actually throw yourcalorie count off the charts. Depending on what you are cooking, I substitute with water or if it is an italian dish, which I presume it is because of the garlic, you can also substitute with diced tomotoes. The liquid in the tomatoes makes a nice saute.
  • NatalieWinning
    NatalieWinning Posts: 999 Member
    I wouldn't subtract the juice. It might be juice and anything else besides just olive oil from whats left in the pan. Maybe cook with less. And you know those box foods that say add a tbls of butter or whatever? You don't have to. It won't really effect the flavor.
    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
    You guys are all so helpful - thank you for all the responses.

    The dish is a pasta chicken dish that says to saute the garlic in that much oil then mix the pasta in. That's probably why it calls for so much oil but I am going to cut it in half (at least) and try water or broth. Great suggestion - I've never thought to use that for this but it's a great idea and sounds like it works good.

    I know the oil is a healthy fat, but it's hard to see that number when you're in the early stages of losing and counting so strictly.

    Thanks again! :)
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    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.

    mmmmmm... what is left is NOT all oil. its the water cooking out of the meat, so if you count it as all oil, you are underestimating your caloric intake.

    Well, I press fish between paper towels to remove as much water as possible before cooking in oil because with water in the pan the fish won't brown nicely. Plus, since oil and water separate, it's not hard to see how much of what is left is oil. I just eyeball it when I put it in and when I guestimate how much is left so I'm sure it's not 100% accurate. I don't obsess over little differences like that.
  • 2April
    2April Posts: 285 Member
    Depends...for example a fried egg already adds some calories for oil/butter so I don't add it.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I always track Olive Oil. I like that idea about subtracting what is left in the pan though. I never thought of that.

    Hard to do if there are pan juices from other ingredients. Spray pan with cooking spray, reduce amount of olive oil by half or more. A little HEALTHY oil each day is GOOD FOR YOU. By healthy I mean olive or coconut oil, not canola or corn oil.

    What is wrong with Canola oil?

    Nothing at all.
    "Good" fats—monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats—lower disease risk. "Bad" fats—saturated and, especially, trans fats—increase disease risk. Foods high in good fats include vegetable oils (such as olive, canola, sunflower, soy, and corn), nuts, seeds, and fish. Foods high in bad fats include red meat, butter, cheese, and ice cream, as well as processed foods made with trans fat from partially hydrogenated oil. The key to a healthy diet is to choose foods that have more good fats than bad fats—vegetable oils instead of butter, salmon instead of steak—and that don’t contain any trans fat.
    source: Harvard School of Public Health
    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/index.html
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