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Using fresh or dried herbs

#1

BeeOfTheBird , 04-17-2010 08:25 PM

My daily calorie intake is between 1200 and 1400 calories. As you can guess, it can be tough to pack a lot of flavor into foods when you're skimping on high-fat stuff, so I'm even more reliant on herbs than I was before (and I'm even trying to kick my "pour salt on everything" habit). I use some fresh herbs, but mostly dried.

When I'm counting calories, how concerned should I be about herbs and seasonings? I'm a girl who loves her garlic (and cumin, and crushed red pepper, and basil, and thyme...) and I want to make sure my spices work with my overall food plan. I've run into some conflicting "facts"--some articles say use as much as you want with no worries; others, like my FitDay account, report almost 30 (?!??!) calories per tablespoon of garlic powder (not that anyone would use that much garlic powder at once unless they worked in, like, a mess hall, but still). Anyone want to weigh in on this (pun intended)? I currently don't include many seasonings in my daily calorie allowance, but should I?

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#2

mkyice , 04-17-2010 09:54 PM

I don't usually worry about the calories in the dried herbs and spices because by the time I divide the calories up by number of servings, there's not much left to count. Now if I am using a packet mix, I will add in the calories for that, but it usually isn't much. I'd look up the calories for the ones you use the most of (frequency and quantity) and decide if you use enough of them to add to your calorie total. I have to say, I hadn't given my jarred herbs and spices much thought before this post, but I'll be checking to make sure my favorites aren't secretly sneaking significant amounts of calories into my meals.

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#3

8675309 , 04-17-2010 10:23 PM

I consider the calories in herbs negligible due to the size of portion you would have to consume to just get a few calories. I personally don't concern myself with them in terms of calorie counting.

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#4

mortonpixie , 04-17-2010 11:11 PM

I never count herbs or spices. Do be sure to count any butter or oils, though.

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#5

bronzeager , 04-18-2010 01:34 AM

I don't count herbs, spices, yeast, and vinegar or soy sauce (except for when I'm thinking about sodium). Only oils because just a teaspoon of those has so many calories. And I check the calories on packet mixes as noted above, because they often have added sugar.

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