Spices

[smudgedmascara]

Hi I am embarking on the Atkins diet and despite having read Dr Atkins book, I'm not sure about something.

Spices.
I love them.
They give a kick to everything.
Pre-Atkins, I'd use chicken seasonings, chilli powder, cajun spice etc etc.. do these spices have carbs in? And how much would be an "ok" amount for an induction carb count? I'd probably use 2 teaspoons of spices pre-Atkins but that might have to change :sadblinky

Thank you in advance for any help.

[Sirine]

I too have to use spices!!! You just have to make sure there is no sugar in the ingredients...and regarding your question as to how much..less is always better!!! You have to remember a lot of spices contain salt, and you don't want to retain water.


Hope this helps..

sirine

[goin2Bgood]

This might be helpful as a guideline. From an article called Hidden Carbohydrates:

herbs - most green herbs from the leaf (basil, mint, oregano, tarragon, etc....) are less than 1 gm per tsp dried, or 2 Tbsp of the chopped fresh herb
spices - from the dried root, seed or bark (cinammon, ginger, coriander, cumin, black pepper, cloves, etc....) are 1 gm per tsp of the ground spice
blended spices, such as curry powder, chili powder, Chinese 5-spice, garam masala, pie spice, etc - have 1 gm per tsp
vanilla, and other flavour extracts (almond, orange, etc) - 0.5 gm per tsp (my own note, I believe this is pure extract not artificial ones)
garlic, fresh , 1 large clove or 1 tsp minced - 1.0 gm; garlic powder, 1 tsp - 2.3 gm
ginger root, fresh - 1 Tbsp grated has 1 gm carb

You can also google almost any spice and get the carb count (google "garlic powder USDA carb" for example)

[not2late]

Just adding to what everyone else has said....

If you look at the Induction Acceptable Foods list, spices and herbs are listed as acceptable. However, all of these things have carbs and MUST be counted towards your daily totals.

I do realize that some folks will tell you "I never count the carbs in the cinnamon I use because it's such a small amount". Well, that attitude can get you into trouble in the long run because the little things add up. It would be a shame for you to not lose weight because you think you are only eating 20 net carbs, when in reality you are eating 40.

[SugarFreeSheila]

I hear you - I can't live without spices either. (But before Atkins, I liked everything plain ... go figure!)

Here is a great site for carb counts for just about any food/spice you can imagine: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl

SmudgedMascara, if you're thrown as far as teaspoon/tablespoon conversions go, this site might help: http://www.onlineconversion.com/

[Empress Honeybee]

You have to remember a lot of spices contain salt, and you don't want to retain water.

It is good to read the labels to see if the spices contain any salt or sugar. I bought 7 bottles of Mrs. Dash the other day. All different blends. I know they are salt and sugar free and you only need a little sprinkle to make something flavourfull.