Spices on induction

[stewtowser]

I am going to be starting induction and am wondering if certain spices and spice blends are allowed during induction. In particular, I checked the chili powder I have in my spice cabinet, and the ingredients show that it contains wheat flour, maltodextrin, wheat semolina, and dextrose monohydrate, but yet the Nutrition Facts state that this product has ZERO carbs. Would this be allowed during induction? Could it be that the amounts of these ingredients are so small that they would not really contribute any virtual carbs to your diet? Also, in general, should I look at the actual ingredients of products to see if there are any carb-containing ingredients or should I look at the Nutritional Facts?

[not2late]

Re: Spices on induction

I am going to be starting induction and am wondering if certain spices and spice blends are allowed during induction. In particular, I checked the chili powder I have in my spice cabinet, and the ingredients show that it contains wheat flour, maltodextrin, wheat semolina, and dextrose monohydrate, but yet the Nutrition Facts state that this product has ZERO carbs. Would this be allowed during induction? Could it be that the amounts of these ingredients are so small that they would not really contribute any virtual carbs to your diet? Also, in general, should I look at the actual ingredients of products to see if there are any carb-containing ingredients or should I look at the Nutritional Facts?

Rule # 5 of Induction says: eat absolutely nothing that is not on the Induction Acceptable Food list. So the chili powder with wheat flour and dextrose doesn't cut it.
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ead.php?t=6782

Here's the problem with nutritional labels, especially those in the US.

The nutritional info is only valid/accurate for the serving size listed. So if the product has 1 carb for 1 teaspoon, 3 teaspoons will have 3 carbs right? Easy. BUT, in the US, the labelling laws for carbohydrate content is very lax to non-existent. This means that a product labelled 0 carbs can have 0.0 to 0.49999999 carbs. Therefore, if a product is labelled "0" carbs for 1 teaspoon, that product can have 0 to 0.49999 carbs. Unless the product is plain water or plain fat (like olive oil), it's unlikely that it really has "0" carbs. So 2 teaspoons of that product can have as much as 1.2 carbs. That amount might seem neglible, but if you are restricting your total daily carb intake to 20 carbs daily, 1.2 carbs is significant. Products labelled "less that 1 carb" can have 0.5 to 0.99999 carbs.

The second problem deals with accurately measuring foods. The servings on the labels are measured either by weight or by volume measures (cups, teaspoons, etc.) In other words, the nutritional info is accurate/valid for specific measurements as well. Dr. Atkins makes a point that if your "2 tablespoons" of something is really 1/4 cup, your carb count will be off. Many of us "eyeball" our measurements, ex. pour a "bit" of salad dressing on our salads, use a "dollop" of mayonnaise. The manufacturers and even the USDA don't measure things like that. Try measuring your foods with the standard cup and teaspoon measures and you might be surprized.

Again, you can say that 1 extra carb here or 2 extra carbs there won't make a difference. But with only 20 net carbs daily, 1 or 2 extra carbs here or there can make a big difference.

Besides, it's better for us in the long run to get used to "normal sized" portions because many of us are fat because we over-eat and we don't know what "normal-sized portions" really are.

[wiseblood]

Re: Spices on induction

You should be able to find a wheat-free Chili Powder,shop around
Good Luck

[Elizellen]

Re: Spices on induction

Congratulations on getting into the label-reading habit, Stew!!

[madpoet]

Re: Spices on induction

I know I'm using cajun spices on a lot of my meats and loving it