#1

PLEASE DO NOT PUT HIGH-CALORIE FOODS IN THIS THREAD, THERE IS ANOTHER THREAD FOR THAT NOW.

[this is more my list of foods I go for], purely as a way to maximize vegetables/low-calorie foods as “convenience foods”

eg

SIMPLY ORGANIC PARSLEY (apigenin more concentrated, and WAY easier to eat than regular parsley, which is wrapped with plastic if you have it delivered to u)

jovial tomatoes

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here’s one i might eat on occasion but not often:

Short answer: Yes — about 300 kcal for the whole 18.7‑oz (530 g) jar is at the low‑to‑middle end of the range for oil‑marinated antipasto‑style vegetables. The number makes sense if (a) the vegetables are packed in a light sunflower‑oil brine and (b) you don’t drink the leftover oil. Heavier antipasti that use more olive oil often land closer to 450‑600 kcal per jar of similar size.

How Ika’s 300 kcal breaks down

Source Stated calories Serving size in the database Implied kcal / 100 g
Ika’s Garden Mediterranean Appetizer 60 kcal ½ cup (entry in MyNetDiary) ≈ 65–70 kcal/100 g → ≈ 350‑370 kcal for the full 530 g jar (MyNetDiary) (Ika’s Garden)

The retail label you saw (100 kcal × 3 servings = 300 kcal) assumes a larger “serving” of ~175 g — roughly what you’d get if you drained most of the oil first. The math:

530 g jar ÷ 3 servings ≈ 175 g per serving
100 kcal ÷ 175 g ≈ 57 kcal per 100 g

That lines up closely with the 65 kcal/100 g figure above once you remember a few spoonfuls of sunflower oil are likely to stay in the jar.

How that compares to similar antipasti

Product (all jarred, oil‑marinated) kcal / serving Declared serving kcal / 100 g (approx.)
Trader Joe’s Antipasto Mediterranean Vegetables 60 kcal ¼ cup (30 g) 200 kcal/100 g — very oil‑rich (FatSecret)
Roasted red peppers in oil (DeLallo example) 20 kcal 28 g 70 kcal/100 g (NutritionValue)
Marinated artichoke hearts (Pampa) 90 kcal 100 g 90 kcal/100 g (MyNetDiary)
Ika’s (your jar, label math) 100 kcal 175 g 57 kcal/100 g

Take‑away: Ika’s sits at the leaner end of the spectrum — closer to peppers in a light brine than to TJ’s very oily mix.

Why sunflower‑oil jars can still look “low‑cal”

  1. Most of the oil stays behind. Nutrition panels must assume you eat everything in the jar as packed, but brands can choose a larger “serving” that realistically gets drained, bringing the per‑serving calories down.
  2. Vegetable bulk dilutes energy density. Peppers and eggplant are ~90 % water. Even if 10–12 g of oil cling to each 175 g “serving,” that’s only ~110 kcal from fat plus ~30 kcal from veggies → about 140 kcal; if you leave some oil, you end up near the 100 kcal on the label.
  3. Sunflower vs. olive oil: same 9 kcal/g, but sunflower oil often separates more quickly, so consumers tend to pour it off.

Practical tips for tighter calorie tracking

Strategy Estimated saving
Drain & blot vegetables on a paper towel 20‑40 kcal per ½‑cup
Weigh the oil you do use (1 Tbsp ≈ 120 kcal) Highly accurate
Dilute leftover oil into a vinaigrette and log it separately Prevents “mystery calories” later

If you eat the jar dry, logging ~300 kcal is perfectly reasonable. If you sop up all the oil with bread, assume another 250‑300 kcal per ¼ cup of oil and log accordingly.

Bottom line: The 100 kcal × 3 figure doesn’t signal a mis‑print — it just reflects a fairly low‑oil antipasto relative to other brands. Adjust upward only if you plan to consume the oil rather than leave it behind.

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jovial tomatoes sadly have a paint top. But I’m way more concerned abtou nanoplastics from plastic water bottles than larger microplastics rom paint caps

#2

Celery does not spoil or make everything around it wet like other vegetables , does not mold, just dries up [in case you spend lots of time away, or get retatrutide and cant eat any of your veggies for weeks]

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Dried parsley AND dried rosemary are very easy to eat out of the bin when not ground up.

I’ve sometimes used cloves to kill the tail-end of hunger (hunger generated by the appetitive effects of eating food but not being able to fill myself up with them)

1 Like
#3

Did it!! added psyllium husk, water, crushed red pepper, whole cloves, rosemary, capers onto a base of shirataki rice => to cook

it sticks quite well!

and it’s surprisingly tasty.

and it’s hella-low calories and low-effort

[the cloves are there to prevent u from eating it all up…] tho i wouldn’t have added so many cloves next time…
glycine powder is the next step

2 Likes
#4

Food processors

[FOOD TOUCHES PLASTIC]

[there might be low-plastic food processors but I can’t find any and it’s not the most impt thing]

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Electric Food Chopper, 5-Cup Food Processor by Homeleader, 1.2L Glass Bowl Grinder for Meat,…

Q: does plastic directly touch the food?

asked on September 8, 2025

Delete question

Showing 1-4 of 4 answers

The top covering the glass and holding the motor of the chopper is made of plastic, but very little of whatever you are chopping ends up on it. and can scraped off with a spatula. Otherwise, the blades that chop are stainless steel, the bowl is a very heavy glass and there is a rubber circle that circumferences the bottom of the glass bowl to hold it firmly in place on whatever surface you are chopping. Make sure you drain products held in liquid e(like sweet pickles) so the fluid doesn’t pool on the bottom of the class. Of course, if you adding mayonnaise for chicken salad or ham salad sandwiches, you can stir it once you transfer your mixture into another bowl. Be careful when washing the blades: they are very sharp! see less



Liz
 · September 8, 2025

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Yes! This is the best chopper I have ever seen or used! Food is chopped in 10 seconds. Great addition to my kitchen hardware!



walter j zawislak
 · September 8, 2025

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Apart from the material uses to make the chopper, no plastic touches the food. Reasonable prize, durable, easy to use and clean. Great buy.



Ed paye
 · September 8, 2025

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The bowl itself is glass but I believe the lid is a hard plastic. However, I have not had any issues with it holding up well or being scratched. I absolutely love this for its size and convenience.



CKR
 · September 8, 2025

#5

[grasshopper vegan buffet w/vegetable oil]. it felt a bit heavy…

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The tray in your photo looks like a typical Chinese buffet–style mixed vegetable stir-fry (broccoli, snow peas, cabbage, carrots, celery, onions, etc.) cooked in soy-based sauce.

For calorie estimation:

  • Raw vegetables alone average ~80–120 calories per pound (they’re mostly water).
  • Lightly stir-fried vegetables with sauce typically come out higher because of oil and soy sauce:
    • Oil used in cooking often adds 200–300 calories per pound (depends on how much was used).
    • Sauce (soy, cornstarch, sugar) adds another 50–100 calories per pound.

:bar_chart: Reasonable estimate for this tray:
~250–400 calories per pound (≈ 15–25 calories per 100 g).
On the lower end if it’s mostly vegetables with little oil, on the higher end if it’s oily or sweetened sauce.

Best estimate: ~300 calories per pound for that buffet-style mixed veg stir-fry.

Quick ranges (depends on oil/sauce):

  • Drained, light oil: 220–260 cal/lb
  • Typical tray (what yours looks like): 270–330 cal/lb
  • Oily/sweeter sauce: 350–420 cal/lb

Rules of thumb:

  • 1 Tbsp oil added ≈ 120 cal/lb extra
  • A heaping cup (~200 g) ≈ 55–70 calories (for the typical case)

If you spoon mostly solids and leave the liquid, use the lower end.

1 Like
#6

Acelgas jar containers in spain. Spain has a lot of cheap vegetables (and lentils) and especially mushrooms in glass jars! [esp if you do carrefour or Dia supermarket].

Spanish restaurants are not vegan-friendly but it’s ok as long as you know the convenience stores.

Peaches/nectarines/stone fruits are REALLY common and really cheap, and EU has stronger pesticide regulations than US [as stone fruits tend to get way more pesticides than other fruit]

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Portugal is more vegan-friendly (i mean ppl also understand english better) tho it doesn’t have carrefour.

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1 Like
#7

Forager Project Organic Unsweetened plain cashew yogurt!

after seeing that the 117-year old ate probiotics daily (and healthy microbiota maintains gut integrity which could reduce MPs), I finally got re-convinced. And Amazon delivers it direct.

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…if u really want to reduce protein digestibility…

tannins produced by oaks are an excellent example of a quantitative defense. They do not poison a caterpillar when eaten but instead impede protein assimilation. This is a good defense because plant leaves contain very little protein even under the best of circumstances, and leaf-eaters cannot afford to lose any of it because of tannins. Unless caterpillars have developed physiological adaptations to counter the effects of tannins, the more oak leaves a caterpillar eats, the less protein it assimilates from those leaves

#8

Scientists Finally Discover Why Pumpkins Absorb Pollution

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-finally-discover-why-pumpkins-absorb-pollution/

Damnit cucumbers aren’t safe

#9

Hot and sour soup is basically the overachiever of comfort foods: tastes like a punch in the face (in a good way) and still manages to be low in guilt.

Here’s why it gets the “healthy” label:

  1. Lean Ingredients
    It’s mostly broth, tofu, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, vinegar, and egg ribbons. No heavy cream, no oil bath. It’s like the gym bro of soups—lean and high in protein if tofu or egg are added.

  2. Anti-Inflammatory & Gut-Friendly
    The vinegar, ginger, and chili give it that kick that clears sinuses and wakes up your circulation. The acidity helps digestion, and the spices can stimulate metabolism. Basically, it’s edible cardio.

  3. Low in Deep-Fried Junk
    Unless someone has the bright idea to toss in deep-fried wontons (which defeats the point), there’s practically nothing fried in it. The only oil usually used is a few drops of sesame oil at the end for aroma.

  4. Low-Calorie, High-Flavor Trick
    All that heat and tang tricks your brain into thinking you’re eating something indulgent, but it’s mostly water, vegetables, and protein. Like a magician’s act, except the trick is good cholesterol.

If you want to ruin it, order it from a takeout place that thickens it with cornstarch, sugar, and MSG-heavy soy sauce. Otherwise, it’s one of the least self-destructive things you can order from a Chinese menu.

#10

COCOYO yogurt
(IN GLASS JAR)

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frito bean dip (which I snack on if there are no alternatives) is mostly metal probably with plastic lining, but what about compared with plastic-lined vegetable containers

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cacao nibs are not low-calorie, but they are bitter enough that you can only tolerate snacking on them in little bits over time, which gives time for possible satiating signals to catch up

#11

What “roasted in oil” usually means (for seaweed snacks)

For most roasted seaweed snack packs, “roasted in oil” means the nori is toasted/roasted (dry heat) and then lightly coated (sprayed/brushed) with oil + salt for flavor and texture. It’s more like “seasoned with oil” than “fried.”