Spices & Herbs

At normal culinary amounts of a quarter to one teaspoon, spices add roughly 2 to 8 calories and under 2 grams of carbs per dish, which most tracking apps round down. The exception is recipes using tablespoons of paprika, chili, or curry powder, where 10 to 20 grams can contribute 30 to 60 calories and a few grams of fiber. For keto or strict macro tracking, only weigh spices when used in bulk.

By ORAC and polyphenol content, cloves, cinnamon, oregano, and turmeric rank at the top. Cumin and thyme are notable for iron, providing over 60 mg per 100 grams. Black pepper supplies manganese and contains piperine, which improves curcumin absorption from turmeric. Saffron is rich in crocin and safranal carotenoids, while paprika delivers vitamin A precursors.

Garlic powder and onion powder are high in fructans and are typically excluded during the elimination phase of low-FODMAP. Most other dried spices, including pepper, cumin, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, paprika, and most herbs, are considered low-FODMAP at standard serving sizes. Asafoetida is often used as a garlic-flavored substitute because its FODMAP content is low when used sparingly.

Spices are not formally assigned a glycemic index because servings are too small to meaningfully raise blood glucose. Cinnamon and fenugreek have been studied for modest effects on postprandial glucose when consumed in 1 to 6 gram doses with carbohydrate meals. For practical meal planning, treat spices as GI-neutral and focus on the carbohydrate sources they accompany.