a free app to tell you what food to eat for nutrition

Have bene using myfitnesspal for about 3 years, now I am trying to eat a bit healthier, sp am eating as usual during the day, but when it comes to my evening meal am looking beforehand at where I am on my consumption of vitamins/minerals etc according to myfitnesspal (for some reason the app gives you more info than the website does on the diary page?) So what I want is an app where I can list all that I am short in, which then will give you a full list of foods that contain those vitamins/minerals, from best (one fruit/veg containing more than 1 of your requirements) to worst.

Not had any luck so far, anyone else?

For example been short of calcium so had a yogurt in the evening, short on iron the other day so looked online for a list of things that contained it and went out and bought some spinach (which then confused me by not having iron listed on its list of nutrients on the packaging). Last night was short of vitamin A & D didn't bother doing the research, but if i had such an app could have found out straight away.

Just thought other than having to trawl through threads here, could do with one handy free app that tells you what you need to know straight away.
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Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    I wouldn't rely on MFP for micronutritional accuracy - most foods don't have entries for these things included. I'd just ensure I was eating a range of foods, colours, variety etc.
  • ILoveGingerNut
    ILoveGingerNut Posts: 367 Member
    Google
  • ILoveGingerNut
    ILoveGingerNut Posts: 367 Member
    I wouldn't rely on MFP for micronutritional accuracy - most foods don't have entries for these things included. I'd just ensure I was eating a range of foods, colours, variety etc.

    ^^^This
  • isulo_kura
    isulo_kura Posts: 818 Member
    Just eat a variety of food
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    It would be nice if ALL food packages had ALL the basic nutritional info on it - some products have potassium listed, some don't. One brand of yogurt does, another brand doesn't - doesn't mean the 2nd yogurt doesn't have potassium. :tongue:

    It is frustrating when you want to meet your nutrition goals, and the food is missing info. :neutral:

  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    It would be nice if ALL food packages had ALL the basic nutritional info on it - some products have potassium listed, some don't. One brand of yogurt does, another brand doesn't - doesn't mean the 2nd yogurt doesn't have potassium. :tongue:

    It is frustrating when you want to meet your nutrition goals, and the food is missing info. :neutral:

    The big thing is that food labels are not required to list every single micronutrient the food contains. Currently, the FDA mandates that vitamin A, vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron be listed on the labels, though companies can add additional micros. Current proposals (fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm385663.htm) for a new nutrition facts panel will remove vitamin A and C and calories from fat and replace it with potassium, vitamin D, and added sugars.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    Oh jeez..why remove vitamin A and C?! !!!
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    Oh jeez..why remove vitamin A and C?! !!!
    From what I remember from a nutrition lecture from last semester (we ended up discussing these changes for a bit), most Americans already meet the RDA for vitamins A and C, while the vast majority do not meet the RDA for vitamin D.

  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    abatonfan wrote: »
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    Oh jeez..why remove vitamin A and C?! !!!
    From what I remember from a nutrition lecture from last semester (we ended up discussing these changes for a bit), most Americans already meet the RDA for vitamins A and C, while the vast majority do not meet the RDA for vitamin D.

    How to get the RDA of Vitamin D in 3 easy steps:

    Step 1. Walk outside.
    Step 2. Stay outside for 15 minutes.
    Step 3. Walk back inside.


    Voila. You now have enough Vitamin D to survive another day.




    I have to ask: Why remove calories from fat? Is it because fat doesn't make you fat? No, wait. That's not right...

    I do like the idea of putting potassium on the label. That's something that people seem to struggle getting (unless they cook all their foods at home).
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    I don't know what purpose it serves to know the "calories from fat" - isn't it really about the total calories?

    I can see maybe removing vitamin C - it's really really easy to get enough vitamin C
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    I don't know what purpose it serves to know the "calories from fat" - isn't it really about the total calories?

    I can see maybe removing vitamin C - it's really really easy to get enough vitamin C

    Wait. There's a section that reads "calories from fat" that's separate from the total calories? I've never seen that before.
  • GypsyByTheSea
    GypsyByTheSea Posts: 529 Member

    How to get the RDA of Vitamin D in 3 easy steps:

    Step 1. Walk outside.
    Step 2. Stay outside for 15 minutes.
    Step 3. Walk back inside.


    Voila. You now have enough Vitamin D to survive another day.




    Although it is important to protect you skin from sun damage, if you are wearing sunscreen or your skin is covered with clothing - it's almost impossible to absorb enough sunlight to help your body make Vitamin D. Something to think about.

  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    I don't know what purpose it serves to know the "calories from fat" - isn't it really about the total calories?

    I can see maybe removing vitamin C - it's really really easy to get enough vitamin C

    Wait. There's a section that reads "calories from fat" that's separate from the total calories? I've never seen that before.

    Yes there is. It's somewhat pointless if you ask me...but nobody did, :trollface: ha ha

  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    Because of the low-fat craze there probably was a suggestion somewhere from some expert to make sure that you don't have more than x amount of calories from fat per day..that's probably why that is included.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    abatonfan wrote: »
    How to get the RDA of Vitamin D in 3 easy steps:

    Step 1. Walk outside.
    Step 2. Stay outside for 15 minutes.
    Step 3. Walk back inside.


    Voila. You now have enough Vitamin D to survive another day.

    Unfortunately this isn't so easy for those of us in climates where there is not enough UVB between November and March to make vitamin D. (Which means all the more reason to get outside as often as possible between April and October to build up reserves :smile: )
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    Because of the low-fat craze there probably was a suggestion somewhere from some expert to make sure that you don't have more than x amount of calories from fat per day..that's probably why that is included.

    We don't have that in Australia. We get some imported products from the US and I can't stand your labelling (no offence!). We have a column for nutritional info per serve, and also per 100g. It makes comparison so much easier. Fat just goes in the list with everything else
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
    abatonfan wrote: »
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    Oh jeez..why remove vitamin A and C?! !!!
    From what I remember from a nutrition lecture from last semester (we ended up discussing these changes for a bit), most Americans already meet the RDA for vitamins A and C, while the vast majority do not meet the RDA for vitamin D.

    How to get the RDA of Vitamin D in 3 easy steps:

    Step 1. Walk outside.
    Step 2. Stay outside for 15 minutes.
    Step 3. Walk back inside.


    Voila. You now have enough Vitamin D to survive another day.
    Don't forget that one gets very little to no vitamin D from the sun during the winter months if they live above a certain latitude (I think it was anything north of Pittsburgh), even if they're outside a ton. Sunscreen also inhibits vitamin D production within the skin.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member

    How to get the RDA of Vitamin D in 3 easy steps:

    Step 1. Walk outside.
    Step 2. Stay outside for 15 minutes.
    Step 3. Walk back inside.


    Voila. You now have enough Vitamin D to survive another day.




    Although it is important to protect you skin from sun damage, if you are wearing sunscreen or your skin is covered with clothing - it's almost impossible to absorb enough sunlight to help your body make Vitamin D. Something to think about.

    You need ridiculously fair skin to get a burn from being outdoors for 15 minutes.
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    Because of the low-fat craze there probably was a suggestion somewhere from some expert to make sure that you don't have more than x amount of calories from fat per day..that's probably why that is included.

    We don't have that in Australia. We get some imported products from the US and I can't stand your labelling (no offence!). We have a column for nutritional info per serve, and also per 100g. It makes comparison so much easier. Fat just goes in the list with everything else

    30+ years ago, when I was in 7th grade / junior high, we had to learn the metric system because "within a few years, everything in the US will be metric."

    LIES, LIES, LIES.

    It would make a heckuva lot more sense if the nutrition info was based on something like "Per 100g." That would be AWESOME. Even if it were ounces, that would be better than the system now which is very arbitrary. Apparently the serving sizes, from what I read somewhere, were based on not some industry standard, but what a sub set of people reported they considered a serving size.

    That's why ice cream has a 1/2 cup as a serving size. Nobody I know over the age of 2 eats only 1/2 cup of ice cream in one sitting.

    I agree our nutritional information labeling system here is really dumb. I would love for everything to be metric, and labeled per 100g.