Estimating calories for home cooked meals
DaveinSK
Posts: 86 Member
I'm trying to come up with a framework I can implement at home for more effectively logging calories, and I am curious how other people do it. Some dishes are pretty easy since they're individual items and can just be measured/weighed as they're plated, but I'm struggling to find a good way of tracking homemade dishes with multiple ingredients often with different mixes of volume/mass measurements and pre/post cooking information.
When you're making something like a lasagna, what's considered best practice for tracking something like that? Do you track the total information of all the ingredients to create the macros for the whole dish, and then weigh it when it comes out of the oven to get a number per 100g or something?
Homemade chili is another challenging one, where even if you weigh all the ingredients going in and say it's 5lbs of chili with X carbs, Y fat and Z protein, after it's been sitting in the crock pot all day reducing it might only weigh 4.5lbs but with all the same nutrients. Unless you weigh it again as a whole when it's done, just weighing a serving could give an incorrect value.
When you're making something like a lasagna, what's considered best practice for tracking something like that? Do you track the total information of all the ingredients to create the macros for the whole dish, and then weigh it when it comes out of the oven to get a number per 100g or something?
Homemade chili is another challenging one, where even if you weigh all the ingredients going in and say it's 5lbs of chili with X carbs, Y fat and Z protein, after it's been sitting in the crock pot all day reducing it might only weigh 4.5lbs but with all the same nutrients. Unless you weigh it again as a whole when it's done, just weighing a serving could give an incorrect value.
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I use the recipe builder tool on here and divide the finished product into servings of the size I would eat.0
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Basically what you said. I add all the ingredients together and then when it is done cooking I weigh out the total weight of the food, minus the dish and figure out what the calories per 100g is.0
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Recipe builder+food scale. Weigh the total product before you cook it, then weigh it after its done.0
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I use the recipe builder and weigh the total when finished. I keep a little notebook in the kitchen to keep any notes like how much one serving weighs and calories. I also weighed some of my plates and pots, in case I forget to do it sometime. There are other people in my household eating usually too. Sometimes I'll go ahead and save an additional separate measured portion for me if I plan on eating it another day (just so I don't have to measure it out later). I also use little post it notes to label containers so my family will know not to eat my measured ones.
I really like the recipe builder because you can go back in and edit if you use something different than the last time.0 -
I use the MFP recipe builder. Click "Food" in the headings, then "Recipes." I got frustrated with the "Import Recipes" hokum so now I always select "Add Recipe Manually." Be patient. If you're like me it will seem pretty clunky but you get used to it and once the recipe is in your "Recipe Box" Its simple to add it to your diary. The next time you make it, if anything changes you can just edit the ingredients that are different.0
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Another one saying "recipe builder" that is what it is there for!0
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I use the MFP recipe builder. Click "Food" in the headings, then "Recipes." I got frustrated with the "Import Recipes" hokum so now I always select "Add Recipe Manually." Be patient. If you're like me it will seem pretty clunky but you get used to it and once the recipe is in your "Recipe Box" Its simple to add it to your diary. The next time you make it, if anything changes you can just edit the ingredients that are different.
should try the importer again...it's been working like a charm lately (just check quantities sometimes if it looks wonky)0 -
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It depends on the food a bit.
If it's something easy like meatballs, I'd weigh the ingredients all together and then determine what size to make the meatballs so they divide out evenly. Typically with those I make 1.5 oz. meatballs and if there's a bit of meatball mix left, I give it to one of the dogs.
For lasagna, I would cut it into whatever number of pieces makes sense, doing my best to cut it evenly, and then list that as the serving size in the recipe builder. That will make some MFPers clutch their pearls in shock but whatever. For chili, I'd probably measure it out to see how many cups there are and then figure out a serving size that divides fairly evenly.0 -
Just to verify: It's important whether I indicate raw vs. cooked in the recipe ingredients, yes? Otherwise the weight/calorie ratio would be incorrect? I would imagine the caloric info would be skewed to be under after water -- by itself or contained in ingredients -- cooks out.0
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Yes, when you are adding ingredients you want to look for raw entries, unless you are adding something that is already cooked.0
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I add up all the calories from individual ingredients and measure the total quantity at the end by volume. To keep it simple, my 1 serving is always equal to 1 cup. For smaller preparations, 1 serving = 1/4 cup.
If it is something not measurable by a cup measure like meatballs, which I made today from scratch, 1 serving = 1 meatball and while making them I made 2 meatballs out of each 1/4 cup of meatball mix, so I know they are all equal sized.
Everything else, I weigh the final product and to keep it simple 1 serving = 100gms (I don't understand ounces).
For stew meat dishes I calculate the calories of all the ingredients except the meat and add it up and add up the meat calories separately. Example: veggies=500 calories and meat=150gms or ounces or whatever. At the end, I separate the meat from the liquid sauce/soup/curry and measure the liquid as 1 serving=1 cup and the meat by weight and calculate servings. So if 380gms of meat=450 cals and after cooking it yielded 300gms, I just put it as 1 serving = 100gms in the recipe builder and I know that 100gms is 150 cals.
If it is shredded meat or small pieces of meat, it all just gets calculated as 1 serving = 1 cup.
Little fussy, but it works.0 -
The recipe builder is great. I think it's one of the best tools this app offers. I figure it's as accurate as it's going to get allowing for the variances and vagaries of people and their measuring, weighing and eating habits.0
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Not sure I full understand but getting the right ingredient and quantity out of the database is 90% of it. "Raw" is a good keyword to enter because it will often return the item from the USDA National Nutrient Database (NDB) which is very often the one you want when it is available. You can recognize the NDB items in the list because they are not preceded by an asterisk.Just to verify: It's important whether I indicate raw vs. cooked in the recipe ingredients, yes? Otherwise the weight/calorie ratio would be incorrect? I would imagine the caloric info would be skewed to be under after water -- by itself or contained in ingredients -- cooks out.
The other semi-tricky thing is the servings. You can must specify the number of servings in the recipe but that's your only choice - servings. You can't indicate Tablespoons, cups, ounces or buckets. But you can edit it, and again, nothings perfect, especially this recipe builder. You get used to it.
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I appreciate the answers. I do like the idea of just weighing the crockpot or lasagna pan on the scale when it's done cooking, even though it means I need to go out and buy a larger food scale.
@nuffer, that's one of the things I struggle with. Rice for instance I prefer al dente, so I don't use the 2 part to 1 part ratio when making it. Because of that I can't really use the weights for a cup of prepared rice since mine is more calorie dense. Ideally I'd measure out say 100g of rice to get the number of calories in the pot, then weigh the pot when it's done cooking to find the total cooked weight, then do (serving weight/total weight)*total calories to get the serving values. When you're mixing ingredients where some have pre-cooked nutritional info and some have prepared info, it gets a little tougher to keep straight.0 -
The items I've had trouble with is homemade kefir and yogurt, and kefir milk, my husband is on a diabetic pump and each carb makes a difference as to insulin intake; but there are many numbers on this site and on the internet that disagree, so finally went by the usda as much as I could; Okara, wet or powdered homemade is another tricky one; then started having problems with metamucil and miralax, the labels for miralax says 0 carbs, but they had to have subtracted the fiber from the carbs because blood sugar was going through the ceiling, so started counting the fiber, also on metamucil they have listed 11 carbs for two rounded teaspoons, I think they did the same thing, subtracted the fiber from the carbs, doesn't work for us, so started adding the fiber numbers, still wondering about it, there hasn't been enough time yet to see if it's enough. We try to do no packaged foods, I make soy milk, grind almonds for flour and use soy flour to cut carbs and stay away from animal fat, we eat complex carbs not simple carbs most of the time; counting is the hard part for me. Also I find that the nutribullet is real handy for getting the veggies down in the form of smoothies. If anyone has ideas for me I would like to hear them.0
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I use the recipe builder, and estimate how many portions each recipe makes when I create the recipe. If I later decide that I was wrong about the number of portions, I go back and edit the recipe. The lentil Waldorf salad I made last week, for instance, turned out to produce six satisfying servings, not four.0
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It doesn't matter how you prepare your rice. The next time you do it, just measure how much raw rice you put into the vessel. If you put in 1 cup (which is about 650 cals), put that down in your recipe builder. After you are done boiling it to the consistency you like, measure the total amount it yields. If it yields 2.5 cups, put the number of servings in your recipe builder as 2.5 assuming 1 serving = 1 cup. Since that is the way you always make it, each time you add rice to your diary, simply log how much you put on your plate. If you put 1 cup in your plate, add 1 serving of rice from your recipe tab. It will be customised to your preference and you don't have to use the MFP database entries.0
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Agreed - I didn't use it for the longest time because I'd read it didn't work very well, but I've had no trouble recently and found it really quick and easy.I use the MFP recipe builder. Click "Food" in the headings, then "Recipes." I got frustrated with the "Import Recipes" hokum so now I always select "Add Recipe Manually." Be patient. If you're like me it will seem pretty clunky but you get used to it and once the recipe is in your "Recipe Box" Its simple to add it to your diary. The next time you make it, if anything changes you can just edit the ingredients that are different.
should try the importer again...it's been working like a charm lately (just check quantities sometimes if it looks wonky)
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Well good luck to you however you work it out but sounds like a tough road to travel. Your 100 grams of rice have the same caloric/nutrient value whether you add 175 or 200 g of liquid. If you weigh the finished dish you are weighing the water too. Some of that water is lost through evaporation. Sometimes a lot of it. When I enter ingredients for a soup or a pilaf I don't care about the weight of the water because there are no nutrients or calories. If I add stock that does have calories and nutrients it is important to count all of calories not reduce them by percentage of evaporation. Presumably the calories and nutrients don't evaporate. So I guess I'm saying, It's the weight of stuff that goes into the oven that counts. Not the weight that comes out.I appreciate the answers. I do like the idea of just weighing the crockpot or lasagna pan on the scale when it's done cooking, even though it means I need to go out and buy a larger food scale.
@nuffer, that's one of the things I struggle with. Rice for instance I prefer al dente, so I don't use the 2 part to 1 part ratio when making it. Because of that I can't really use the weights for a cup of prepared rice since mine is more calorie dense. Ideally I'd measure out say 100g of rice to get the number of calories in the pot, then weigh the pot when it's done cooking to find the total cooked weight, then do (serving weight/total weight)*total calories to get the serving values. When you're mixing ingredients where some have pre-cooked nutritional info and some have prepared info, it gets a little tougher to keep straight.
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It doesn't matter how you prepare your rice. The next time you do it, just measure how much raw rice you put into the vessel. If you put in 1 cup (which is about 650 cals), put that down in your recipe builder. After you are done boiling it to the consistency you like, measure the total amount it yields. If it yields 2.5 cups, put the number of servings in your recipe builder as 2.5 assuming 1 serving = 1 cup. Since that is the way you always make it, each time you add rice to your diary, simply log how much you put on your plate. If you put 1 cup in your plate, add 1 serving of rice from your recipe tab. It will be customised to your preference and you don't have to use the MFP database entries.
I think that's pretty similar to what I was imagining, though using volume instead of weight. Measure the calories going in, then measure the total volume/weight and serving volume/weight to get the amount you actually ate. We don't really have standard serving sizes, it's usually more along the lines of a big scoop for the adults, little scoop for the kids.
I do like the idea of using the recipe builder, though I don't think I've made two identical pots of chili in my life.
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Well good luck to you however you work it out but sounds like a tough road to travel. Your 100 grams of rice have the same caloric/nutrient value whether you add 175 or 200 g of liquid. If you weigh the finished dish you are weighing the water too. Some of that water is lost through evaporation. Sometimes a lot of it. When I enter ingredients for a soup or a pilaf I don't care about the weight of the water because there are no nutrients or calories. If I add stock that does have calories and nutrients it is important to count all of calories not reduce them by percentage of evaporation. Presumably the calories and nutrients don't evaporate. So I guess I'm saying, It's the weight of stuff that goes into the oven that counts. Not the weight that comes out.I appreciate the answers. I do like the idea of just weighing the crockpot or lasagna pan on the scale when it's done cooking, even though it means I need to go out and buy a larger food scale.
@nuffer, that's one of the things I struggle with. Rice for instance I prefer al dente, so I don't use the 2 part to 1 part ratio when making it. Because of that I can't really use the weights for a cup of prepared rice since mine is more calorie dense. Ideally I'd measure out say 100g of rice to get the number of calories in the pot, then weigh the pot when it's done cooking to find the total cooked weight, then do (serving weight/total weight)*total calories to get the serving values. When you're mixing ingredients where some have pre-cooked nutritional info and some have prepared info, it gets a little tougher to keep straight.
Yeah, I believe we're thinking along the same lines. The nutrition is determined by what goes into the dish. However, since we make a big dish and then it's served out in various sizes to different people, it's desirable to have an easy way of mapping calories per g or per ml of finished product when the inputs can change weight/volume during cooking.
My biggest problem is when certain things only have info for prepared product, instead of raw.0 -
I build the recipe and log it with the number of servings equal to the total number of grams. Then I can weigh a portion and just log it as 120 servings (if it's 120 grams) for example.0
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I have over 175 recipes in my recipe section! Those are pretty much the only recipes I make and keep repeating. Each time I'm sure I put in different amounts of ingredients even if I'm making them the same way because I never measure ingredients; I go by the taste. I only measure them when I make something for the first time.
Earlier I would make a new recipe for everything I cooked even if I was repeating a recipe from before. I realized that they yielded the same calories give or take 10-20 calories per serving. So I stopped doing that... It wasn't worth the effort for 10-20 calories.
I used to just eyeball my portions too, but it turned out I was underestimating how much I was eating. So now I measure everything that goes on my plate. I don't eat less or starve myself, I only measure it so I can log it accurately. Going over calories doesn't matter but you need to know how much you went over.0 -
I use the recipe builder the best that I can. At the end of the day, we can only be so accurate. Just do the best that you can and if you can't avoid it, estimate to the best of you ability.0
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Another lover of the recipe builder. I don't weigh my dish after I make it though. I live alone so I will be eating the whole thing so I portion it out into the number of servings I entered into the recipe builder by eyeballing. I know if I am a little over in one, I will be a little under in another and it balances out. Obviously, this doesn't work as well if you are cooking for a family. I generally eat it a couple of days, then freeze the leftovers in single servings so I always have some back-up for the times I don't have time to cook. I generally make either 4 or 6 servings.0
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I weigh all ingredients before cooking and then I weigh the entire cooked product. I put all the uncooked ingredients into the recipe builder and make the serving size however many grams the cooked recipe added up to. Then I take however much of the food I'm going to eat and weigh it and add however many grams into how many servings I ate.0
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LOL... I think I broke my account.
I was trying to add a recipe from the web to my recipe box, from
http://www.food.com/recipe/chickpea-daal-indian-24351
It isolated the ingredients correctly, but when I clicked on match ingredients it sat there loading for a little while before erroring out. Now every time I try to click on Food->Recipes, I get this error:
"There was a problem with your request
Sorry, but a server error occurred processing your request. Our team has been notified of the issue."0 -
food scale + recipe builder = problem solved0
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