Where to get accurate calorie count?

janolagranola

Where is the most accurate place to get nutrition info? I'm trying to track my food intake but get frustrated with things like how many calories are in an egg. I need an excellent database as I build my own here for foods that don't have a nutrition label. I appreciate any help you can offer. I'm just learning how to use MFP.

seska422

We can never be 100% accurate. All we can do is get the most accurate estimates that we can.

The egg is a good example. It is a natural product that is sorted by size. Even within the sorted sizes, actual egg weight varies a bit. Beyond that, the balance of the nutrients in the white and yolk can vary depending upon the diet of the chicken that laid the egg. You can't just find an entry for "egg" in the MFP database and use that for every egg because small eggs have fewer calories than large eggs have.

The closest that we can get on the nutritional info is to double-check the info on the package (or the USDA info for fresh things) against the MFP database entry that we plan to use, and then edit that entry if necessary.

Once the nutritional info has been made as accurate as possible, it's important to weigh solids on a food scale and measure liquids with cups/spoons. Having accurate nutritional info won't help if you are eating more than you think you are eating.

janolagranola

Thank you very much! All of that makes sense. So what's the easiest way to access the MFP database? I know I can build my own, but I also know there is one already in existence.

CyberTone

Please read through these articles, and many other helpful articles, on the MFP Help pages...
https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/topics/455840-food-diary-and-food-database/articles