Who do you believe?

mom2wessarah

Has anyone found that the information in this database can be different than other sources of nutrition information? For example, I was adding my lunch, it included sashimi tuna. I found it in the database here, but when I googled to find the nutrition info, it was quite different than what was in this database; more calories, fat, etc.

Where is the best place to get accurate info?

zyxst

I'd go with the packet info, the USDA database, and/or Self Nutrition Data. I never trust anything in MFP database unless it's something I put in myself.

StaciMarie1974

It depends.

If you are entering information that has a product package then the information can be different if a) a user entered it incorrectly or b) if the product details have changed. Manufacturers change serving sizes and such from time to time.

If you were entering something without product packaging, the nutrition info will vary depending on how closely what you eat resembles the entry you choose. For example I might make dirty rice and create a recipe based on the ingredients and quantities that go into my dish. If you make dirty rice, your ingredients and quantities are likely different. Therefore the nutrition details of my dish and yours won't be the same.

MommyL2015

I always double-check the information in the MFP database. You can have a bunch of different entries for the same food, so I rarely trust it. I've seen incorrect entries for "verified" ones with the green check mark. I go by the labels on my food and trusted nutrition information sites like USDA. I rarely add anything to the database but I'll find the one that matches the information that I have verified myself.

CooCooPuff

https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods I use this if it's a whole food.
For packaged foods, I'll either take a picture of the nutrition information to double check with later or use the companies website or something like Walmart's website to verify.

chunky_pinup

zyxst wrote: »

I'd go with the packet info, the USDA database, and/or Self Nutrition Data. I never trust anything in MFP database unless it's something I put in myself.

This. For the longest time I couldn't figure out how my side salad I eat with lunch was causing me to go over my fat macros until I realized the tomato entry I'd been using had 9 grams of fat for 1 ounce! Always verify entries with USDA, or the product packaging.

itsbasschick

manufacturer package info or USDA for me.

rawley69

chunky_pinup wrote: »

zyxst wrote: »

I'd go with the packet info, the USDA database, and/or Self Nutrition Data. I never trust anything in MFP database unless it's something I put in myself.

This. For the longest time I couldn't figure out how my side salad I eat with lunch was causing me to go over my fat macros until I realized the tomato entry I'd been using had 9 grams of fat for 1 ounce! Always verify entries with USDA, or the product packaging.

HAhaha, that's more fat than an avocado! Hell, that's almost as much as your average slice of bacon.

Nicklebee93

I always check my packaging, i've noticed MFP can actually give more/less calories then my packaging states. But in general, i found MFP to be pretty accurate, at least from the food i eat.

kshama2001

CooCooPuff wrote: »

https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods I use this if it's a whole food.
For packaged foods, I'll either take a picture of the nutrition information to double check with later or use the companies website or something like Walmart's website to verify.

Ya, I go to the USDA site to get the syntax for a whole food and then search for it in the MFP database.

rdstrickland7

I just recently started using MFP and YES, so many items in the database are incorrect! I scan products I can, fresh food I double check and for items I simply cannot find a correct match I Google the nutrition info for it and enter it. I also wish there were more options on portion sizes...ie .2 oz of sliced deli turkey? I don't have a scale and would prefer a choice of per slice. It might not be exact, but if it is thin sliced it will be close enough for me.

lkpducky

MommyL2015 wrote: »

I've seen incorrect entries for "verified" ones with the green check mark.

I've seen several "verified" entries for solid foods where all the units were for liquids! Who measures canned tomatoes, lima beans, rice, etc. in fluid ounces or ml?

CooCooPuff

lkpducky wrote: »

MommyL2015 wrote: »

I've seen incorrect entries for "verified" ones with the green check mark.

I've seen several "verified" entries for solid foods where all the units were for liquids! Who measures canned tomatoes, lima beans, rice, etc. in fluid ounces or ml?

Cups will continue to remain popular in the US

Machka9

mom2wessarah wrote: »

Has anyone found that the information in this database can be different than other sources of nutrition information? For example, I was adding my lunch, it included sashimi tuna. I found it in the database here, but when I googled to find the nutrition info, it was quite different than what was in this database; more calories, fat, etc.

Where is the best place to get accurate info?

1) Check the package. If there are calories listed on the package, that's what I go with.

2) When you do a search, make sure you've got the right brand. Woolworth's store brand of pumpkin soup might be different from LaZuppa's brand of pumpkin soup.

3) When you do a search, type your country in beside the name of the product. This is especially important for chain restaurants where Australian food tends to be slightly lower in calories than US. But there's also a difference between UK food and Australian food. Choose the one from your country.

4) Check serving sizes. I've corrected several of these but keep coming across them. For example, Ainsley Harriott couscous ... love it! I get a small packet, add veggies, and voila, that's lunch. Except that the "small packet" which I easily consume in one sitting is actually 2 servings not 1. And when I went to log it the first time, someone else thought it was only one serving too and logged it as such.
http://www.ainsley-harriott.com/products/ranges/cous-cous/34/moroccan-medley-cous-cous-

5) Double-check with Nutrition Data or other sites from your country. Keep in mind that what you are buying in your country could well be different from a similar item in another country. Probably not fresh fruit and veg, they should be the same, but anything packed or processed or whatever.

6) And I use grams as my weight measurement whenever possible because that's how I weigh my food.

knelson095

Definitely double check. While making a recipe I typed in 'chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw' today and the first one up was a per gram entry and for 852 grams it said something like ~350 calories...it's actually more like 900...

ETA: it's now showing a more proper one first, but the phone app has been pretty inconsistent lately.

Francl27

For sashimi tuna it will never be accurate anyway, unless you're home and can weigh your piece of tuna, then you can use the 'tuna raw usda' entries.

Otherwise, you just eyeball it and use an average entry.

chunky_pinup

rawley69 wrote: »

chunky_pinup wrote: »

zyxst wrote: »

I'd go with the packet info, the USDA database, and/or Self Nutrition Data. I never trust anything in MFP database unless it's something I put in myself.

This. For the longest time I couldn't figure out how my side salad I eat with lunch was causing me to go over my fat macros until I realized the tomato entry I'd been using had 9 grams of fat for 1 ounce! Always verify entries with USDA, or the product packaging.

HAhaha, that's more fat than an avocado! Hell, that's almost as much as your average slice of bacon.

lol...yeah. I was getting pretty frustrated because I couldn't for the life of me figure out how my macros were getting so out of whack every day! I didn't even think to look at the nutritional value of the veggies I was putting in when I was trying to figure out where it all was coming from...until I realized the insanely high number for the 3 ounces of tomatoes I'd put on my salad! Oye! Definitely felt like a fool when I figured it out, haha!

mom2wessarah

Thank you for all the information. Glad to find out about the USDA site. I was actually at a restaurant and had the sashimi tuna salad (just the tuna and some avocado). I knew I was going to have that for lunch, I always check menus before going, so I brought along a paper plate and my food scale!

There was another post about how the poster is embarrassed to weigh food (in her own kitchen!) in front of her boyfriend. I didn't care. I took the tuna, weighed it, then the avocado and weighed it! Right there at the table in the restaurant!

Thanks again for all the comments.

rileysowner

Prepared stuff from the nutrition label as there are regional differences and manufacturers will change recipes from time to time leading to differences in the database.

Seffell

I trust what is printed on the package. I use the MFP items in the database but after I compare them with the package. In most cases I can easily find the item with the correct values already entered. I usually scan the barcode to find an item.

abatonfan

1. The package label itself or the website for that place (if it's fast food or restaurant food)
2. The USDA (if it's something like raw/cooked meat, vegetables/fruit, super generic individual ingredients)
3. CalorieKing or nutrition info from other restaurants (when I need to WAG something completely unique to me and I cannot break it down into individual components -like a dish from a local Chinese restaurant where I don't 100% know what ingredients were added to the sauce)

I can't simply trust the MFP database. I've kicked myself in the butt too many times treating wicked high and low blood sugars because I was stupid and believed the entry within MFP was accurate (especially when how much insulin I take for a meal is dependent on how many carbs I consume). Part of me is so passive-aggressive (probably more aggressive -especially when I'm hangry and can't eat until I get my carb counts) that I want to strangle the people who clog up the database with horrible entries (like those people who input potato chips at 60kcal, 0g of carbs, 20g of fat, and 15g protein or some other nonsense... or those who don't put in any macros and only have the calories listed)