ingredients

lakcandoit
lakcandoit Posts: 9 Member
in Food and Nutrition
can someone tell me how to determine what an item is comprised of when you search for food?
eg. searched for chef salad - how do I know what is in the one if chose?

Replies

  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    edited June 2016
    I look for something similar in the database or eyeball the ingredients and add the individual ingredients. If you're getting a salad from a chain restaurant or grocery store, check and see if it's in the database -- many are.

    If I go out to lunch or dinner, I often choose places where I know I can look up the nutritional information. Chain restaurants can often tell you the nutritional info if you ask. I went to Potbellys for dinner last night, they had a new item on the menu and looked up the calories for me.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    edited June 2016
    lkeefer3560 wrote: »
    can someone tell me how to determine what an item is comprised of when you search for food?
    eg. searched for chef salad - how do I know what is in the one if chose?

    You don't. That's why you don't use useless entries like that unless you have no other choice. If you made the salad add the ingredients separately. If someone else made it guess at the ingredients and add them separately. If you are just like "eh screw it I just want something on my diary that's somewhat close to what I ate" use the chef salad entry in the database.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,225 Member
    You don't. If you can't log precisely - i.e., you ate it at someone else's house or at a restaurant that doesn't list calories on the web - then either log the components from memory, guessing at amounts; or pick a medium-to-higher calorie entry from the MFP database that's similar, and log that. If you estimate/log components, worry more about getting the higher calorie ones accurate or a little on the high side. For example, in your chef salad, don't sweat the lettuce, worry about the meats, cheese, dressing.

    Any over/under is going to tend to balance out in the long run, especially if you don't need to do this super often. I've estimated fairly frequently while losing 60+ pounds, and have seen no delay from doing so.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    edited June 2016
    A chef salad will vary considerably depending on who makes it.
    If you get it in a restaurant make indivudual guesses on how much meat, eggs, cheese, and salad dressing as those have the most calories

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