How to record Salads

MarkH1916

Hi,

Not sure if this is the right place. Just some advice on an entry for MyFitnessPal.

We often have a salad of Iceberg lettuce, radishes (sliced, sometimes whole) sliced cucumber. I don't like mayonnaise or any other dressing.

Any recommendations on how to record this on MyFitnessPal? Individual items or is there one entry for all?

sweetilemon

You can create a 'recipe' in theory although I tried it the other day and every time I went to confirm the ingredient it said item not found so gave up. To track a accurately you'd need to include all the ingredients...I just search 'side salad' or 'large salad' and pick one I think would be close to what I'm having. I do have a lot to lose and a 2lb at least deficit so it doesn't make a huge difference to me. I suppose it might if you don't have much to lose.

malibu927

sweetilemon wrote: »

You can create a 'recipe' in theory although I tried it the other day and every time I went to confirm the ingredient it said item not found so gave up. To track a accurately you'd need to include all the ingredients...I just search 'side salad' or 'large salad' and pick one I think would be close to what I'm having. I do have a lot to lose and a 2lb at least deficit so it doesn't make a huge difference to me. I suppose it might if you don't have much to lose.

The problem with using generic entries like that out of the database is you can't verify what the person who made it used in their salad. Logging every item or creating a recipe is the way to go.

What was the item you couldn't find? Even if it's uncommon, your best bet would be to create an entry for it.

GauchoMark

I eat a salad almost every day. I log each ingredient separately. If I am in a really big hurry, I'll log a Panera Classic salad with no meat or dressing to cover the veggies then log the meat and whatever other calorie dense items separately.

At the end of the day, if you screw up logging lettuce and celery, you probably didn't make too big of a mistake - its the meats, toppings, cheese, and dressings that you have to be wary of in a salad.

If you eat them regularly, this stuff shows up on the recent or frequent tabs so you can just multi select them and it literally takes like 30 seconds or so.

zyxst

I record my salad ingredients individually. It works better for me since I don't use the same stuff every time.

MarkH1916

I have done the individual item logging so far and will continue. Thanks for the help.

snowflake930

My salad is always the same ingredients, so I entered my "recipe" for salad and always use that.
Quick and easy.

fr33sia12

I add everything separately if I'm making the salad myself. My food diary is open so you can see every day how I log it.

jhmomofmany

I have a recipe created for when I have a salad with meat, egg, and dressing. If it's just lettuce and non-starchy veggies, I just use an entry for bagged salad even if it wasn't.

Queenmunchy

Bowl on scale, tare, lettuce - record weight, tare, radish - record weight, tare, etc.

Ready2Rock206

Queenmunchy wrote: »

Bowl on scale, tare, lettuce - record weight, tare, radish - record weight, tare, etc.

This exactly. Just takes a few seconds. Easy peasy and you have an accurate diary.

beemerphile1

A tossed salad has so few calories accuracy isn't the same concern as some other calorie dense food.

I just used tossed salad 150 calories plus whatever dressing I am using.

The calorie density is in the dressing, not the greens.

rhtexasgal

I eat approximately the same size salad with the same ingredients most nights so I created a recipe but also sometimes, I add the ingredients individually.

On a side note - if you can afford it, invest in different kinds of lettuce. Iceberg lettuce doesn't really have any nutrition, but red leaf lettuce and romaine (and to an extent green leaf and boston varieties and many others) are packed with vitamin A and also contain vitamin C, calcium, iron, vitamin b-6 and some magnesium too.

I used to primarily eat iceberg lettuce but once I discovered that I can get more of a nutritional punch with other kinds of lettuce, I switched. Sure, some lettuce is a little more expensive but I decided my health was worth the investment.

sweetilemon

malibu927 wrote: »

sweetilemon wrote: »

You can create a 'recipe' in theory although I tried it the other day and every time I went to confirm the ingredient it said item not found so gave up. To track a accurately you'd need to include all the ingredients...I just search 'side salad' or 'large salad' and pick one I think would be close to what I'm having. I do have a lot to lose and a 2lb at least deficit so it doesn't make a huge difference to me. I suppose it might if you don't have much to lose.

The problem with using generic entries like that out of the database is you can't verify what the person who made it used in their salad. Logging every item or creating a recipe is the way to go.

What was the item you couldn't find? Even if it's uncommon, your best bet would be to create an entry for it.

It was a chilli recipe I was trying to make, I scanned all the items in (all found) but when I pressed the tick to confirm it said item not found and didn't add then to the list. It did add some so think it was a fault.

capaul42

I saved my salad as a Meal so that it's a bit easier to edit the weights of each item. Not that it's a big deal as my salad has 4 items total (including dressing). I also did that with certain meals we have regularly: like big breakfast (eggs, toast, bacon and hashbrowns) and my week day breakfast and lunch (which is the same all week). Makes prelogging easy. I just go in and edit the weights when I cook/make it.

JeromeBarry1

Salads can get complicated. I simply put the bowl on the scale and add stuff. When the green leafy things are done, I record that weight and zero the scale. When the next discrete item is done, I record that weight and zero the scale. Repeat for each item.

malibu927

OP, if you're still around, here's an example from another user on how to log it. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/tincanonastring

stealthq

Others have already answered the question, but I wanted to add a trick I occasionally use when I'm really lazy. I'll pick the highest calorie salad ingredient (usually tomatoes for me), and log the whole bowl like it's nothing but tomatoes. Any dressing, cheese, etc gets logged separately.

I figure I'm logging on the high side, but it won't be so much that I'm shortchanging myself much on daily calories.

Alluminati

malibu927 wrote: »

OP, if you're still around, here's an example from another user on how to log it. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/tincanonastring

Mentali

Frankly, I know people are very big on "log every morsel" but I don't bother under a certain amount. I'll just weigh the parts that have enough calories to make a difference in my deficit - cheese, meat, dressing, croutons, those kinds of things. Then for the salad I just estimate 150-200 calories for lettuce and call it a day. I'm probably off but I believe if anything, I'm overestimating calories for a bowl of lettuce and tomato.

peleroja

Mentali wrote: »

Frankly, I know people are very big on "log every morsel" but I don't bother under a certain amount. I'll just weigh the parts that have enough calories to make a difference in my deficit - cheese, meat, dressing, croutons, those kinds of things. Then for the salad I just estimate 150-200 calories for lettuce and call it a day. I'm probably off but I believe if anything, I'm overestimating calories for a bowl of lettuce and tomato.

I often just pick one of the more calorie-dense vegetables and log it as that. If I'm eating a bowl of romaine, tomato, bell pepper, carrot, broccoli, radish, and cucumber, I just weigh the total and log it as carrot so I don't have to do everything individually. Vegetables like those are low enough calorie that I don't worry too much about precision, especially as I'm not trying to lose weight.

I do add protein or dressing separately as those pack a bigger hit.

callsitlikeiseeit

i weigh and log each ingredient.

Jruzer

andream1976

zyxst wrote: »

I record my salad ingredients individually. It works better for me since I don't use the same stuff every time.

I do this, too. Because I find that even if I make a recipe and call it something like "My Veggie Salad" or "My Grilled Chicken Salad" I might switch out the ingredients from time to time or use a different salad dressing, so it's really most accurate to just log each item you use. It may not make a huge difference in your calorie/nutrition goals right now, but trust me, as you near your goal and/or hit a plateau every single calorie is going to count. So might as well track it correctly.

MarkH1916

malibu927 wrote: »

OP, if you're still around, here's an example from another user on how to log it. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/tincanonastring

Hi, thanks but this entry was blank for me

Thanks for all the comments, been recording them individually which isn't as bad now they are on the regular items list. Trying to overestimate where possible

I tend not to like many other lettuce, iceberg is my favourite but will branch out

elisa123gal

i'd log the fat or dressing accurately…then just eyeball the rest.. that's what I do.. i have lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion on my list and just check the same amount each time.

evesmom2

I created a recipe called MY SALAD with everything I have put in a salad except the dressing (lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, etc) then as I'm making a salad, I bring it up and delete items I'm not using and change item weights if needed

RoxieDawn

I created a larger dinner salad and side salad and copied these as "meal" in my food diary The "meal" can easily be selected and altered. It is almost always the same ingredients except I might change up flavor of the dressing or add chicken breast, boiled egg or other topping.