How to convert mg to % for mfp's food database??

Christine_72

I feel like such a halfwit asking this question... But i get a lot of my nutritional info from the USDA database, where they calculate iron/calcium/vit C etc in mg, whereas MFP uses %.

As an example, 100g of raw spinach contains 2.71mg of iron, how do i convert this to the % so i can add/confirm it in the database here? Some mfp entries say 2.71%, others say 27% or 10%, so obviously other people are having trouble with the conversions!

Is there a simple way to figure this out? Maths is obviously not my strong point

malibu927

https://fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm064928.htm

Going by this chart, 2.71/18=15% of RDA

It does seem confusing though. I'm assuming Australia just shows the grams for these (if they even report the micros)?

Christine_72

malibu927 wrote: »

https://fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm064928.htm

Going by this chart, 2.71/18=15% of RDA

It does seem confusing though. I'm assuming Australia just shows the grams for these (if they even report the micros)?

Australia rarely lists micros on the labels.

The link you posted may as well be in Chinese lol Isnt there a simple formula i can use on my calculator? I have googled the *kitten* out of this, and i cant seem to find a simple, concise answer to this question. A conversion calculator where i just input 2.7 and it converts to the % would be awesome, but i fear there is no such thing and is much too simplified.

lynn_glenmont

Christine_72 wrote: »

malibu927 wrote: »

https://fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm064928.htm

Going by this chart, 2.71/18=15% of RDA

It does seem confusing though. I'm assuming Australia just shows the grams for these (if they even report the micros)?

Australia rarely lists micros on the labels.

The link you posted may as well be in Chinese lol Isnt there a simple formula i can use on my calculator? I have googled the *kitten* out of this, and i cant seem to find a simple, concise answer to this question. A conversion calculator where i just input 2.7 and it converts to the % would be awesome, but i fear there is no such thing and is much too simplified.

The calculation is different for each micro, because the RDA for each micro is different.

On U.S. food labels, 100% of vitamin A is 5000 IUs, 100% of vitamin C is 60 mg, 100% of calcium is 1000 mg, and 100% of iron is 18 mg. You'll need to divide the amount of each micro in a specific food, as found in the USDA database, by the amount of the micro that equals 100% of the RDA.

I appreciate your making the effort, and understanding the difference. Some days it feels like half the MFP database entries I check for whole foods have just taken the mass (weight) listed in the USDA database and stuck it in the MFP entry, without converting it to a percentage.

Christine_72

Thank you @lynn_glenmont I finally get it!

amusedmonkey

I made an excel sheet for that (I can share it if you want). It's actually based on the table in the above link.

ETA: here it is anyway if anyone wants to use it. The colors didn't convert "pretty" from excel to google sheets, oh well. Anyway, all you need to do is enter the value listed on the package and it will convert it to percentage automatically after you press enter. You can download it or use it as is without downloading (I made it editable). Our packages list amounts not percentages, that's why I needed to do this.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1V2hPPEX2uIjRlPB9zHrXajhHrhGe78mMUxglSaX0N-U/edit?usp=sharing

Christine_72

@amusedmonkey Thank you, I'll pm you shortly.

amusedmonkey

I edited my post and added a link for it in case others need this.

Christine_72

amusedmonkey wrote: »

I edited my post and added a link for it in case others need this.

Good thinkin. Thanks again, much appreciated