Editing %DV for micronutrients (iron)

Sci77

I am needing to keep track of my iron intake and I'm not satisfied that the units I see are %DV. I totally expect that to vary by country, and it certainly varies by age and sex. So I'd like to see what MFP thinks 100% is in mg. But I can't find any way to edit that. I can edit the goal as a percentage, but I can't see what the absolute amount is anywhere (mg). I have a premium subscription too.

Does anybody know where to find this information on MFP? I have done quite a few searches without any remotely relevant results.

Thanks 🙏

Lietchi

The goals are based on FDA requirements, they say: https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032626031-A-Message-about-MyFitnessPal-s-updated-nutrition-goals

kshama2001

Until my hysterectomy, I was anemic. The values for iron for USER-created entries are wrong more often than not.* I'd edit them. But this was all rather pointless, as I also needed supplements and iron infusions, so my dietary values weren't really relevant.

I couldn't take the supplements the VA wanted to give me - I used iron bisglycinate. There are two values for iron, a low one (elemental) and a high one (entire mineral ingredient form.) These brands uses the low value, but it does not mean they have 10x less iron than brands that use the high value.

I had zero GI issues with iron bisglycinate. No constipation, no pain.

Solgar Gentle Iron (Iron Bisglycinate) 25 mg - 180 Vegetable Capsules - Non-Constipating, Gentle on Your Stomach - Non-GMO, Gluten Free - 180 Servings

NOW Supplements, Iron 36 mg, Double Strength, Non-Constipating*, Essential Mineral, 90 Veg Capsules

Here is my standard disclaimer about supplements: anemia is a serious condition. Get bloodwork done before supplementing both to get a baseline and because too much iron can cause problems as well. Then get bloodwork done regularly, minimally once a year. I was really anemic and had it done about 4 times per year.

I received much better care for my anemia once I started seeing a hematologist.

* Unfortunately, the green check marks in the MFP database are used for both USER-created entries and ADMIN-created entries that MFP pulled from the USDA database. A green check mark for USER-created entries just means enough people have upvoted the entry - it is not necessarily correct.

To find ADMIN entries for whole foods, I get the syntax from the USDA database and paste that into MFP. All ADMIN entries from the USDA will have weights as an option BUT there is a glitch whereby sometimes 1g is the option but the values are actually for 100g. This is pretty easy to spot though, as when added the calories are 100x more than is reasonable.

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Use the “SR Legacy” tab - that's what MFP used to pull in entries.

Note: any MFP entry that includes "USDA" was USER entered.

For packaged foods, I verify the label against what I find in MFP. (Alas, you cannot just scan with your phone and assume what you get is correct. Note: scanning is mostly only available with Premium these days.)

Sci77

Thank you Lietchi. It's good to know the course. Now I wish I could change it to mg. My situation isn't helped by fasting and therefore missing one meal each day so I need to count mg, not see DV% for a 2000 kcal diet 😐

I'm not anaemic. I see my GP regularly. I'm under his care in this regard.

kshama2001

Sci77 wrote: »

Thank you Lietchi. It's good to know the course. Now I wish I could change it to mg. My situation isn't helped by fasting and therefore missing one meal each day so I need to count mg, not see DV% for a 2000 kcal diet 😐

I'm not anaemic. I see my GP regularly. I'm under his care in this regard.

Do you have non-anaemic iron deficiency?

AnnPT77

Sci77 wrote: »

Thank you Lietchi. It's good to know the course. Now I wish I could change it to mg. My situation isn't helped by fasting and therefore missing one meal each day so I need to count mg, not see DV% for a 2000 kcal diet 😐

I'm not anaemic. I see my GP regularly. I'm under his care in this regard.

I think you can change the percentage in the Goals part of MFP, if you want to get more or less iron than the typical RDA. You could take a look at the RDA milligrams, and if you want to get (say) 90% or 120% of that milligram amount, change your MFP goal percent accordingly.

Caveat: I know one can change that percent in Goals. I've never done that and tracked my food over time with an unusual setting, because that's not something I need to manage that closely myself. Therefore, if there's anything weird in the way that would play out, I don't know about it.

Just a thought.

SafariGalNYC

I track iron… I also supplement with additional iron. I wish it was in mg instead of DV% - I suggested this in the MFP features area of community.. I haven’t seen any change. It would be beneficial to a lot of people. You can also suggest this in the features area.

Until then- I switched the % of the daily goal in my personal settings to 125% instead of 100% which is 18mg. So my goal is 25% higher.