Be-warned!

swimmingrocks889
swimmingrocks889 Posts: 11
in Food and Nutrition
'Sorry for the dramatic title' :)

I am fairly new to this site and so I didn't realise you could check what's in the food you've selected against what the label on the food you brought states, so I fell into the trap of selecting a random food from the database that was 'salmon' when I ate salmon. However, this was a mistake, as the salmon I ate didn't have much fat or cholesterol in it- BUT the one I was selecting did. And so I got very confused when my cholesterol levels were extremely high on three days this week (all when I've had salmon).

I just thought that I should warn any new users about the fact that you can actually check what the food you're selecting has in it- by searching for it in the database FIRST and seeing if it is the same as the product you ate.

Hope this helps some people :)

Replies

  • Tiamaria1010
    Tiamaria1010 Posts: 40 Member
    You should try scanning your food--works much better that way. I never select from the database unless that is my only option. I create my own meals which is MUCH better. That way you know you are selecting the right food every time.
  • WW_Jude_V2
    WW_Jude_V2 Posts: 209 Member
    I am fairly new to this site and so I didn't realise you could check what's in the food you've selected against what the label on the food you brought states, so I fell into the trap of selecting a random food from the database that was 'salmon' when I ate salmon.

    New here as well and I noticed the same thing. It helps that the database contains a lot of actual brand names. For a while it was taking me three or four attempts to find the "right" salmon or orange or even almonds that matched with my item.

    I love the ability to build your food list to select from so you only have to do the searching the first time.
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  • swimmingrocks889
    swimmingrocks889 Posts: 11
    @MrM27 it's only low fat because there's hardly any of it! :) Although it depends what kind of fats you're talking about, I was referring to the more 'unhealthy' ones.
  • Fittreelol
    Fittreelol Posts: 2,535 Member
    Interested to see this low fat Salmon.

    Keta salmon is low fat compared to Coho or Sockeye.

    The more you know *
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,371 Member
    I was always under the impression that oily fish were actually good for your heart?
  • Galatea_Stone
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
    On a tangential but related note, I wouldn't worry about cholesterol in salmon. Studies show it raises HDL and helps lower LDL.

    Ditto with a lot of the good foods that are in your diet, but nutrition data on here doesn't distinguish.
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  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
    http://www.healthcastle.com/which-salmon-species-you

    I don't see a huge variance of fat levels between the types of salmon. I love fat. :heart:
  • stef_monster
    stef_monster Posts: 205 Member
    I definitely scan stuff when I can to cut down on errors. When you're using the website, though, you can also use the blue 'nutritional info' link under the food name when you search it in the database to add it to your diary. That will give you a block of info on macro/ micronutrients. I've found that you're kind of S.O.L. on the app, though, as it doesn't provide as much detailed info.

    If I could give one piece of advice to new MFPers about the food database, it would definitely be to use the entries with NO ASTERISK (*) as much as possible. These are entries that line up with USDA nutritional info. I use them when I need to log raw stuff- veggies, fruit, etc. that doesn't have bar codes. These entries usually have a 100 gram serving size option as well, which is roughly the best thing ever because you can log food without having to whip out a calculator.

    Definitely verify your food entries against the physical nutritional info label, folks. It's tedious at first, but once you get the correct entry selected, it should show up in your 'recent' or 'frequent' tab and you can select it from there going forward. It's easy to forget that the vast majority of the entries on here are user-submitted and subject to error.
  • Jewlz280
    Jewlz280 Posts: 547 Member
    You don't have to search the database first. When you 'Search' click on whichever one you think is close and then to the right where it gives the info in red, under that there is a spot with 'Nutritional Info' in blue. If you click on that, another small window opens telling the details. If that isn't the right one, you just click the box closed and move down to the next item to check it before you 'Add Food to Diary'. Hope that helps!
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
    You should try scanning your food--works much better that way. I never select from the database unless that is my only option. I create my own meals which is MUCH better. That way you know you are selecting the right food every time.

    I have found several barcode items that were entered incorrectly. I love the scanning feature, but you have to be careful. Double check the printed info to the info in the database. Besides, a significant portion of my food does not come with a barcode so I do have to spend time googling the correct nutritional info and editing incorrect entries in the database. It gets old after a while, but I like to be as accurate as possible.
  • Telomin
    Telomin Posts: 45 Member
    Personally I'd rather overestimated my calories than, like a friend of mine, who always underestimates it. Guess who've lost the most weight?
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    You always need to double check, even for things listed as the same size, type and brand.

    There are members from all over the world here and sometimes the same items in other countries have different nutritional information. You also need to double check serving sizes. Also, a lot of information is posted by users which means there can be inputting errors.
  • RockWarrior84
    RockWarrior84 Posts: 840 Member
    Interested to see this low fat Salmon.

    Keta salmon is low fat compared to Coho or Sockeye.

    The more you know *
    OP, are either of those 3 the salmon you eat. Are you eating Keta salmon or are we talking standard Atlantic or Farm raised?

    There are more then 3 types, Coho (silver), Chinook (king), sockeye (red), Atlantic (typically farm raised), chum (dog or keta), Humpies (Pink). If you bought it at a store more then likely is is Atlantic.
  • TriNoob
    TriNoob Posts: 96 Member
    http://www.healthcastle.com/which-salmon-species-you

    I don't see a huge variance of fat levels between the types of salmon. I love fat. :heart:

    Yea...just a 194.5% increase between the lowest and highest fat levels per 3.5oz serving. Not a huge variance.
  • errorist
    errorist Posts: 142 Member
    When it comes to un-scannable foods (meat and fish bought over the counter, and veg from the greengrocers) the key word is usually 'usda'. It gets you to the basic nutritional data for that item. The usda entry is a very useful touchstone.

    Ironically, in the UK, the 'asda' entries are also usually very good. So - usda and asda...
  • Tiamaria1010
    Tiamaria1010 Posts: 40 Member
    I always check the scan against what the package says. All of my meat and veggies have the bar code on it--which makes life super easy.
  • RockWarrior84
    RockWarrior84 Posts: 840 Member
    I always check the scan against what the package says. All of my meat and veggies have the bar code on it--which makes life super easy.

    Veggie, meat and fish tend to not have the barcodes. USDA is the way to go.

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