Are they accurate?

Mamakatspokane

I've been on MFP for a few weeks and yesterday I went in to enter a food to my diary and it gave me a few choices for the same food. They all had different calories (for the same serving); I went to the food items website to find out the real calorie content and they do not have the cals posted....So my question is; Are the calories on MFP accurate? Does anyone check them out or should I just trust that they are.
Thanks in advance for your responses :flowerforyou:

kandyjo

Oh...wow!!! I didn't even think that they might not be accurate. WOW!!! I hope they are, because I have just assumed they were....
Definitely giving this a bump because this is a big deal....NEED TO KNOW...

kandyjo

Oh...wow!!! I didn't even think that they might not be accurate. WOW!!! I hope they are, because I have just assumed they were....
Definitely giving this a bump because this is a big deal....NEED TO KNOW...

naugustyniak

The majority of the foods put in are by users. I have found quite a few that are inaccurate. I usually, the first time I am putting it in, check the info myself then save it as a "my meals" so I know which one it is. I think some may be different depending on where you live also (don't quote me on this but I think I read it somewhere, different countries). Sometimes there is no confirmation on it, I will change the info and confirm it. Sometimes people get in a hurry and put the wrong stuff in. (a lot of the Jello puddings are in without the milk added which makes no sense at all).

christahollis

They're not always accurate. We're relying on each other to enter the data correctly (all the entries with a little asterisk are user supplied), and sometimes that just doesn't happen. Also, sometimes there is minor variation on the nutritional information based upon the processing plant that makes the food.

If I'm entering something that I don't often eat, and it has a user supplied nutritional panel, I always have the package in hand to compare the numbers.

bikegirl777

Just had the same experience! I had a brief, guilty encounter with a chocolate shake tonight. The cafe didn't have the nutritional info and it wasn't on the company's website. So I started scanning through different entries in the database for chocolate shakes. I was terribly tempted by the one that claimed only 55 calories for a 12 oz shake! That just can't be accurate!

Mamakatspokane

Thanks for the info on the asterick!

DFoether

Yeah I just checked one on a bag of Sun Chips I had today. You def need to check to make sure they are entered right. And some of them don't have the whole nutritional table entered (if you like to track sugar or polyunsaturated fat intake, this could be a big problem).

markei1

If I question the calories provided, then I usually just research the item on www.calorieking.com. It helps me often. When I find out the real caloric content, then I make my own entry on MFP. Hope this helps.