If You're Going to Add Something to the Database ...

24

Replies

  • Laoch_Cailin
    Laoch_Cailin Posts: 414 Member
    I had to edit something in the database today. Toufayan gluten free wraps were entered as having 119 calories each. The packaging of this product clearly says it has 110. I realize 9 calories is not a big deal, but how many other things are off by that much?

    ETA: I also wish the recipe creator would allow you to enter the servings as a unit size(cups,grams, etc) rather than number of people it serves. It's difficult to know how many 'servings' I'm going to get out of a pot of Gumbo. But if I could measure out the number of cups it makes, It would be easier to keep track of. My "serving" may not be the same size as my partner's "serving". Difficult to say what portion of a "serving" I've had if I don't know the measurement of that 'serving'.


    I just 'pretend' it says cup size and not servings. Could you not do that. If the recipy has 10 cups just say that 1 cup is 1 serving and so on

    We don't use cups here......would be good if everything had oz/g option too. How much is a cup anyway???

    Most things in Ireland are in grammes. I just put what I use into the database in grammes. But you can use converters in google to figure out cups and things :-)
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    I purposely enter random stuff. This crowd-sourced data is of such poor quality that I am actually doing you a service. Only when the data becomes so useless that they actually create a realistic quality control process will the site really serve us. So each day I add one random food element like generic banana - 313 cal or stomach lint sandwhich 313 cal or toe jam soup 313 cal.

    Haters gonna hate.

    Oh, and I use the metric system. :sick:

    (i'm kidding, excpet for the metric sytem stuff. GET A REAL UNIT, UNIT!)
  • TiffersStr1
    TiffersStr1 Posts: 67 Member
    If I have to add to the database it's usually one of my own recipes.. And if I find something on it that doesn't match the label then I just keep looking for the entry that does match. (I sure hope this is all spelled correctly):laugh:
  • wrevhn
    wrevhn Posts: 864 Member
    I agree! I added something once and the sodium was obscene! I looked it up, it was incorrect. It's kinda annoying. Esp if ppl have confirmed it despite.
  • WisdomRose_wechanged
    WisdomRose_wechanged Posts: 29
    What an eye opener this was. I had no idea the database had so many errors and omissions. I guess I have been naive but I thought if I avoided those database entries that were obviously personalized food items I was getting 'official' complete information in my daily food diary. In future I will create my own private food list. Thank you for opening my eyes.
  • wildapril
    wildapril Posts: 97 Member
    Don't tell me what to do!

    I log 500 calories for half of a large pizza because it makes my numbers look better.

    I just log it as a vegetable because that's way healthier. It tricks your body into treating it like salad!
  • pixtotts
    pixtotts Posts: 552 Member
    I had to edit something in the database today. Toufayan gluten free wraps were entered as having 119 calories each. The packaging of this product clearly says it has 110. I realize 9 calories is not a big deal, but how many other things are off by that much?

    ETA: I also wish the recipe creator would allow you to enter the servings as a unit size(cups,grams, etc) rather than number of people it serves. It's difficult to know how many 'servings' I'm going to get out of a pot of Gumbo. But if I could measure out the number of cups it makes, It would be easier to keep track of. My "serving" may not be the same size as my partner's "serving". Difficult to say what portion of a "serving" I've had if I don't know the measurement of that 'serving'.


    I just 'pretend' it says cup size and not servings. Could you not do that. If the recipy has 10 cups just say that 1 cup is 1 serving and so on

    We don't use cups here......would be good if everything had oz/g option too. How much is a cup anyway???

    :o! then what do you drink from?! (i dont mean that in the way it sounds... it just made me giggle when you said "we dont use cups")

    an average sized glass - 250ml 8fl oz... a cup - 250 ml... although to the none cup users (uk here so i only researched them because 99% of the recipes i found online were in cups ggrr!) they sound like some weird and wonderful thing they are literally just a cup...
    x
  • pyrowill
    pyrowill Posts: 1,163 Member
    I like to falsely log calories then blame other people for why I'm not losing. Dont try to change me.
  • PennStateChick
    PennStateChick Posts: 327 Member
    I had to edit something in the database today. Toufayan gluten free wraps were entered as having 119 calories each. The packaging of this product clearly says it has 110. I realize 9 calories is not a big deal, but how many other things are off by that much?

    ETA: I also wish the recipe creator would allow you to enter the servings as a unit size(cups,grams, etc) rather than number of people it serves. It's difficult to know how many 'servings' I'm going to get out of a pot of Gumbo. But if I could measure out the number of cups it makes, It would be easier to keep track of. My "serving" may not be the same size as my partner's "serving". Difficult to say what portion of a "serving" I've had if I don't know the measurement of that 'serving'.

    I just do it by cups. For instance, if I make chili and get 16 cups from my recipes, I put it what it serves 16 people. If I take 1 cup, I select 1 serving. If I take 2 cups, then I select 2 servings. The nice thing about this is is doesn't have to be just cups. Sometimes I just count servings by number of the ladel scoops. 1 ladel = 1 serving. Then same as cups, if I take 1 ladel then I chose 1 serving, 2 ladels 2 servings, and so on. Just because its labelled number of people its served, doesn't mean you have to enter that. I also make my own peanut butter. Its in by "per tablespoon" and the recipe label is "Homemade PB 1 Tbsp."
  • Antlady69
    Antlady69 Posts: 204 Member
    ETA: I also wish the recipe creator would allow you to enter the servings as a unit size (cups,grams, etc) rather than number of people it serves. It's difficult to know how many 'servings' I'm going to get out of a pot of Gumbo. But if I could measure out the number of cups it makes, It would be easier to keep track of. My "serving" may not be the same size as my partner's "serving". Difficult to say what portion of a "serving" I've had if I don't know the measurement of that 'serving'.

    This.

    Also, I've added things to the database but some of the information simply isn't available (for example, trans fats and unsaturated fats are usually not listed where I live).
  • ChasingAmyLiz
    ChasingAmyLiz Posts: 145 Member
    That's why I love the "scan" feature on my app. It takes all the info straight from the label.
  • msbunnie68
    msbunnie68 Posts: 1,894 Member
    I had to add yet another taco shell to the database because here in Australia we get the old el paso crunchy taco shells that are low salt and made with sunflower oil and NONE of the 5000 taco entries fit the panel for it. We have different serving sizes too. I double check panels for everything.
  • Spokez70
    Spokez70 Posts: 548 Member
    That's why I love the "scan" feature on my app. It takes all the info straight from the label.

    That just references the bar code to an item in the database- convenient but no more trustworthy. I have found them to be completely wrong as well.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    I wish the people who run the website would go through the database and delete **** that isn't right and delete duplicates
  • AnexRavensong
    AnexRavensong Posts: 262 Member
    Sometimes the values change. I have already seen it with stuff I ADDED MYSELF. They change the recipe or whatever... but it is true there are often too many of the same thing and some are way off. That is one of the few good points about me living in France, I'm having to manually add things.

    Weirdly though, there are some things (like Goldfish, Pepperidge Farm Cookies etc) that have a different value in France compared to the US, so generally I try to specify '(France)' in the name of the product. Just as the woman from Australia pointed out.
  • Dauntlessness
    Dauntlessness Posts: 1,489 Member
    I agree. It drives me nuts.
    Thank goodness MFP recognizes things that you eat frequently because it makes it so much easier to find my foods. We can all do our part in voting if it is correct or incorrect and or editing the foods. Its sooo annoying though.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Packaged food doesn't bother me because I can check the box. What drives me nuts is the whole foods that I'm trying to enter in my recipe. Avocados and boneless skinless chicken breast for example. There are wildly different values for those even if you put in the correct weight.
  • workitoffnow
    workitoffnow Posts: 17 Member
    That's why I love the "scan" feature on my app. It takes all the info straight from the label.

    Where is this scan feature?I would love to take direct from the label.
  • orapronobis
    orapronobis Posts: 460 Member
    bump
  • marsellient
    marsellient Posts: 591 Member
    If you look for entries without an asterisk, I believe those are the original ones. A lot of them have multiple measurements (cups, grams, oz, too).
  • justal313
    justal313 Posts: 1,375 Member
    What bugs me more is coming across personalized ones... like "jack's shrimp stir-fry" or "lucy's 2 egg omelet". Why aren't people using the recipe function for stuff like this instead of cluttering up the database??

    Have you ever come across the "deleteds"?? If you search the database for "delete or deleted" you get a whole slew of entries where people have decided, for whatever reason, to try to cancel the entry but those entries don't ever just go away. Now, if I need to enter something, I pick one of the "deleted" entries and edit it to the food I want to add to the database. Just my little part in trying to do some clean-up.

    Those are my recipes. That is what you say what the recipes are for. I even go as far as to add a date to the name if it's something I make often but throw together what's there so the numbers vary widely from week to week. Most notably tuna salad. Some times I have more onions that others, or more black olives...
  • mjcrippen
    mjcrippen Posts: 1
    I'm sorry but the "don't tell me what to do" guy is funny!!
  • bluelena
    bluelena Posts: 304 Member
    That's why I love the "scan" feature on my app. It takes all the info straight from the label.

    That just references the bar code to an item in the database- convenient but no more trustworthy. I have found them to be completely wrong as well.

    HA! Just yesterday, I scanned something and the bar code was recognized for a 100% completely different thing.
  • dena789
    dena789 Posts: 165 Member
    What bugs me more is coming across personalized ones... like "jack's shrimp stir-fry" or "lucy's 2 egg omelet". Why aren't people using the recipe function for stuff like this instead of cluttering up the database??

    Have you ever come across the "deleteds"?? If you search the database for "delete or deleted" you get a whole slew of entries where people have decided, for whatever reason, to try to cancel the entry but those entries don't ever just go away. Now, if I need to enter something, I pick one of the "deleted" entries and edit it to the food I want to add to the database. Just my little part in trying to do some clean-up.

    Those are my recipes. That is what you say what the recipes are for. I even go as far as to add a date to the name if it's something I make often but throw together what's there so the numbers vary widely from week to week. Most notably tuna salad. Some times I have more onions that others, or more black olives...

    I use the "RECIPE" function for that. Then, if I need to change an amount or add or subtract an ingredient, I can just modify the 'recipe' for that item. Seems a lot easier to me than trying to remember what you had in it when you created the entry.

    For those who are eating the same thing as friends or partners, I enter the recipe in mine and log it in my diary. My friends can look at my diary on the computer or in their app (on their iPod or iPhones) and just 'copy' my meal to their dairy. They don't have to enter the recipe separately at all.
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    I agree. I hate it when I look up an item and see about 10 different entries for the SAME PRODUCT. If you already see it out there, don't add it again! If it's wrong you can always click the edit button to adjust it.
  • BritneysStuntDouble
    BritneysStuntDouble Posts: 849 Member
    Sometimes, I add entries with lower-than-accurate calorie counts, or edit existing entries to lower the calorie counts? Why? It helps me keep my intake below my goal, and feel better about myself. it also prevents my friends from getting on my back about going over my calorie goals.
  • mordant57
    mordant57 Posts: 58 Member
    I just had that problem. I had a pre packaged sushi for dinner, that had the calories boldly displayed right on the front...yet there were 7 different entries NONE of which were right in the database. -.-
  • suckerlove
    suckerlove Posts: 198
    Is it bad that I'm more upset when people spell things incorrectly?

    I agree, this bugs me more than I can say.
  • paleirishmother
    paleirishmother Posts: 242
    If you search "Lisa" there are countless "Lisa's Home made __ " That is what really bugs me. Why not just add it to their own inventory of recipes, and not the public data base. Someone should find this Lisa person, and tell her to knock it off.
  • lisasdoinit
    lisasdoinit Posts: 216 Member

    ETA: I also wish the recipe creator would allow you to enter the servings as a unit size(cups,grams, etc) rather than number of people it serves. It's difficult to know how many 'servings' I'm going to get out of a pot of Gumbo. But if I could measure out the number of cups it makes, It would be easier to keep track of. My "serving" may not be the same size as my partner's "serving". Difficult to say what portion of a "serving" I've had if I don't know the measurement of that 'serving'.

    Thank you!! So glad I am not the only one with that issue!! Do you know how many times i've made something, then had to measure out 1/2 cup by 4 people, and if there's anything left over add a 1/8 of a cup etc etc to know what the measurement is if i were to theoretically serve X to 4 people? Most of the time I don't..which probably explains a lot lol!

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