Calculating homemade food?

So, how do you calculate homemade food? For instance, my friend made chicken biryani for all of us tonight, and I didn't really watch it being cooked, so I don't know how much ghee ect was used to prepare it. Do you just look on a restaurant website and use the calories some website tells you? Do you look up a few recipes then average the calorie count? I eat a lot of homemade food, that's rarely listed on here. It's difficult to figure out the nutritional info on it esp if I'm not cooking...

How do you figure nutritional info??

Replies

  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    I just estimate from the ingredients I see in the food. I don't eat often at others places though, usually prepare my own meals.
  • issyfit
    issyfit Posts: 1,077 Member
    If there is something close in the data base I just use that. Tonight I did that for chicken cordon blue from a local butcher. Sometimes I estimate calories and do the quick added.
  • jlohcook
    jlohcook Posts: 228 Member
    The only way is to guesstimate. Many tyoes of food listed, get the best match and use the higher calories one.
  • I do look for what's closest in the database, ingredient wise. I tend to Estimate the food on the high end when I'm not sure. You can go crazy trying to make it exact.
  • firefoxxie
    firefoxxie Posts: 381 Member
    Its a little aggravating but what I do is record the calories for every ingredient and divide the final product into cups. If I'm using a 1 gallon pot then I know there are 16(1cup) servings. Divide the total calories you got by 16 and thats the serving per cup.
    Ex: Added all ingredients in a stew ~lets say about 1050 calories in total~ and I'm using a gallon pot
    1050/16 = about 66 calories per cup
  • jvkh127
    jvkh127 Posts: 261 Member
    Use the "recipe" tab and put in each ingredient you used in whatever you made. If you can't find one of the ingredients enter it in "my foods" tab.
  • Well you could ask the person who cooked it and add each ingredient separately. There is a recipe button on here where you could just add it once so you don't have to re-add everything if you eat it again.
  • AnnaVee84
    AnnaVee84 Posts: 345 Member
    When I cook at home, it's so easy for me to log food because I know the amount and type of foods/oils/etc that I'm using. But when eating at home with my mom cooking, it's all guess-timates - I know generally that she uses fresh produce and meats but will ask specific questions about how it was made, if necessary. And then just estimate that I ate however many ounces or cups of whatever. It's a bit harder, but estimating is better than nothing, I think! Like today, I don't know what sauce she used to cook the mackerel in, but I just logged a fillet of mackerel..
  • maqsmj
    maqsmj Posts: 697
    just take measurement of the rice and chicken and add a small amount of fat calories in there, dont be obsessed with it just enjoy it and have a 10-15 min walk to make things in best shape
  • Rynatat
    Rynatat Posts: 807 Member
    I always ask what is in it, although since it's usually just my family & we're all health conscious, we all know about what we each use. Though sometimes we do give in & have free-for-all-days where we know it is healthy although we don't "count' the calories.

    If I got somewhere & don't know what's in it, how it's made or how much of what was used, I just don't eat it . I'm not being rude, I'm just not going to jeopardize my health.