I wish our status could have a nutrition grade

SoViLicious

You could always use CalorieCount.

Great idea!

BACONJOKESRSOFUNNY

You could always use CalorieCount.

scuse me...would you like to play tic-tac-toe?

MIDDLE BOX

fineeeeeeeeeeeeee

ODD CHOICE FOR YOUR TURN, BUT OH WELL. NEXT, I TAKE THE TOP MIDDLE BOX.

upgetupgetup

I'm sure it's something like: vitamin a x/100% + vitamin c x/100% + fiber x/100% - saturated fat/1%)/x, and related to reasonable (consensus) nutritional standards in the US.

upgetupgetup

By what criteria is the food judged?

On long run days I need different nutrition than I do on rest days than I do on lifting days, and then there's days where I am eating to prepare for tomorrow's workout- a universal grading system makes no sense.

Yeah, but you can also see trends over time. So if you're chronically avoiding foods with Vitamin A or something, that's picked up. If you're having to watch cholesterol, sodium, etc, it's useful.

MoreBean13

By what criteria is the food judged?

On long run days I need different nutrition than I do on rest days than I do on lifting days, and then there's days where I am eating to prepare for tomorrow's workout- a universal grading system makes no sense.

Yeah, but you can also see trends over time. So if you're chronically avoiding foods with Vitamin A or something, that's picked up. If you're having to watch cholesterol, sodium, etc, it's useful.

I'm OK with tracking the things I want to track on my own. This site already has too many arbitrary useless features- like the water tracker and "You will weigh XXX in 5 weeks feature"- for my taste. Plus I don't agree with the dietary guidelines for sodium, cholesterol, saturated fat, sugar, protein, or fat and don't want to be graded based on them.

Tinker_and_Bash

as long as raspberry ketones get an F so people stop asking about them.

upgetupgetup

Yeah, but you can also see trends over time. So if you're chronically avoiding foods with Vitamin A or something, that's picked up. If you're having to watch cholesterol, sodium, etc, it's useful.

I'm OK with tracking the things I want to track on my own. This site already has too many arbitrary useless features- like the water tracker and "You will weigh XXX in 5 weeks feature"- for my taste. Plus I don't agree with the dietary guidelines for sodium, cholesterol, saturated fat, sugar, protein, or fat and don't want to be graded based on them.

Fair enough to your first and last points (I haven't bothered to go much beyond the consensus view) and agree with your second.

I do think the reporting on MFP reflects its overall focus on weight loss, also seen in the way it pushes people new to logging/diet awareness/etc to the 1200 calorie recommendation. I get that it's supposed to be motivational, but is (imo) patronizing. Also, just wrong).

I really liked the reporting on CC. Captured loss over time, all nutrients, not just whatever 5 - I'm sure it made me more conscious of balancing nutrition. Had graphs and all.

But, the database here is bigger, and just logging is simpler.

sjohnny

So wouId I have gotten a better grade if I had chosen Glennlivet Nadurra tonight instead of 12 year old Glennlivet? If not the entire grading system is flawed and lame. Mostly lame.






LAME.

onyxgirl17

I'm good... just make sure I hit my macros and micros.

mkookies

I totally agree! I definitely wish this site was more nutrition oriented. I've seen a lot of peoples food diaries here, and I bet people would think twice before they ate crap if they saw its nutrition grade. A lot of people think it's all about staying under a certain amount of calories, but if you aren't getting what you need nutritionally, then why bother?

MoreBean13

I totally agree! I definitely wish this site was more nutrition oriented. I've seen a lot of peoples food diaries here, and I bet people would think twice before they ate crap if they saw its nutrition grade. A lot of people think it's all about staying under a certain amount of calories, but if you aren't getting what you need nutritionally, then why bother?

You should PM those people and tell them what you think about their nutritional choices.

Firefox7275

At CalorieCount when you put foods in it not only gives you the calories, protein etc. but, it also give you a grade on the different foods depending on what the nutrients they have and how much sugar etc.

I love getting the status report saying that you are under calorie, but I've noticed in my own diary and others that doesn't always mean a good thing. If I drink 100 oz of coke during the day and nothing else I will still be under calorie, but have nothing going for me nutritionally.

I know some people have their diary open to other people, but if you have enough friends it could be a pain to open it up, look through it and comment. Other days I am just proud of people logging when they''e had a rough day. And then for some of you who no longer need to lose weight being under calorie isn't going to be your goal.

So it would be really nice if somehow MFP generated a status of "PattyYung" logged her calories, came under goal and got a B+ in nutrition today. To take it a step further it would be nice for it to show up on your food page and update things as you added them. It would give you an incentive. For example if you breakfast had you had a D and then you ate carrots for a snack you could now raise your overall grade for the day up to a C-. Then for lunch you could raise it further.

An overall grade is meaningless, every nutrient is important and in many cases balance is key - the relationship between omega-3s and omega-6s or between calcium, magnesium and vitamin D for example. There is no point in giving someone a top grade because they consumed high doses of most micronutrients yet are risking scurvy or osteoporosis. We'd all have to start logging sunlight exposure and exercise.

Also how would you account for antioxidant phytonutrients for which there is no recommended intake save the seven to nine servings of produce in the full rainbow of colours and so on? You can't give someone who takes a multivitamin/ mineral the same grade as someone who eats wholefoods.

sjohnny

I totally agree! I definitely wish this site was more nutrition oriented. I've seen a lot of peoples food diaries here, and I bet people would think twice before they ate crap if they saw its nutrition grade. A lot of people think it's all about staying under a certain amount of calories, but if you aren't getting what you need nutritionally, then why bother?

You should PM those people and tell them what you think about their nutritional choices.

And decide on a grading scale yourself. You could reply to all of their status updates about completing their diaries for the day with a grade. That would be rad as hell.

liltenji

I totally agree! I definitely wish this site was more nutrition oriented. I've seen a lot of peoples food diaries here, and I bet people would think twice before they ate crap if they saw its nutrition grade. A lot of people think it's all about staying under a certain amount of calories, but if you aren't getting what you need nutritionally, then why bother?

Cause sometimes its fun to say yes to something with no nutritional value. This is just patronising. One of my daily foods is 70calorie noodles. Total processed junk. do i care? do i heck.

People focus on other peoples diets too much.

DouMc

I think this is a great idea but maybe not to make it public. i would like to know myself how nutritious the food i am eating is but I don't think I would want others to know to when I have had a really bad day!

sjohnny

I think this is a great idea but maybe not to make it public. i would like to know myself how nutritious the food i am eating is but I don't think I would want others to know to when I have had a really bad day!

Too bad there's no other way besides a grading system to determine what nutrients are held in the foods we eat. Too damn bad.

bcattoes

I'd probably get a good grade ...

... if it weren't for the wine.

But who needs a grade on MFP? Medical tests show my diet is healthy.

mkookies

Cause sometimes its fun to say yes to something with no nutritional value. This is just patronising. One of my daily foods is 70calorie noodles. Total processed junk. do i care? do i heck.

People focus on other peoples diets too much.

I totally agree! I definitely wish this site was more nutrition oriented. I've seen a lot of peoples food diaries here, and I bet people would think twice before they ate crap if they saw its nutrition grade. A lot of people think it's all about staying under a certain amount of calories, but if you aren't getting what you need nutritionally, then why bother?

You should PM those people and tell them what you think about their nutritional choices.

And decide on a grading scale yourself. You could reply to all of their status updates about completing their diaries for the day with a grade. That would be rad as hell.

Har har. :P

Look, all I am saying is that people take the calorie thing a little too seriously, when it's the nutrition that they should be taking a lot more seriously. Nothing is wrong with a little treat or two, but if your whole day is crap, then what's the point? You'll just gain back all the weight you lost when you stop calorie counting. Maybe a nutrition grade IS taking it a little too far, especially if you like a treat or two, BUT I think that having a graph underneath your food diary letting you know if you're up to par on the nutrition scale would be a great idea.

liltenji

Look, all I am saying is that people take the calorie thing a little too seriously, when it's the nutrition that they should be taking a lot more seriously. Nothing is wrong with a little treat or two, but if your whole day is crap, then what's the point? You'll just gain back all the weight you lost when you stop calorie counting. Maybe a nutrition grade IS taking it a little too far, especially if you like a treat or two, BUT I think that having a graph underneath your food diary letting you know if you're up to par on the nutrition scale would be a great idea.

You do realise that one day of bad eating wont make you gain back ALL the weight you've lost?

My weightloss is coming off slowly because i am allowing myself crap days and crap food. These are lifestyle changes, not a diet.

mkookies

Look, all I am saying is that people take the calorie thing a little too seriously, when it's the nutrition that they should be taking a lot more seriously. Nothing is wrong with a little treat or two, but if your whole day is crap, then what's the point? You'll just gain back all the weight you lost when you stop calorie counting. Maybe a nutrition grade IS taking it a little too far, especially if you like a treat or two, BUT I think that having a graph underneath your food diary letting you know if you're up to par on the nutrition scale would be a great idea.

You do realise that one day of bad eating wont make you gain back ALL the weight you've lost?

My weightloss is coming off slowly because i am allowing myself crap days and crap food. These are lifestyle changes, not a diet.

Of course - I didn't mean after one day. One day of crap food isn't going to kill you. But I meant if someone were to just stop calorie counting altogether and leave MFP indefinitely. It's probably going to all come back. If we had a nutritional profile, people would make better eating choices to get their daily nutrition, and as we make better choices, those choices have the potential to become habitual. And I think that healthy eating would be a good habit. There isn't anything wrong with snacks and treats, as long as you balance it all out with a relatively good healthy lifestyle.

threeohtwo

I'd be sending back peer reviewed literature cited criticisms of the grade received all the time...

Basically I would constantly judge the judger...

hahahaha.

TurquoiseSky

I think the addition of a nutrition grade would be great... I love the CalorieCount format. The system isn't perfect, but it serves as an overall reminder that the healthfulness of foods is just as important as plain old calorie counting. It's all about balance.

onyxgirl17

Would milk be good or bad? What about bananas?