MFP alternatives

mfaine

I've just about had it with the cluttered mess that passes for a food database on MFP. Are any of you aware of a viable alternative? I'll even pay if the database is maintained and the site functions well. It's just getting to the point now where my primary consideration when planning meals is how much effort it will take to log it. I keep telling myself that it will get better but it doesn't look as though there is any active development of the site or improvements to the database. I've got a lot invested in this site but it is starting to become more of a hindrance than a help so I am shopping for an alternative.

scaredofcoasters

Why not count up the calories of what you're eating and just type it into Quick Add? Sure, it's not the best, but it keeps you on track, at least, if you don't want to log through the database. Or, maybe you could make meals once and have the system remember them. There are a lot of tools here to make it easier for what you need.

JenniTheVeggie

I MFP. The database is cluttered but I have figured my way around it pretty good. What foods do you have a problem logging?

mfaine

Why not count up the calories of what you're eating and just type it into Quick Add? Sure, it's not the best, but it keeps you on track, at least, if you don't want to log through the database. Or, maybe you could make meals once and have the system remember them. There are a lot of tools here to make it easier for what you need.

Yes, but then you don't get to track macros.

mfaine

I MFP. The database is cluttered but I have figured my way around it pretty good. What foods do you have a problem logging?

Oh man, a lot of things. Recipes from several books I have, some even have nutrition information but the way the site is setup I can quick add calories but I can't quick add anything else. I can make recipes but it would be nice if I could just make a recipe that just contained the calories and macros and I didn't have to recreate the entire recipe in the MFP database. I have done web development, and though now I mostly work with server side design at a higher level, I can tell you for a fact there is a lot more that they could be doing that isn't being done and it is very frustrating.

When you go to the database and type an ingredient, for example cinnamon, the very first thing in the list should be cinnamon, plain and simple, instead you get Apple Cinnamon Chex. It would be nice if I could just filter out all of the brand name stuff and simply enter actual ingredients.

JUDDDing

It sounds like you should just add those recipes as "foods".

cmriverside

If you use the database here, always use the entries in the database that have been entered by the MFP Staff. They are entered correctly, and they give options of ounces or grams.

You can find these by looking for the entries in the database that have NO ASTERISK ( * ) in front of them.

When it comes to any fruit or vegetable, the easiest way is to enter "Avocado raw" - if you always enter "raw" it cuts the list way down and makes it much easier to find the no asterisk ones. That applies to meats, too.

Also, if you enter your own food, or EDIT any foods they will also appear with no asterisk and can also then be found quickly in MY FOODS.

..................................

Once you get your favorite foods into your MY FOODS, it only takes about 3 minutes per meal.

I've looked. There is no better system or database. This is the one, make it work for you. It's worth it!!

Good luck.

mfaine

Was just talking to one of the guys that works for SparkPeople on Google+ and gave his team a lot of insight into what I'd like to see. I've tried it before but found it a bit overwhelming and it feels like it is geared toward a different demographic (primarily women). He seemed to take my comments well and said he'd look into addressing them.

I've never tried beachbody before. I'll take a look at it.

JenniTheVeggie

I normally type in "mushrooms, raw" or "cabbage, raw" for my vegetables and fruits. I have realized adding the "raw" gets me the single food and not "mushroom gravy" or whatever.

RM10003

The "raw" trick definitely works well. For spices, I've found something like "Spice cinnamon" works well.

veganlisa

I find this site a bit more motivating, but it just may be that I am more motivated!
for fruits & veggies- I tend to add the word 'fresh' in there & it will pull them up. Like mentioned by someone else, for spices, I add the word 'spice'. I have found though while adding recipes in the recipe builder, most spices are little or no calories, etc.

Personally, I tend to eat the same things, so they are already stored in my 'recent foods".

obsidianwings

I MFP. The database is cluttered but I have figured my way around it pretty good. What foods do you have a problem logging?

Oh man, a lot of things. Recipes from several books I have, some even have nutrition information but the way the site is setup I can quick add calories but I can't quick add anything else. I can make recipes but it would be nice if I could just make a recipe that just contained the calories and macros and I didn't have to recreate the entire recipe in the MFP database. I have done web development, and though now I mostly work with server side design at a higher level, I can tell you for a fact there is a lot more that they could be doing that isn't being done and it is very frustrating.

When you go to the database and type an ingredient, for example cinnamon, the very first thing in the list should be cinnamon, plain and simple, instead you get Apple Cinnamon Chex. It would be nice if I could just filter out all of the brand name stuff and simply enter actual ingredients.

If you want to add calories and macros for a recipe you already know the nutritional value of without having to enter all the ingredients in the recipe builder just add it as a food. Just make sure you keep it for yourself instead of adding it to the database and therefore cluttering it up more as some people do.

As far as searching things like cinnamon, I would either put "ground cinnamon" which would be more likely to get you what you want, or put "generic cinnamon" or "[brand name] cinnamon"

I also do the "raw" trick, and look for MFPs entry if possible

Beachtreasures

I have used sparkpeople and find MFP better.
I have added some of my own recipes and meals, so I know what I am entering is accurate. I always check when I add something new to make sure the readings are correct to the package. At first it was time consuming, but now most items are already there. I really like the interaction and control of friends.
We are all have different likes and dislikes, so maybe try another site to compare.

NanaWubbie

I've been around, and I always come back to MFP. They have improved over the years, and you can't beat the forums here for support. Good luck in your quest!

LilacSnow

If you use the database here, always use the entries in the database that have been entered by the MFP Staff. They are entered correctly, and they give options of ounces or grams.

You can find these by looking for the entries in the database that have NO ASTERISK ( * ) in front of them.

those are getting harder and harder to find though. the last several times i've entered basic foods, i had to wade through a TON of entries, and still couldn't find the official one.

gmallan

If you use the database here, always use the entries in the database that have been entered by the MFP Staff. They are entered correctly, and they give options of ounces or grams.

You can find these by looking for the entries in the database that have NO ASTERISK ( * ) in front of them.

It woudl be so helpful if there was a tick box search function where you could limit your search to only foods entered by MFP staff. That way you wouldn't have to wade through all the crap to find the right entries.

mfaine

If you use the database here, always use the entries in the database that have been entered by the MFP Staff. They are entered correctly, and they give options of ounces or grams.

You can find these by looking for the entries in the database that have NO ASTERISK ( * ) in front of them.

those are getting harder and harder to find though. the last several times i've entered basic foods, i had to wade through a TON of entries, and still couldn't find the official one.

It would be nice if there were controls for that. Exclude User Contributed Items, Only List Raw Ingredients, etc.

flower607

I find using my phone is 100x more efficient then the website for some odd reason. There I can find and add what I'm looking for so quickly and properly, with proper measurements and estimates of the foods I eat. Also I can just scan the label of most foods I eat.

mfaine

If you use the database here, always use the entries in the database that have been entered by the MFP Staff. They are entered correctly, and they give options of ounces or grams.

You can find these by looking for the entries in the database that have NO ASTERISK ( * ) in front of them.

It woudl be so helpful if there was a tick box search function where you could limit your search to only foods entered by MFP staff. That way you wouldn't have to wade through all the crap to find the right entries.

Sorry, basically repeated you. I hadn't read your post before posting my reply that says basically the same thing. Actually, I could give them a ton of suggestions that would make entering foods far more efficient but they are probably already aware, though I don't know why they haven't done so yet. For example, I shouldn't have to do a page load for a simple database search. It should complete as I type it. You should be able to include/exclude various types of items like the ones already mentioned, as well as organic, or other qualifiers as appropriate, MFP entered items should be named consistently and in a standardized way and alphabetical within a result set, also as someone else mentioned, if I've searched for it before just autosuggest that item as soon as becomes apparent that is what I'm looking for. There is a lot of room for improvement so I often wonder why I haven't seen any in the time I'm been using the site.

cmriverside

If you use the database here, always use the entries in the database that have been entered by the MFP Staff. They are entered correctly, and they give options of ounces or grams.

You can find these by looking for the entries in the database that have NO ASTERISK ( * ) in front of them.

those are getting harder and harder to find though. the last several times i've entered basic foods, i had to wade through a TON of entries, and still couldn't find the official one.

It would be nice if there were controls for that. Exclude User Contributed Items, Only List Raw Ingredients, etc.

I've been on this site for a minute. BELIEVE me.....this has been suggested Strongly. Many many times. SInce there doesn't seem to be any rush to fix stuff, we come up with workarounds.

Really, I can enter any meal in 3 minutes or less. It isn't that difficult to do once you are used to the system.

dolphinswimmer15

For me what makes my logging easier (other than making my own food listings) is the barcode function on the app. It makes things a lot simpler (even if sometimes it doesn't find my the food I scanned, or it pulls it up with incorrect calorie information)

mfaine

Either I'm too hard to please or most of you are just too easy I'd seriously pay for a site that used asynchronous JavaScript and HTML 5 and had a well *maintained* database (as well as forums that would let me bold things instead of having to put asterisks around them) and was consistent and standardized.

I'm looking at myplate now and the database doesn't seem terribly complete, and it seems that it takes user contributed foods and recipes too but has no way to filter them out, though there does seem to be labels for the items that are verified. I wish they would actually curate each item submitted by users before releasing it for use though. From what I've seen so far, it is still lacking, but unlike MFP it does at least seem to be moving in the right direction. The search continues...

One thing that seems to be a problem with many food databases is duplication If you've already got a verified entry for a food or recipe from a book, reject all duplicate submissions (at least for public use). That should be a no-brainer.

Shadowknight137

A pen and paper.

obsidianwings

Either I'm too hard to please or most of you are just too easy I'd seriously pay for a site that used asynchronous JavaScript and HTML 5 and had a well *maintained* database (as well as forums that would let me bold things instead of having to put asterisks around them) and was consistent and standardized.

Like this?
Anyhow, as far as I know there isn't a paid service out there, unless you want to look at weight watchers or something and switch to points instead of calories.
Maybe you just need to get used to it? Because I seriously have none of the multitude of problems that you seem to be having, I think its a great free service.

mfaine

A pen and paper.

I don't think you were being serious but you might be onto something there.

obsidianwings

I have seen calorie counting books if that appeals

socajam

That's exactly what I do and it does not take much time. If you enjoy the meal,save it for maybe some time in the same week or later in the month.

mfaine

Like this?

Okay, perhaps I should have said "allow me to bold using a toolbar icon..." but the meaning was clear. The lack of formatting controls for posts (and status updates) is something that could easily be fixed, in fact, it probably took more effort to not have it. I'm not a MFP hater, I just want to see it get better, and I also understand it is free, which is why I suggested I'd be willing to pay. I understand someone has to implement my requests and that costs money. I sense a turn toward negativity so please don't shoot the messenger, I'm not saying anything that nearly everyone hasn't thought at some point while using the site.

kentermom4

I am on a plan diet-I add my recipes and foods in to the My Foods and My Recipes and use the frequent list-done in no time and the info is saved for later use-the more you add to your database the faster and easier it becomes.

amiable_1

I use a Bodymedia Fit Armband and subscribe to their service. They have an option to synch with MFP so when I joined here four days ago, I decided to do the synch. I am seeing the same problems you are and am now wondering about the wisdom in doing the synch?

The food database for Bodymedia's software was woefully inadequate especially compared to MFPs which is VERY complete. But with Bodymedia's software the menu entry was fast and smooth and immediate.

But the system for entering my menu into my diary on MFP is cumbersome. Changing pages? Not having suggestions appear as I type? Having to review several duplicate entries? What the heck?

And like you also pointed out there might be a dozen entries all for the same food and half of them have alternate nutritional breakdowns?

Like I said, I am new here and am still exploring. I must say it is disheartening to read others who have been here for years saying they have been making the same constructive criticisms all along.

KathrynCatlady

When you go to the database and type an ingredient, for example cinnamon, the very first thing in the list should be cinnamon, plain and simple, instead you get Apple Cinnamon Chex. It would be nice if I could just filter out all of the brand name stuff and simply enter actual ingredients.

Couldn't agree more. I have to wonder if there's a reason that brand name crap comes up first in cases like that. Is MFP getting a kick back for this from other companies? I somehow doubt it, but it just seems to weird that "cinnamon" wouldn't be the first result.

At any rate, I've sort of learned to live with it. I eat a lot of the same stuff when I pack work lunches or go out to eat, so I just skim through my "recent foods" and only have to actually look up new things about 25% of the time.