People who log your food should read this

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  • thoshowski
    thoshowski Posts: 135 Member
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    Just remember to look to see if that item is for Canada or the USA or another country. I know, I have had some cereals, where I go on MFP and it tells me different than on the package. It is usually because the suggested serving size is larger in the USA than in Canada. So, check the country and the serving size. Sometimes that will alter what the nutritional information is.
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,452 Member
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    I think that in the UK fibre DOESN'T count as carbohydrate. At least, it didn't a few years ago.
  • PriceK01
    PriceK01 Posts: 834 Member
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    I double-check everything against the packaging. If I can't find a correct entry in the database, I correct one that's already there. Is that the proper way to do it?
  • LynnieG85
    LynnieG85 Posts: 157 Member
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    my favorite thing was when I scanned like, a pack of nails at a hardware store and they popped up as... I think it was like "organic pomegranate seeds". mmm nails. my favorite.

    This isn't so unusual. A lot of people do bite their nails ...
  • KeepGoingKylene
    KeepGoingKylene Posts: 432 Member
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    Thank you for saying this, now if only everyone would listen! I always double check to make sure it matches the package when I use something that is in the database. Too bad we have to do this though!
  • invincible_summer
    invincible_summer Posts: 35
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    This bothered me today. With the packet in front of me, I went to list the food. I checked the database first and realised one of the two entries was wrong.

    The food weighed 150g. The person had listed the info for the entire box according to the per 100g calorie breakdown.

    The weight of the food is usually on the front, or side. 100g isn't the weight. That's just the system used to compare calories between different foods.

    I don't mean to be harsh here, but it bothers me when people with bad maths skills add food to the database without knowing how to divide it into servings or calculate the correct weight per container. Use a calculator! All computers have one.

    Another hate: when people only list the basic calorie count without giving details of fat, protein, sugar etc.
  • ScarletFyre
    ScarletFyre Posts: 754 Member
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    You know i am glad you brought that up - i notice that when i am logging in something I ate there are 112 entries for the same one thing, which is irritating to begin with (i.e. a package of yogurt i ate the other day....i put in the brand, flavor etc and got about 12 come up - not all the same).

    When I enter something in from scratch, I put it exactly as it is written on the package - as you said - because it's not fair to others to anything else...if I am not sure of something, or can't find enough of the information to make me feel it is complete I sometimes won't put it in, or i will choose not to add to MFP data base.

    However, you have brought to my attention that i really better start double checking more carefully what I choose to make sure it's correct...I've been a bit too trustful there...if the calories are or seem right I have been choosing it and not thinking to double check carbs etc.

    Thanks for that advice - When we go to the trouble to log this stuff we want it right, and if incorrect things are going to be in there, we should at least have it in our minds to double check the accuracy.
  • speedgoose
    speedgoose Posts: 295
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    I check them all the time because of this... and when I see an incorrect entry you know what I do? I edit and correct it.... problem solved.

    Thank you for being solution-oriented in a problem-oriented culture.
  • ScarletFyre
    ScarletFyre Posts: 754 Member
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    my favorite thing was when I scanned like, a pack of nails at a hardware store and they popped up as... I think it was like "organic pomegranate seeds". mmm nails. my favorite.

    This isn't so unusual. A lot of people do bite their nails ...

    I scanned a box of K-cups just to see if the information would be in there - yes, i know that coffee doesn't really have nutritional value - i was playing, really...and it came up as a cucumber....
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    Yep, drives me nuts. The only thing is that having been here very nearly a year, most things I eat are now in My Food list, or I've edited and corrected the information. There's no excuse for it, but it has given me a laugh or two I suppose (the protein free steak, and the zero fibre spinach, etc).

    It would be good to have some sort of star rating when a food's nutritional value has been confirmed by some of the many diligent MFP'ers who bother.
  • dgirllamius
    dgirllamius Posts: 171 Member
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    I've found recently that about 90% of things which have been added in the past have all the wrong values.

    Perhaps it's all different values with things changing all the time - bigger portions getting smaller and stuff. I don't see how people can enter the incorrect information unless something has actually changed with the food itself.
  • millabird
    millabird Posts: 5 Member
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    Senator Kang beat me to it: this is a free database editable by all users, hence the problems. I have also used a purchased tracking software, and did not have the same extensive database problems when the maker of the software is in charge of keeping the database up to date and free of duplicate entries. Also, I found the purchased software to have all units of measure for entries, and I really miss that. Very frustrating when you want grams but can only find cups, etc.
  • saouttolunch
    saouttolunch Posts: 3
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    I also wish they would check to see if the item is in there. It seems that most items have more than a couple of entries.
  • miracle4me
    miracle4me Posts: 522 Member
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    I also want to say Thank You to everyone who takes the time to put the corrected item in the data base. I looked up Avocado for instance and someone had put the correct calories in. I also appreciate it instead of grams since I prefer lb, cup,quart, ounces that is included. :flowerforyou: Thank You to everyone who also votes whether the food nutrients are correct this helps me make a decision many times. Thank You OP for this Post. :smile:
  • issyfit
    issyfit Posts: 1,077 Member
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    There are tons of skim milk entries that don't include the sugars. It is fine and dandy if you don't worry about natural sugars, but that doesn't mean they don't exist!!
    Yes--please include sugar for those of us who count sugar.
  • Fr3shStrt
    Fr3shStrt Posts: 349 Member
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    Good way to make sure the numbers are right on something you have packaged....scan the barcode using your smart phone! This helps me with even making something up off the fly because I can scan each individual item and then it's my brand/amounts according to what I'm physically making for that meal. Helps tons....OH BEAUTIFUL ELECTRONICS! :)

    Nope, I frequently scan products and end up with something entirely different. Example - jarred pasta sauce showed up as wine. Must be careful about that as well.....

    And you still have to check the amounts, because they can be off as well.

    Something similar happened to me but it was because I scanned the bar code upside down. Oops!
  • koshkasmum
    koshkasmum Posts: 276 Member
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    For most foods there are multiple entries in the database- some more accurate than others. (My personal favorite is the one that give a calorie count of zero for a cup of mashed trunips and carrots - I figure maybe the person refuses to swallow them and therefore entered zero....) Your best bet is to use common sense and to look at more than one entry for the same food. I have no problems with correcting an incorrect or incomplete entry for a packaged/processed food, but I don't use many of them.

    My pet peeve is entries that give information for "a serving" but do not tell you how big a serving they are referring to.

    Bottom line, when it comes to calories, as in business investments, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't true!
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    I didn't read this whole thread, but may I offer some perspective.

    Some companies actually modify their products from time to time. This means the nutrition label changes.
  • bridgelene
    bridgelene Posts: 358 Member
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    Yes! I was logging something yesterday and on the barcode scan there were two options in the database already. One that said "______" and one titled "______ *correct version*". I clicked on the "correct version" first to compare and.....it was SO NOT CORRECT. Luckily the other version was correct.

    But dang!
  • oldernotwiser
    oldernotwiser Posts: 175 Member
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    Absolutely! I double check all data with the package if I have one. For everything else I check with sites like livestrong and nuitritiondata to ensure accuracy.

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