annoyed at MFP food database!

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Replies

  • bookitty_ca13
    bookitty_ca13 Posts: 13 Member
    :huh:
  • jogglesngoggles
    jogglesngoggles Posts: 362 Member
    Considering that this is a free site, and that the food entries are put in by the public you really have no guarantee that anything is accurate. While it is frustrating, you have to take responsibility and make sure you are entering what you are actually eating! Sorry, wish I had a better answer for you, and best of luck!
  • am2anangel
    am2anangel Posts: 38 Member
    Wow really considering this is a free site in a world where everyone wants your last penny. I'm surprised by the number of complaints. It can't be easy to input so much information on such a large amount of foods. I personally have been very happy and pleased with the performance of this site. As was suggested if something is that far off put it in your personal foods. This is far better then either writing down all the info and recording it yourself or googling every item you eat just to find the calories in an apple. So you have to scroll through a few items to find an exact match. Ill take it and appreciate it.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    You can also double check whole food entries again the USDA database just to make sure you got the correct entry:

    http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    Make your own entries. Make sure it's complete. For instance, make sure you add potassium, as I'm tracking that.

    this is what i do as well. i use the mobile app to scan the item in. plus since i pretty much eat the same things anyway, i dont have to go into the database too often and when i do it's for random stuff i dont get very often like bubble tea. for things that i cant scan (like eggs, veggies, fruit) i just go with the most detailed entry with the most calories to be on the safe side

    it's really not that big of a deal to enter your own info, like others said, it's free, b*tches :laugh: i didnt realize something was wrong until a few months in when i noticed that some corn tortillas i ate had been entered as 110 calories for the size instead of 250 as the package noted.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    Just break up.
  • Gidzmo
    Gidzmo Posts: 906 Member
    Sometimes I notice that the calories/fat will vary a little between brands of the same item. Not all potato chips are created equal. And what is so 'mooney' about logging water?
  • jksdadams2
    jksdadams2 Posts: 11 Member
    I feel this site has a good tracking system. I use some other sites and I can never find what i'm looking for. With MFP i always find everything.
  • strcrft15
    strcrft15 Posts: 5
    I feel ya on this one. My biggest pet peeve is that there is this woman who keeps changing the almond milk I use to completely wrong values. I don't' know WHY anyone would do that... but it's extremely frustrating when the calories keep getting lowered and other values messed up.
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
    Make your own entries. Make sure it's complete. For instance, make sure you add potassium, as I'm tracking that.
    but i think that's what is causing the database to be so overloaded - we surely don't NEED 7 different entries for something like "1 cup of raw strawberries".

    The better way would be to update the information (assuming that you actually have the accurate data)

    If it's for a brand name item - then copy ALL the information from the package, e.g., serving size, protein per serving etc.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I feel ya on this one. My biggest pet peeve is that there is this woman who keeps changing the almond milk I use to completely wrong values. I don't' know WHY anyone would do that... but it's extremely frustrating when the calories keep getting lowered and other values messed up.

    That one is annoying, but I've noticed the opposite lol. The milk I used was 30 cal for a cup, and all the database said 45 cal for a cup.
  • LittleMissDover
    LittleMissDover Posts: 820 Member
    I feel ya on this one. My biggest pet peeve is that there is this woman who keeps changing the almond milk I use to completely wrong values. I don't' know WHY anyone would do that... but it's extremely frustrating when the calories keep getting lowered and other values messed up.

    Make your own entry, call it 'Francl27's almond milk' and don't tick 'let other members use this food'. Sorted.
  • GnomeLove
    GnomeLove Posts: 379
    I just don't understand why people feel the need to create duplicates over and over again. That actually takes more time and effort than just using the one that is already there! There needs to be a "report if this item is whack" button. It is becoming tedious to look for simple things.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    I just don't understand why people feel the need to create duplicates over and over again. That actually takes more time and effort than just using the one that is already there! There needs to be a "report if this item is whack" button. It is becoming tedious to look for simple things.

    I don't see the need to complain about a free service/application.
  • czecher
    czecher Posts: 21
    The phone ap was awesome. I haven't used it in a while since I have been using the website. Any area where you enter things here is severely lacking. They need to make BOTH of them the same. If they want to have people using the website (which probably makes money from the ads and traffic) it needs to be more user friendly.
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    I have found that so many of the food facts listed in the MFP database are totally incorrect. Even on items that are published and not estimates. Obvi with estimates we know they wont always be accurate BUT whats the reason for items that are published being wrong?

    For example, I just checked on a gourmet everyday soup item, that was off by 200 calories! major. and gourmet everyday includes their nutrition facts so no excuses

    its too bad they dont verify the items in the database

    As most items are inputted by members it relies on us to correct things. when you select something if you go to the nutritional info tab it asks you if the information is correct. If you know that it is not correct then fix it so that the next user is not frustrated too. This is how we can all help each other.
  • Hfox3953
    Hfox3953 Posts: 20 Member
    it is getting very hard to search also, with so many duplicates. Also when searching for the simplest of things, strawberries for example, can be really trying....

    This is my biggest issue. When I search for sea salt (just plain salt), I have to scroll down pages of "sea salt chips" and other crap to just find plain ole sea salt. So annoying!

    Does sea salt count as salt?

    No. The sea washes out all the sodium leaving pure protein.

    Where did you get this information from?? Sea Salt is still sodium chloride. It is just less refined and stronger in taste, therefore you can use less than you would of normal table salt.
  • eliseofthejungle
    eliseofthejungle Posts: 113 Member
    There needs to be a "report if this item is whack" button. It is becoming tedious to look for simple things.

    Yes!
  • zytah
    zytah Posts: 153
    I don't think people intentionally duplicate food entries. I find most of the time its due to something silly like a spelling error. so when someone goes to search something, the item they are looking for wont show up because it is spelled wrong or has a space somewhere it shouldn't. ultimately I think there should be an option to delete the entry if you were the one who entered it or a duplicate button that would notify a MFP admin to look into it and delete the entry.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    There are people here from all over the world that input things into the database. What is in an item where you are can be completely different than in another part of the world and therefore having different NI. Serving sizes may be different.. etc etc.

    It is a free site. Be thankful for that. I personally wouldn't complain about something I get to use for free when the makers of this site could charge a monthly fee.

    If you don't like the database just add in your own entries. Things are different in different parts of the world. What is right for you may be totally off for someone else and vice versa.
  • horseswinelife
    horseswinelife Posts: 52 Member
    I find that if you are using a mobile app - that scanning the bar code is the best!

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