Logging Accurately..step by step guide

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Thanks for this OP

Just a quick add to the OP:

There have been some changes to the search function on MFP recently and a lot of the FDA data now starts with the word "Generic"

While this post initially, quite correctly, advised that you avoid all entries starting "*Generic or *Homemade" you are now looking for foods that start with the words Generic but are not preceded by a *

Sorry if thats a bit complicated and thanks to MFP for the search changes!

I don't see that personally...

When I search Banana first entry is the usda Banana - Raw...no generic in front of it. Nor on the App...

Maybe it's not site wide yet...I will definately keep an eye out for it.

I was really hoping that this meant they had reversed it but it is there for apples (I only use a computer not the app) Not sure how to do a screen shot either.

In the listing it is "Generic - Apple- Raw without Skin" but goes into my diary as "apples -raw without skin"

Would love to know what other people are seeing

Wow, thanks OP for this. I just posted about my frustration in getting a good scale and the database, not realizing I can create my own entries and add them to my foods. As well as many other things I've learned from your post. I will be building my own food database!

thank u for this post .... :ohwell:

Just a quick add to the OP:

There have been some changes to the search function on MFP recently and a lot of the FDA data now starts with the word "Generic"

While this post initially, quite correctly, advised that you avoid all entries starting "*Generic or *Homemade" you are now looking for foods that start with the words Generic but are not preceded by a *

Sorry if thats a bit complicated and thanks to MFP for the search changes!

I don't see that personally...

When I search Banana first entry is the usda Banana - Raw...no generic in front of it. Nor on the App...

Maybe it's not site wide yet...I will definately keep an eye out for it.

I was really hoping that this meant they had reversed it but it is there for apples (I only use a computer not the app) Not sure how to do a screen shot either.

In the listing it is "Generic - Apple- Raw without Skin" but goes into my diary as "apples -raw without skin"

Would love to know what other people are seeing

I do not use the website. However, Francl27 has made some posts about this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1309366-i-hate-the-search-changes

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1307201-the-search-changes-are-driving-me-nuts

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Some of the barcode scanned items do scan incorrectly. Readin SezxyStef's post I have jumped on the website and made one correction. Coincidentally, I am convinced that corrected item became the official entry even though it wasn't before! :bigsmile: mostly I just cross check w/the label and do the math to get the right total calories. In this case it said a container of yogurt had 2g of carbs and this was screwing up my macro summary, so I corrected it

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Great post!

Our food scale is coming later this week- I can't wait. I hate not really knowing if I'm eating a quarter ounce or cheese or like 3 ounces! And the tip about copying items from someone else's diary is going to be HUGE for my husband and I- it's so cumbersome for us to both log everything for the meals I cook us.

I will say, there is no way I'm going to dedicate all the time needed to log the recipes I make. The reality is that over the period of a month, I probably only repeat a dinner recipe once. And often I only make a meal once or twice a year. It's almost all from scratch and I just don't measure when I'm throwing stuff in. I'm going to have to find my own personal compromise to log things without it becoming a major hassle. I don't have time to measure every ingredient, write it down, AND go research every item on the USDA site to verify the nutritional data in the MFP database to log it into it's own recipe- all with two little kids orbiting and trying to have a life. But you know what? That's only going to affect me and if I come back whining in another month+ about not seeing any changes, you can refer me back to this post and say "maybe you need to be even more accurate."

Any ideas from folks about how to log prepared foods from a farmer's market? I get wonderful vanilla yogurt, artisan cheeses, and other such items and I have no clue where to start to get nutritional data? (I doubt the farmer's have it, though I suppose I could start by asking them.)

Bumping to keep, Thanks

Great post, thank you!

Great post! I have been logging for a couple of years, and didn't know some of this information. Thank you, think you.

Great post, OP. I will definitely revisit my logging practices and keep this post in mind.