Alternative Food database

Talentedcat
Talentedcat Posts: 10 Member
in Getting Started
Surely the first rule of healthy living is cutting out all processed food? That way you can control all the fat, salt and sugar you are eating? That is what I have done this year. I am trying to cook healthy meals from scratch for me and my family.
So when I come on here to log my day's food intake it takes me ages because I have to search through a lengthy database for the most basic 'generic' vegetables. All I can see is item after item from the big supermarket brands. I do not eat much processed food and I shop locally. I really wish they would create an alternative database for just raw vegetables and fish meat etc. with out the branding. It would save me so much time!

Just a thought MFP.

Rant over.

Replies

  • JustSomeEm
    JustSomeEm Posts: 20,284 MFP Moderator
    MFP allows you to create your own foods. You can do a little research and find then enter in data for your 'alternate' foods - and when you do that you'll find them in the 'my foods' tab when entering in your meals. It'll take you a few minutes to set up, but save you time entering those foods in teh future.
  • Aeramis13
    Aeramis13 Posts: 135 Member
    Yeah, that's so not going to happen. Doesn't make sense even to separate it all out. If you're looking for a raw item, search the item's name with "usda" and you're more likely to find what you're looking for. Hope that helps :)
  • Nachise
    Nachise Posts: 395 Member
    I do it all the time, and enter my recipes. I'm not sure which alternative foods you are talking about, but this database is extensive enough to include the produce, meats, and dairy products that I consume.
  • cookiealbright
    cookiealbright Posts: 605 Member
    You can enter in your foods and save them to the "my meals" tab.
  • Happymelz
    Happymelz Posts: 536 Member
    In general...a cucumber bought from a local farmer would have the same calories as one bought at the grocery store.
    I don't think it really matters unless you just don't want people to see brand names in your diary and assume you shop in grocery stores.
  • spoiledpuppies
    spoiledpuppies Posts: 675 Member
    If you include "usda" in your search, like "tomato usda," you'll have better luck.
  • CuteAndCurvy83
    CuteAndCurvy83 Posts: 570 Member
    I usually will just type " yellow squash raw " and come up with plenty of entries that will show up USDA or Generic
  • epazia
    epazia Posts: 126 Member
    for spices I always add the word spice before the entry spice cumin for example
  • Talentedcat
    Talentedcat Posts: 10 Member
    Cheers , you were quick! I have started a couple of 'my meals' that should help.
  • lioness803
    lioness803 Posts: 325 Member
    I find adding "raw" when I'm searching for a fruit or veggie helps.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Surely the first rule of healthy living is cutting out all processed food? That way you can control all the fat, salt and sugar you are eating? That is what I have done this year. I am trying to cook healthy meals from scratch for me and my family.
    So when I come on here to log my day's food intake it takes me ages because I have to search through a lengthy database for the most basic 'generic' vegetables. All I can see is item after item from the big supermarket brands. I do not eat much processed food and I shop locally. I really wish they would create an alternative database for just raw vegetables and fish meat etc. with out the branding. It would save me so much time!

    Just a thought MFP.

    Rant over.

    :huh:
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    Surely the first rule of healthy living is cutting out all processed food? That way you can control all the fat, salt and sugar you are eating?
    Nope.
    That is what I have done this year. I am trying to cook healthy meals from scratch for me and my family.
    So when I come on here to log my day's food intake it takes me ages because I have to search through a lengthy database for the most basic 'generic' vegetables. All I can see is item after item from the big supermarket brands. I do not eat much processed food and I shop locally. I really wish they would create an alternative database for just raw vegetables and fish meat etc. with out the branding. It would save me so much time!

    Use the app, it has a better search function.
    (You, still be eating sugar, fat and salt - none of which should be eliminated from a diet)
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I usually will just type " yellow squash raw " and come up with plenty of entries that will show up USDA or Generic

    This ^^ to me is the biggest problem with the database. Why must there be so many entries for a single food? I too cook most meals from scratch and don't eat the same things every week. I found logging here to be too time consuming.

    An option to filter out results entered by other members would be a HUGE improvement IMO.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    I find adding "raw" when I'm searching for a fruit or veggie helps.

    ^This. I type in "tomato", and I pick the one without an asterisk (*). Non-asterisk foods are (for the most part) "generic", non-user added items and the most accurate (and will have weight options vs. volume, weigh your solids, folks!). I've found one for all "whole" foods that I eat. Cucumber, tomato, spinach, carrot, chicken, beef, etc. They're all there, just don't pick the *, and if in doubt, consult the USDA website to confirm the numbers.

    And, once you've logged said food, it will be saved under "My Foods" or whatever the tab is called, so you can click it again in the future.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    1. "Surely the first rule of healthy living is cutting out all processed food?"

    No it's not and don't call me Shirley.

    2. It's already there. Type in your fruit/vegetable followed by the word raw and BAM! Rant topic solved.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Surely the first rule of healthy living is cutting out all processed food? That way you can control all the fat, salt and sugar you are eating?
    Nope.
    This.

    And don't call me Shirley.


    ETA: Joffed!
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    1. "Surely the first rule of healthy living is cutting out all processed food?"

    No it's not and don't call me Shirley.

    2. It's already there. Type in your fruit/vegetable followed by the word raw and BAM! Rant topic solved.

    This ^^

    Look in my diary, most of my stuff is non-branded. It even works for things like milk, eggs and oatmeal ;) It's actually quite rare that there isn't an entry in there for something I eat. 90% of the branded stuff are also things that I have added to 'my foods' so I know that the numbers are correct for my location etc..

    It takes me maybe 10 minutes a day to log all my food, including recipes that I make for lunch/dinner. You just need some time to get used to how it works. Does not help that they have changed things in the past couple of weeks so that the MFP entries now say "Generic" when I search for them on my phone. I would also LOVE a way to just filter out any entries that aren't the default MFP ones.

    Just please if you do enter something please please please do NOT check mark the box to let other people use your things - that's why the database is so full of garbage. There is NO quality control in place for what it allows people to add so you get items with incomplete values, no fats or no sugars or no protein because some people only care about calories and so they don't add anything else to the foods they create and they they add them into the database to clog it up for everyone else.
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
    I find adding "raw" when I'm searching for a fruit or veggie helps.

    ^This. I type in "tomato", and I pick the one without an asterisk (*). Non-asterisk foods are (for the most part) "generic", non-user added items and the most accurate (and will have weight options vs. volume, weigh your solids, folks!). I've found one for all "whole" foods that I eat. Cucumber, tomato, spinach, carrot, chicken, beef, etc. They're all there, just don't pick the *, and if in doubt, consult the USDA website to confirm the numbers.

    And, once you've logged said food, it will be saved under "My Foods" or whatever the tab is called, so you can click it again in the future.

    This is where the computer is far better to use than the phone app.
    I buy a lot of dry ingredients in bulk at a local bulk goods store with no nutrition information, I find the generic versions in MFP.

    Also if you use the plural of the word it brings up the non-asterisk foods. Tomatoes - raw, bananas, apples instead of apple.
    If you add a descriptor as well, ie, vegetable, beans, fruit, or quionoa dry, brown rice dry.
    Or chuck steak, raw, porc chop loin raw.

    The only weird food that I have looked up is Kiwi, its called a Chinese gooseberry or something.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I find adding "raw" when I'm searching for a fruit or veggie helps.

    This. Once you get the hang of the database it's pretty easy. Put in broccoli, raw and pick the entry without an asterisk. I only have issues with the occasional more obscure or varyingly named fruit or vegetable (kiwi is one with a varying name, and I had a bunch of Asian greens from my CSA that were a pain). Meat is even simpler--chicken breast, meat and skin, raw, although you have to be sure you know the details about your cut.

    For most things plural (carrots, raw) works better than singular. Also, once you've found something it's easy to find it the next time IME, even if it's not one of your recent foods.

    Edit: uh, and I see you've already been told all the rest of this too. ;-)
  • Nachise
    Nachise Posts: 395 Member
    The organic market that I shop at has nutrition information and bar codes for their bulk items. I scan the bar code with my smart phone to add these items to my data base.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    I find adding "raw" when I'm searching for a fruit or veggie helps.

    Yes, this. Also look for the plural. And items that do not have an asterisk next to them are from MFP's database. Those with an asterisk are added by users. Official items should also have a choice of serving sizes.

    So if I'm looking for onions, I'll search for "onions raw" and then choose the one without an asterisk, then verify that it has a range of different serving options.
  • ekat120
    ekat120 Posts: 407 Member
    I just use a different website :wink:
  • caitology
    caitology Posts: 50
    I usually will just type " yellow squash raw " and come up with plenty of entries that will show up USDA or Generic

    This ^^ to me is the biggest problem with the database. Why must there be so many entries for a single food? I too cook most meals from scratch and don't eat the same things every week. I found logging here to be too time consuming.

    An option to filter out results entered by other members would be a HUGE improvement IMO.

    I agree. I've always entered all my own information for every single thing I log based on either USDA or the labels because I don't trust other user-input info. It was tedious at first but I also mainly eat the same things so it cuts down on a lot of searching in the end.

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