How do you enter multi-ingredient food when tracking?

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Persian99
Persian99 Posts: 48 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Do you look for each ingredient and try to be exact?
Do you look for ingredients that are close enough, although maybe not spot on?
Do you fudge large parts of the meal by just selecting something with a similar calorie count?
Do you fudge the entire thing because it's too much work?
Do you only eat foods with a barcode scanner?

I've been eating better food and less processed food, but the downside is that sometimes it takes a while to do the entries which discourages me. Today's lunch was a farmer's market salad with: mixed greens, tomatoes, plums, corn, chopped sugar snap peas, radish, carrot, cucumber, fresh herbs, goat cheese, and white balsamic shallot dressing. It took me 11 ingredients to enter one meal, and I forgot the slices of plum.

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  • acheben
    acheben Posts: 476 Member
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    I track multi-ingredient food differently depending on where it comes from:
    - If I am preparing the meal, I weigh and input each individual item, either in a recipe or just in the diary depending on if I'm going to make it again.
    - If I get the food from a restaurant/vendor and there is no nutritional information provided by them, I will try to find something close enough from another restaurant.

    With the restaurant food, I figure that I'm already going to be off if I try to guess each ingredient since I don't know specifics, so it isn't worth the extra time to do it.
  • ladym8204
    ladym8204 Posts: 64 Member
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    Was it homemade? Will you eat it again? I just started using the recipe button. Seems to help me out. I'm also not that picky with it so I will substitute with something similar if I have to.
  • Catter_05
    Catter_05 Posts: 155 Member
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    When I make it I weigh and enter each item in the "recipes" tab. It's really not as big a deal as you might think. That way you have the information for the future too. It keeps me accountable. I am insulin resistant so I have to be careful about my carbs and sugars and the accountability helps.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Do you look for each ingredient and try to be exact?

    Yes, and I don't find it takes that long when you get used to it. I weigh and add while I'm cooking or write it on a sheet of paper and add after. I usually don't even mess with the recipe builder unless it's something where the servings make it more complicated.
  • Persian99
    Persian99 Posts: 48 Member
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    Was it homemade? Will you eat it again? I just started using the recipe button. Seems to help me out. I'm also not that picky with it so I will substitute with something similar if I have to.
    I do use the "my meals" button for stuff that I eat frequently. I have a few things saved in there. But this came from a restaurant, and she changes up her salads depending on what's available at the farmer's market, so there's a good chance I won't eat it again.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Gotta love the recipe button for homemade!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Oh, for a restaurant it's a pain. I estimate based on ingredient (I don't do restaurants where the database entries seem helpful very often) starting with the big calorie items and then put in what I recall within reason. For salad I'd make sure to include dressing, cheese, any protein, olives, anything else that has more calories than the average vegetable, and then put down what I remember or sometimes a quick add if I'm feeling lazy.
  • bangbangchoochootrain
    bangbangchoochootrain Posts: 118 Member
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    For restaurant food I try to pick a similar item.

    For bistro coffee shops, I stalk the barista with my eyes while they make my stuff and input the ingredients.

    For my own made stuff I just input each ingredient. I forgot about the recipe button though so I'll do that for the whole week and a half I have to make my own food;

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