USDA National Nutrient Database site for Foods w/o labels!

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NikkisNewStart
NikkisNewStart Posts: 1,100 Member
in Food and Nutrition
This site is invaluable to me. Often, I find a billion entries in the database for fruits, vegetables, oils, lean meats, etc. If you are like me and you prefer to eat clean, finding correct nutritional information in the MFP database can be a pain. I like to compare the information in the MFP database to the nutritional information found in the USDA National Nutrient Database. The information found here comes from the US Department of Agriculture and has nutritional information for virtually anything you can think of that does not come with a label. The best part is- there is a search feature so you get accurate results quickly.

I hope this helps someone!

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

Replies

  • Becky1971
    Becky1971 Posts: 979 Member
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    I don't know about any of that, but based on USDA recommendations my calories goal should be 1800. But mfp says 1200. 1800 sounds more like what I was taking in with WW after they changed the program, I was gaining.
  • NikkisNewStart
    NikkisNewStart Posts: 1,100 Member
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    The site I listed is to find the nutritional content of certain foods. I'm not sure about your specific caloric needs. 1200 seems to be the magic MFP number given to many here... my advice is to find what works for you. It all depends on what your BMR is, your activity level, your individual metabolism, etc. as to how many calories you should consume to meet your individual goals. Good luck finding that magic number that works for you! :)
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
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    That's actually very useful since there are foods that have no nutritional labels. Appreciated.
  • NikkisNewStart
    NikkisNewStart Posts: 1,100 Member
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    You're welcome! I love that it lists a variety of options as we know that not all strawberries, or apples, or bananas, or heads of broccoli are created equal... you can choose to get the nutritional info by weight, cups, diameter/length, etc. I also LOVE that it accounts for refuse when giving the nutritional count (i.e. the parts that you throw away, such as the apple core, peach pit, etc) so that is not included in the nutritional information- just the edible part. It makes calculating my fruits and veggies so much easier!

    You weigh the apple, it deducts about 10% of the weight for refuse, and only gives you the nutritional information for the part you will consume. Fantastic stuff right there!!!
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
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    WOW! That is AWESOME! I've been gleaning what I can from MFP and CalorieKing but I REALLY hate relying on user-submitted data. This is exactly what I needed.

    THANK YOU! :happy:
  • posherspice
    posherspice Posts: 15 Member
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    Soooo useful, thanks so much. I'm also trying to get the hang of maintenance - It's a whole new skill, isn't it!
  • NikkisNewStart
    NikkisNewStart Posts: 1,100 Member
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    You're welcome and yes, maintenance is a whole new beast for sure!!! I am like that insurance commercial... "recalculating, recalculating" lol you know the one? I feel like I am "recalculating" everything I've done during my weight loss experience and learning new skills to help me maintain and reach my fitness goals.

    This is the first time in my entire life that I have not wanted to lose weight- EVER. It is so weird but exciting!

    I hope you all love that site b/c I use it all the time for just about every food. When I search for fruits, veggies, or whatever in the database I always include USDA in my search... that way I know the info is accurate and another member has entered it from the USDA database. If it isn't in there... I'll go ahead and type it in, usually by grams.

    I use this conversion calculator http://www.metric-conversions.org/weight/ounces-to-grams.htm to find out what the weight in grams is from the ounces measurement since we in the US usually measure things in ounces.

    The USDA usually gives measurements per 100 grams (if you choose to find the info by weight)... soooo... hypothetically... if the calorie count is 80 kcal (calories) per 100 grams and my apple weighs 6.75 ounces... here's how it goes down...

    6.75 ounces into my nifty calculator tells me that it equates to 191.359 g. Since my calories are listed per 100 g... I simply divide 191.359 g by 100 to get 1.91. Therefore, my entry into MFP will be 1.91 servings of apple, provided that the calories listed in the database are per 100 grams. 1.91 multiplied by 80 means that my apple has about 153 calories.

    I'm a math nerd. Bookmark that calculator b/c it helps!!!
  • bettyboop573
    bettyboop573 Posts: 610 Member
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    thanks for posting.....most of my food has no label...so I will definitely check this out :)

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