Food Database

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markfloyd
markfloyd Posts: 69
in Food and Nutrition
I'm new to the site and this is just an observation. Does anyone prepare their own food anymore? About 90% of my food is prepared at home or is Cafeteria style. I eat nothing similar to a Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice meal. The majority of the food I find listed on the site is packaged meals. This is discouraging for two reasons: First, packaged foods are not necessarily "healthy" and, it takes a lot of time to track down the caloric content of the foods I consume and add them to the site. However, if it's beneficial for me it will also be beneficial for you. I do make the food entries available to everyone. I enjoy the site and it keeps me aware of what I'm putting in my body so I'll continue to use it. However, if you guys have "homemade" meals that you use and have the "info" on that food, please add it to the site. For instance, a Chicken sand wich with Lettuce and Tomato, no cheese on a Wheat Bun. Add these to the site. It will be helpful to everyone! By the way, leave those frozen Entrees in the Grocery Store and make yourselves some "fresh and nutritious" meals, at home!!

Replies

  • markfloyd
    markfloyd Posts: 69
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    I'm new to the site and this is just an observation. Does anyone prepare their own food anymore? About 90% of my food is prepared at home or is Cafeteria style. I eat nothing similar to a Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice meal. The majority of the food I find listed on the site is packaged meals. This is discouraging for two reasons: First, packaged foods are not necessarily "healthy" and, it takes a lot of time to track down the caloric content of the foods I consume and add them to the site. However, if it's beneficial for me it will also be beneficial for you. I do make the food entries available to everyone. I enjoy the site and it keeps me aware of what I'm putting in my body so I'll continue to use it. However, if you guys have "homemade" meals that you use and have the "info" on that food, please add it to the site. For instance, a Chicken sand wich with Lettuce and Tomato, no cheese on a Wheat Bun. Add these to the site. It will be helpful to everyone! By the way, leave those frozen Entrees in the Grocery Store and make yourselves some "fresh and nutritious" meals, at home!!
  • kistinbee
    kistinbee Posts: 3,688 Member
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    Almost everything I eat is home cooked as well. I use calorieking.com a lot to find nutrition info. I know it's frustrating at first, but after you add things in on your own, then you can go back to them. I have a huge database of my own that are meals I make. So, eventually it will be easy for you. Just bare with it until you have a lot of your own foods entered in.

    *Kistinbee*
  • zenmama
    zenmama Posts: 1,000
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    I prepare most of my own meals too....however, I do eat a "prepared" meal now and again due to my school schedule...as a nursing student sometimes I just have to grab something and go. Sometimes I just dont' have the time to prepare a meal for myself...my husband and children always have homecooked meals...but I am at school 4 days/nights a week so I find it challenging....

    dd
  • annathelu
    annathelu Posts: 127 Member
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    I don't get it. Can't you just add in the chicken, the bread and such separate? That's what I do.
  • Erica92627
    Erica92627 Posts: 576
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    I would love to have more homemade stuff but time makes it difficult. Sometimes it is just easier to grab and go.

    I think starting next week I will try to make my own stuff to bring to work. That will be a goal worth trying and sticking to.
  • Anna_Banana
    Anna_Banana Posts: 2,939 Member
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    I just add my stuff separately. I very seldom eat anything that isn't home made. The is also a website in one of these threads that will figure nutritional value for you.
  • Cowboy
    Cowboy Posts: 369 Member
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    Almost everything we eat, is not only home made, but home grown or grown by a local farmer. I use a software called "recipecalc". You can try it for free at recipecalc.com. All you do is add in everything you put into your dish and it automatically computes the nutrition information for you. Then you can add it into your own database. It's a great tool, and not terribly expensive if you do choose to buy it ($24.95). Good luck.
    Cowboy
  • markfloyd
    markfloyd Posts: 69
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    Thanks for the link!! This is exactly what I need!!
  • AtlantaSara
    AtlantaSara Posts: 91
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    Thanks for the tip on that. I have been looking up my ingredients individually and then listing them in my foods....
  • matts
    matts Posts: 1
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    Will this recipecalc also work with a big pot of something like a Stew or Chicken 'N' Dumplings?
    Or will I have to try to figure how many servings are in the pot? I also cook for my family and would like to portion control the same meals. I make larger quanties so I don't have to cook as often.. Gotta Love those leftovers.
  • dulceluva
    dulceluva Posts: 728 Member
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    I eat everything from scratch too but of course the database seems all frozen and processed because the calories are ready available and most of us don't input our own meals in the database because how accurate can it be and we all have our individual creations.
  • azlips2003
    azlips2003 Posts: 45 Member
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    I cook all of my own food. I actually just came to the computer with the packages for butternut squash, black beans, whole wheat tortillas, salsa verde and jalapeno jack cheese and added each one to the list. It's a bit of a pain, but I figure at some point I'll have most of what I eat on the list. :wink:
  • jdonahue
    jdonahue Posts: 41 Member
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    I have found it just a little bit annoying that there aren't that many foods on the database. I agree with previous posts that once you go in and enter certain foods you'll have an easier time. Just make sure to share your foods!!! I think that's how the database s going to expand.
  • mydogmesa2
    mydogmesa2 Posts: 205 Member
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    Since I started here, I havent eaten out once(i just cant bring myself to log in a 600+:noway: calorie hamburger) and everything I make is home-cooked so I make sure I put everything I eat into the database to share. I think there should be a certain section that we could post home-style recipes AND the Nutritional Valuesthat go with it that way others will know how to make it as well. Something to put in the suggestion column!:happy:
  • owegorose
    owegorose Posts: 8
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    I cook nearly everything from scratch because I have to because of severe food intolerances, and in general, can't go out to eat. I find some items only at health food stores. I am adding to the database those items I do eat - like the canola mayonnaise, brown rice pasta, and rice milk I added yesterday. I don't think most of these items will help most people, but I suspect they will sometime for somebody, if they don't now. It is a tremendous help for me to enter them once, and then have them available!
  • Cowboy
    Cowboy Posts: 369 Member
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    Will this recipecalc also work with a big pot of something like a Stew or Chicken 'N' Dumplings?
    Or will I have to try to figure how many servings are in the pot? I also cook for my family and would like to portion control the same meals. I make larger quanties so I don't have to cook as often.. Gotta Love those leftovers.

    Hi,
    you just put in exactly everything you add to your stew or pot and then you can decide how many servings you want to call it and it will calculate the nutrition based on what you decide. Sorry it took so long to answer, I've been gone this weekend.
    Cowboy

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