Do you trust the MFP food database

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1mumrevolution
1mumrevolution Posts: 269 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Am curious whether people trust it or not. I know a lot of them are user inputs so just wondering what the consensus is on how accurate they are. For me, I look for the verified entries or create my own entries and use labels as a guide. What do you guys think/do?
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Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    no
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Verified entries can still be wrong. Compare the one you come across to the nutrition label or USDA's information. For homemade items, the recipe builder is going to be a much better option.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    let me clarify

    I don't trust the verified entries any more than the non-verified entries - because it's an automatic verification and some of them are totally screwy

    I trust my own favourites / frequents as I have double checked against other sources

    I will never use other's recipes / meals - there is no way they would offer similar counts as my own - always build my own

  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
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    1mumrevolution wrote: »
    Am curious whether people trust it or not. I know a lot of them are user inputs so just wondering what the consensus is on how accurate they are. For me, I look for the verified entries or create my own entries and use labels as a guide. What do you guys think/do?

    Not sure why anybody would let end users create global data, never works well.

    Knowing that; h*ll no, I don't trust the data. I tend to use USDA data as it's easy to modify servings. I'll exclusively use it now.
  • Lourdesong
    Lourdesong Posts: 1,492 Member
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    No, I crosscheck with labels (if I have it), USDA, or the food manufacturer or restaurant website. Many entries are also out of date where the product has been reformulated or whatever. Also a Big Mac, for example, in America has different nutrition than Big Macs elsewhere (even other English-speaking countries).
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    markrgeary1 wrote: »
    1mumrevolution wrote: »
    Am curious whether people trust it or not. I know a lot of them are user inputs so just wondering what the consensus is on how accurate they are. For me, I look for the verified entries or create my own entries and use labels as a guide. What do you guys think/do?
    Not sure why anybody would let end users create global data, never works well.

    Knowing that; h*ll no, I don't trust the data. I tend to use USDA data as it's easy to modify servings. I'll exclusively use it now.
    Global data created by users means that a company didn't have to pay anyone to input that data. Free trumps accuracy, especially when many users aren't mathy enough to realize when data doesn't seem accurate.
  • VisofSer
    VisofSer Posts: 130 Member
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    Trust, but verify.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    when i logged, i compared the database entries to the nutritional labels of whatever it was i was selecting...i used the recipe builder to build my own recipes rather than using generic "chicken noodle soup" recipes (those are never going to be accurate because you have no idea what the individual who created it put in it) and I tag bulk items like veg, meat, poultry, etc with "USDA"

    i trust the database in as much as i know how to verify what i'm selecting and understand that there are also a lot of erroneous entries in there as well.
  • flaminica
    flaminica Posts: 304 Member
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    When in doubt, crowdsource the data. Go to Google and type "[name of food] calories." This will return the manufacturer info (if relevant), MFP, and four or five other calorie counting site's database entries.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,952 Member
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    HappyCampr1 wrote: »
    I go to the USDA website and get the exact wording for most of the items I eat. Their search function is better. MFP has all these items in it, you just have to know how to find them. http://ndb.nal.usda.gov In MFP, I can't just type in grilled chicken breast and expect to find a correct answer. If I type in Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, skinless, boneless, meat only, cooked, grilled...I will find the correct entry. Obviously I have no possible way to know how to find that entry unless I use the USDA database first. Once I have the right one, it's easy because it stays in my recent list. I do this with pretty much everything...peanut butter, milk, meats, vegetables.....

    For packaged food items, I generally have the label to double check. For restaurants, I look online first. Once I know what calories I'm looking for, I can find an entry that matches pretty easily.

    So...I guess the answer is yes and no. The proper entries are there 99% of the time. Finding them gets easier, but it's always a two step process for me when I'm looking for items I've never used before.

    Yes, I trust the system entries, which stand out like the "Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, skinless, boneless, meat only, cooked, grilled" example. Or "onions, raw" with a plethora of measurement options.

    I am able to find system entries for the vast amounts of foods I eat and can verify most user entries against the label. Since I so seldom rely on user entries that I can't verify, I'm ok with that level of possible inaccuracy.
  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
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    seska422 wrote: »
    markrgeary1 wrote: »
    1mumrevolution wrote: »
    Am curious whether people trust it or not. I know a lot of them are user inputs so just wondering what the consensus is on how accurate they are. For me, I look for the verified entries or create my own entries and use labels as a guide. What do you guys think/do?
    Not sure why anybody would let end users create global data, never works well.

    Knowing that; h*ll no, I don't trust the data. I tend to use USDA data as it's easy to modify servings. I'll exclusively use it now.
    Global data created by users means that a company didn't have to pay anyone to input that data. Free trumps accuracy, especially when many users aren't mathy enough to realize when data doesn't seem accurate.

    Well each to their own. As a data cop in financial services, I can't say I agree with free > accurate.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited November 2015
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    markrgeary1 wrote: »
    seska422 wrote: »
    markrgeary1 wrote: »
    1mumrevolution wrote: »
    Am curious whether people trust it or not. I know a lot of them are user inputs so just wondering what the consensus is on how accurate they are. For me, I look for the verified entries or create my own entries and use labels as a guide. What do you guys think/do?
    Not sure why anybody would let end users create global data, never works well.

    Knowing that; h*ll no, I don't trust the data. I tend to use USDA data as it's easy to modify servings. I'll exclusively use it now.
    Global data created by users means that a company didn't have to pay anyone to input that data. Free trumps accuracy, especially when many users aren't mathy enough to realize when data doesn't seem accurate.
    Well each to their own. As a data cop in financial services, I can't say I agree with free > accurate.
    Free isn't better than accurate, free is cheaper than paying employees. That's why companies do it.
  • Ohwhynot
    Ohwhynot Posts: 356 Member
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    I generally trust it, but verify if something seems off. Besides, as good as you can be with measurements, nothing is 100% accurate.
  • louubelle16
    louubelle16 Posts: 579 Member
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    I always check against the label, so no I don't really trust it, even verified ones as the product can change (or the entry was just wrong in the first place). After a while it isn't so annoying though, as you end up with a bank of products in your 'recent' list that you've checked.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
    edited November 2015
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    Sure I trust the food database. What's not to trust about a "verified" entry for "Chinese Buffet - 1 Plate?"
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Some are accurate and some aren't. Some are probably accurate for what they are (someone's homemade thing they shouldn't have made public), but aren't going to be applicable to me at all.

    It's important to learn to identify the accurate entries and to double check things. Once you've done that you will have it in your own foods (for example, frequent or recent) or recognize it and it gets to be easy.
  • Derf_Smeggle
    Derf_Smeggle Posts: 611 Member
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    I trust that there are accurate entries in the database for the majority of foods I commonly eat.

    It falls to me to be responsible for making sure I use the correct entries.
  • pie_eyes
    pie_eyes Posts: 12,965 Member
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    Yeah I usually double check and I swear by the barcode scanner
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    BeerdedBuddy wrote: »
    Yeah I usually double check and I swear by the barcode scanner
    The barcode scanner just pulls user-entered data from the MFP database so it's not a guarantee of accuracy. You still need to check the results against the nutritional info on the container.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    No. I find entries that match the package or the USDA.

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