Solid, Comprehensive, and Accurate Nutritional Book?

7yearbitch
7yearbitch Posts: 30 Member
edited 5:35AM in Food and Nutrition
As the title says, I'm looking for a book with charts of commonly used foods with all of their nutritional data. I'm counting macros and find myself in situations where I'll have 1g carbs, 9g fat and 0 protein. Having a reference guide in the kitchen that I can quickly skim through would be handy and helpful in getting used to the whole macro thing.

While I am a practical learner, I like reference books. And I prefer physical books over internet sources. For something like this, it has to be a physical book for me.

I cook everything from scratch, so I don't need one that is full of fast food, pre-made foods and potato chips.

Thank you in advance. I appreciate it.

Edit: I realize it'll be a large book, and maybe even come in volumes. I also realize it will cost a fair amount. That's fine. I take my cooking seriously. There's no such thing as a quick meal in my house. Even on week days I'll spend a couple of hours in the kitchen preparing dinner and lunches for the next day.

I'm looking for something professionals would use.

Replies

  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited January 2016
    Use the internet for this. A book for nutrition on all foods could be the size of an encyclopedia.
    Ex: Need broccoli info? http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2356/2
    I type the word broccoli followed by the words self nutrition. Why not get a small used laptop just for your kitchen? You can also look up recipes and just have them on a screen.
  • 7yearbitch
    7yearbitch Posts: 30 Member
    edited January 2016
    JanetYellen wrote: »
    Use the internet for this. A book for nutrition on all foods could be the size of an encyclopedia.
    Ex: Need broccoli info? http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2356/2
    I type the word broccoli followed by the words self nutrition

    Yeah, I don't want to use the internet. I have been, and it's annoying. I don't have a computer in my kitchen so I have to go back and forth to get the information I need. I want something that has all of the basic vegetables and fruits so that all I have to do is look at the index and find what I need in seconds.
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
    I prefer to read an old fashioned book over a Kindle, etc., as well. However, here on MFP we use MFP for what your asking for. Either ask at your local library and see if they can recommended a book. Or you can Google it. :)
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    This would warrant a trip to the book store for something like this. It is not just a basic book you are looking for.

    But besides hating the internet for anything, have you looked up Nutritional Books online (I did and found a lot) that you could research on line and order it?

    My daughter is a nutritionist and a book like this is very very comprehensive what you are looking for. And it will be a big as a encyclopedia if it has ALL the stuff you are looking for.. I predict it will be more than one you need.

  • sheldonz42
    sheldonz42 Posts: 233 Member
    edited January 2016
    The USDA has produced a "Nutritive Value of Foods" document. I have a pdf of it on my computer. It covers darn near everything, at least generically. And it's certainly printable if not available in paper for purchase. It was free when I downloaded it from USDA.
  • 7yearbitch
    7yearbitch Posts: 30 Member
    edited January 2016
    gia07 wrote: »

    But besides hating the internet for anything, have you looked up Nutritional Books online (I did and found a lot) that you could research on line and order it?

    My daughter is a nutritionist and a book like this is very very comprehensive what you are looking for. And it will be a big as a encyclopedia if it has ALL the stuff you are looking for.. I predict it will be more than one you need.

    I don't mind large books. I'm a home cook who has taken quite a few cooking courses and classes. Some of the cookbooks I own come in multiple volumes and I use them weekly. I counted my cookbook collection not too long ago when I re-organized my kitchen, and I own 97. I received more at Christmas.

    I have looked at Amazon, but if I'm going to be making a purchase like this, that will likely cost me $100-150 CAD, I would prefer to make an informed decision
  • autumnblade75
    autumnblade75 Posts: 1,661 Member
    I'm not sure you're going to find a book with all known foods listed according to their macros. Here's a website, though, where you can search recipes based on your macro needs... http://www.rippedrecipes.com If you've got 9 g fat and 1 g carbs remaining, that sounds like a serving of butter on a single crouton. I'm interested if anyone has additional resources for macro planning, though.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited January 2016
    My daughter is a nutritionist and I predict that you will need more than one book for what you are looking for. This is a very very comprehensive book you are looking to get your hands on.

    If you find a book that will give you the basic stuff it will still be a huge book. I know you hate the internet, but try to look up what you are looking for on the internet and research and order it online..

    I have a tablet that stays in my kitchen (it might not be practical for everyone) but if you spend hundreds on books you can get a tablet just for the kitchen..

    Everything is at my finger tips in the kitchen and with touch screen...

    Another thing, books become obsolete pretty fast..
  • itsmemaringle
    itsmemaringle Posts: 69 Member
    Did you find anything? I was thinking the same
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
    edited January 2016
    sheldonz42 wrote: »
    The USDA has produced a "Nutritive Value of Foods" document. I have a pdf of it on my computer. It covers darn near everything, at least generically. And it's certainly printable if not available in paper for purchase. It was free when I downloaded it from USDA.

    Yeah, I don't have any suggestions on an actual book, but I do 99.9% of my cooking from scratch, and I use the USDA food database religiously: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods

    And since I also use my food scale for just about everything, I also find the King Arthur ingredient weight chart incredibly handy for figuring out, say, how much a cup of raisins or a cup of cooked quinoa weighs: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart.html

    Between those two resources, I can usually get a decent estimate of most recipes.

    ETA: I realize belatedly that this won't help the OP, since she is specifically looking for a physical book
  • itsmemaringle
    itsmemaringle Posts: 69 Member
    This database is unreal!!! Thank you

    I want to ensure I'm getting all of the nutrients needed for good health as I tend to stick to the same foods and I'm worried it's not varied enough. I want to avoid becoming deficient in anything.
  • 7yearbitch
    7yearbitch Posts: 30 Member
    itsmemaringle wrote: »
    Did you find anything? I was thinking the same

    I'm actually looking at text books now. A friend who is a nurse has a food textbook she's going to give me, and my old strength and conditioning coach has another from when he was in university.

    And then, for a small pocket book I just plan on going to the bookstore and peruse what they've got and go from there.

    And yeah, no computer in the kitchen, so it's not helpful (for me). And printing the pdf will cost me more in toner than buying a small book with fruit and veg info in it.

    And for people saying that's what MFP is for, if you're tracking your macros and use the user-inputed info, you'll soon realize that what a lot of people enter is not accurate, because your macros and calorie count won't match up, which they should.
  • itsmemaringle
    itsmemaringle Posts: 69 Member
    I agree - my main issue is getting all poss nutrients whilst having a varied diet. I tend to eat the same things all the time which might mean I miss vitamins or minerals. Let me know what the books are. Good luck
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