ml,g,oz

pettle10
pettle10 Posts: 1 Member
edited December 2024 in Getting Started
Is there a way that we can change the settings to your preference. I like to measure in millilitres and grams and not ounces yet a lot of the things I look up are in ounces. In Australia, this isn't the primary form of measurement and don't know the conversions of oz to ml or grams. Can anyone please advise if there is a setting somewhere where when we search for food it automatically comes up in your preferred setting?

Replies

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Do you mean the measurements in the diary section? I'm in Australia too and don't have any problems finding ml and gram entries.
    As for the forums, I have converter apps on my phone to translate to metric, and they get quite the workout :lol:
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 19,013 Member
    There isn't, because the majority of the database is user added. So whatever the other user added the item as, is the only option there it. The ones with green checks are supposed to be more accurate, and often have more options for size, but even they can be dodgy. Entries with USDA are also generally better, but only if someone added them with all the different options.

    I'm from Australia too and it can be frustrating to find an accurate entry with the right units.
  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
    You can also use the term 'ausnut' in your food searches (mainly for fresh ingredients). Ausnut is the abbreviated term for the 'Australian Food and Nutrient Database' (which btw, you can download and use for yourself in an excel file), and is our equivalent to the USDA entries. If I can't find a raw food (and some basic premade foods) with an entry I'm satisfied with, I look it up on the Ausnut database spreadsheet and enter it myself for further use.
  • jnord8729
    jnord8729 Posts: 234 Member
    The other alternative is google. Type 1 oz in either ml or g and it'll convert. But yeah, the USDA is the primary source for basic ingredients because well, MFP is a USA based company and most users are Americans. Most of what's left are Canadians and British, and they are at least familiar with Imperial units.
  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
    jnord8729 wrote: »
    The other alternative is google. Type 1 oz in either ml or g and it'll convert. But yeah, the USDA is the primary source for basic ingredients because well, MFP is a USA based company and most users are Americans. Most of what's left are Canadians and British, and they are at least familiar with Imperial units.

    On the fly, having to use a converter is a right royal pain in the kitten. I (and many other non-imperial system users) have learned to adapt after being on here for a couple of years, but for a person who's just starting out and getting used to logging, having to go out of the app or to a different website to convert weights is a disincentive to continue logging on MFP.

    That, and when verified USDA values for solid food are listed in oz, mls and cups, I don't exactly trust them. That, and even if you were to use cups, a cup in any metric-system country is a different volume to a US-cup. Not by much, but enough to make a difference over time if you're using it as a way to measure liquids.

    In the end, this is going to be a suggestion that gets re-hashed over and over again like that water thread that keeps getting bumped in the suggestion section of the forum. And like @Alatariel75 said, with a user-added entry system, its never going to be greatly user-friendly when searching for something. I think a solution would be to have a filter in the search function with options such as 'show only verified entries' and 'only show results with units in <insert measurement reference here>', but I doubt that'll happen anytime soon.
  • jnord8729
    jnord8729 Posts: 234 Member
    Yeah, I have to say it is a pain and the USDA's measurements are based on how Americans actually measure them. And yeah, a lot of times we measure solids as if they are a liquid (ex. sugar or flour) because it's well, just easier. I'm not saying it's right. And yeah, I agree the conversions SHOULD be in here if MFP is trying to branch out to a more international audience.

    So what is the difference between an American cup and a metric cup? I know ours is the same as the British cup because well, the "Imperial" in Imperial Units is the British Empire. That's why we call our measurements English units in the US.
  • solieco1
    solieco1 Posts: 1,559 Member
    edited August 2016
    pettle10 wrote: »
    Is there a way that we can change the settings to your preference. I like to measure in millilitres and grams and not ounces yet a lot of the things I look up are in ounces. In Australia, this isn't the primary form of measurement and don't know the conversions of oz to ml or grams. Can anyone please advise if there is a setting somewhere where when we search for food it automatically comes up in your preferred setting?

    Often if I type the unit with the search I get it. I prefer grams too. So, for instance, type "eggs grams" - doesn't work for everything but does for many.
  • Unknown
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  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,032 Member
    edited August 2016
    solieco1 wrote: »
    pettle10 wrote: »
    Is there a way that we can change the settings to your preference. I like to measure in millilitres and grams and not ounces yet a lot of the things I look up are in ounces. In Australia, this isn't the primary form of measurement and don't know the conversions of oz to ml or grams. Can anyone please advise if there is a setting somewhere where when we search for food it automatically comes up in your preferred setting?

    Often if I type the unit with the search I get it. I prefer grams too. So, for instance, type "eggs grams" - doesn't work for everything but does for many.

    Very helpful, thank you!! :smiley:
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    edited August 2016
    jnord8729 wrote: »
    Yeah, I have to say it is a pain and the USDA's measurements are based on how Americans actually measure them. And yeah, a lot of times we measure solids as if they are a liquid (ex. sugar or flour) because it's well, just easier. I'm not saying it's right. And yeah, I agree the conversions SHOULD be in here if MFP is trying to branch out to a more international audience.

    So what is the difference between an American cup and a metric cup? I know ours is the same as the British cup because well, the "Imperial" in Imperial Units is the British Empire. That's why we call our measurements English units in the US.

    Approx 13 ml. American cup is 8 fl oz or roughly 237 ml. Metric cup is 250 ml. So if you log a "cup" from a US database entry you log 237 ml but might be drinking 250 ml.
  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    jnord8729 wrote: »
    Yeah, I have to say it is a pain and the USDA's measurements are based on how Americans actually measure them. And yeah, a lot of times we measure solids as if they are a liquid (ex. sugar or flour) because it's well, just easier. I'm not saying it's right. And yeah, I agree the conversions SHOULD be in here if MFP is trying to branch out to a more international audience.

    So what is the difference between an American cup and a metric cup? I know ours is the same as the British cup because well, the "Imperial" in Imperial Units is the British Empire. That's why we call our measurements English units in the US.

    Approx 13 ml. American cup is 8 fl oz or roughly 237 ml. Metric cup is 250 ml. So if you log a "cup" from a US database entry you log 237 ml but might be drinking 250 ml.

    And an answer appears whilst I'm asleep.^_^

    Even a lot of British cooks like Nigella use all metrics in their recipe books now so that there aren't any discrepancies in their recipes.

    In the end, I can deal with oz, but cups...... I've never understood how you can measure butter accurately in cups.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    If i find a recipe that uses cups and spoons, i move on and don't even bother trying to make it!!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    BreezeDoveal wrote: »
    Wait, they don't use Oz in Oz?

    Australia stopped using oz, lbs etc before i was even born, many many years ago. Now if only they would drop the stupid kilojoules unit, everything would be perfect :lol:
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