How accurate are the calories listed?

kayakerdad
kayakerdad Posts: 1 Member
edited December 2024 in Getting Started
Hi, i am new to this and keen to lose a little weight, I am logging everything I eat, my question is how do I know the calories listed are accurate?

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,891 Member
    Here's a How To thread for using the USDA database to check food calories accuracy:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10621050/how-to-use-the-usda-food-database-mfp-food-database-for-accurate-logging/p1
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,528 Member
    Great advice above about USDA foods. For processed foods always check the labels on your packages and ensure the entry you are using is correct. There are slight differences between products in different countries, and since the database is use made some entries have mistakes.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    The food database here is as accurate as you make it. Everything here is crowd sourced, so we can all add and correct entries in the food database. There are some really bad entries out there. Some are just wrong (hello 5,000 calorie garlic clove), some have been added without filling in all the fields, and some entries are absolutely great. Double-check labels when you can. Use the recipe builder, meal builder, or recipe importer for foods you make. Don't trust the barcode scanner or green checkmarks too much (they're a nice guide but not infallible). The USDA database linked above is great for whole foods.

    It gets easier as you build up a list of entries you know are good entries. But always double-check and correct bad entries where you can to help everyone out.
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    I would not use the database and create my own foods so you know they're accurate
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    In short - fairly accurate. A lot of data is entered in by the MFP community and mistakes happen. There are verified foods that have a green check mark on them which means they've been reviewed. There is also some imperfection in the USDA database in the sense it is a good average...your piece of chicken may be 90 or 100 calories or 110--still 100 will be a good thing to enter. It's not perfect but it's not bad.
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    Sharon_C wrote: »
    I would not use the database and create my own foods so you know they're accurate

    That would be a lot of unnecessary, redundant work for the OP. There are both accurate and inaccurate database entries. The key is double checking the entry you use against the label of the product you eat (if available), and learning to find accurate entries, such as using USDA syntax as mentioned above. And of course, weighing all solid food with a food scale is necessary if one wants to be as accurate as possible.

    Not necessarily. It doesn't take long at all to enter your own food. It probably takes longer to search for the correct entry in the database.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Sharon_C wrote: »
    apullum wrote: »
    Sharon_C wrote: »
    I would not use the database and create my own foods so you know they're accurate

    That would be a lot of unnecessary, redundant work for the OP. There are both accurate and inaccurate database entries. The key is double checking the entry you use against the label of the product you eat (if available), and learning to find accurate entries, such as using USDA syntax as mentioned above. And of course, weighing all solid food with a food scale is necessary if one wants to be as accurate as possible.

    Not necessarily. It doesn't take long at all to enter your own food. It probably takes longer to search for the correct entry in the database.

    What are you searching for that is so hard to find a correct entry? Unless it is a very unusual item there are typically 4 or more entries for every food. It is usually pretty easy to spot the ones that are very unlike the others and consider them suspicious.

    Like others I use the USDA entries as much as possible but I have never had the MFP db hurt my progress as long as I use some common sense. My weight loss is usually slightly ahead of my logging.
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