Russet potato: very inaccurate kcal / kg?
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maxbbbr
Posts: 46 Member
The "database" entry lists 1,293 kcal/kg (verified by 99 users!), but the USDA says it's 950 kcal/kg.
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3084?manu=&fgcd=&ds=
Which is correct? How did those 99 users verify this number, and where does it come from?
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3084?manu=&fgcd=&ds=
Which is correct? How did those 99 users verify this number, and where does it come from?
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Replies
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I'm not sure which entry you're looking at so it's hard to say why 99 people thought it was good. I looked at several entries but none were 1,293 kcal. There are a bunch of entries, so you just need to find the one you want.
Here's my search. I always use the plural form of the word for fruits and vegetables because to me it seems to get more accurate results. Then I scroll down the list for the green check marks and find an entry that has many serving size options. I also always search for raw, because you never know how someone else cooked their food.
In this case, I searched for "potatoes, raw". On the list there's a green check entry that says "0.5 cup diced" so that tells me there are probably other measurements. When I open it I can change to 1 kg instead of 0.5 cup diced, and it's got the 790 kcal you mention. That would tell me it's a good entry to use.
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Definitely something odd there. When I look up the item as you did, I get the same entry right at the top. If I change to 1 kg, it shows the 1,293 kcal. If I choose 1 g and enter 1000 servings, the kcals show as 743. Still not 790, but it's closer
In the drop-down, three of the serving sizes all have 5.3 oz. This is a clue it was user-entered:- 148 g/5.3 oz - that's a correct conversion, 5.3 oz is 148 grams
- 1 g/5.3 oz - uh, no
- 1 container (2200 g/5.3 oz) - also no
Even though a bunch of people verified it, it's not a reliable entry on all serving sizes. Since you discovered this inconsistency, you can either choose a serving size that is close to correct, or choose a different entry to ensure your diary is more accurate. It's a bummer, but it's one of the side effects of having many user-entered foods. :flowerforyou:3 -
How big is your potato? What is the % potato / potato skin? If you eat the skin - why? If you don't eat the skin, why not?0
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Thanks for replying, sugaraddict.
When I type "russet" into the search box, the 1,293 kcal/kg one is the first one.
Unfortunately, the "verified" green check marks in the MFP database are used for both user-created entries and admin-created entries that MFP pulled from the USDA database. To find admin entries for whole foods, I get the syntax from the USDA database and paste that into MFP.
Note: any MFP entry that includes "USDA" was user entered.
The fourth entry is an admin entry. One tell is that it includes "baked". Most USDA entries for meat and produce will contain information on whether it is cooked or raw.0 -
sugaraddict4321 wrote: »
Even though a bunch of people verified it, it's not a reliable entry on all serving sizes.
Interesting. One would expect the conversions between units to be handled automatically (and correctly).
Oh, there are so many problems with admin-entered entries in the database, it's pathetic. There are ml options for solid foods, which should have grams and ounces instead. There's an ongoing problem with cloves of garlic being hundreds of calories that is taking years to permanently fix. There are lots of entries that say 1 g but are actually for 100 g.
And these are just admin-entered entries that pull from the USDA database - I only use user-entered entries as a last result. The above errors are at least easy to spot.
I used to report errors for admin entries but the process was so frustrating that I stopped. For example, they'd put my issue in the Resolved status to indicate they'd emailed me, NOT THAT MY ISSUE WAS ACTUALLY RESOLVED.
This is why I'd never get Premium, which shares the same glitchy and cluttered database. Clean up the DB, and I'd reconsider.3 -
sugaraddict4321 wrote: »
Even though a bunch of people verified it, it's not a reliable entry on all serving sizes.
Interesting. One would expect the conversions between units to be handled automatically (and correctly).
Actually, it was when they tried to implement automatic conversions that everything got screwed up. When I first started on MFP six years ago, finding an admin-created entry with serving-size options that included volume, mass, and "per piece" for things like veggies was the gold-standard -- they had been copied accurately from the USDA database and everything was right. Then at some point they apparently ran a script to try to create metric conversion options for imperial-sized servings and vice versa, and everything went to *kittens* in a handbasket. (But not as cute.)
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@lynn_glenmont I just like the kittens in a handbasket pic. Made my afternoon2
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kshama2001 wrote: »...This is why I'd never get Premium, which shares the same glitchy and cluttered database. Clean up the DB, and I'd reconsider.
Speaking as a member here, not a mod.
Cleaning up the database sounds easy but would be a nightmare. Many users entered their own potato (for example). If you then remove all the duplicates and try to have one entry each for baked and raw, you're going to have thousands of angry people whose frequent foods lists are borked and they have to search all over again. In addition, people would simply start entering their own "potatoe" again instead of potato.
I wouldn't want to be on the help desk the day that got implemented.3
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