Macro distribution reliability
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chuygzaa91
Posts: 5 Member
Hello guys
I am a very data driven guy, so before using this app I am double checking against some other information I use to guide my meals. The macro distribution I am getting from the meals in this app are different from another data source I have used and manipulated myself to track my macros and calories. The data source comes from here: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=8964
It is a list of around 8600 foods and their macro and micro distribution as published by the USDA. For example, whole eggs have 11% fat and 10% protein (ex 100g of eggs have 11gr of fat and 10 of protein) according to this database, but in this app 100g of eggs would have 6.6g of fat and 8.8g of protein. Now, I am not utterly obsessed with properly tracking my macros with an app, I can eyeball a lot of what I need since I've been on keto for over a year now, but I do want a more or less accurate idea of what I'm eating so I can adjust my weightlifting goals.
I figured this app was easier to handle than my standalone management of a huge file in Excel and using it as I saw fit, but if the numbers don't match and my Excel has worked I'll stick to it if even if it's a little more work. I am looking to make my life easier so I am wondering if anyone has had any similar issues, and the general question is: how reliable is this app when it comes to nutritional data (both calories and macros)?
Thanks everyone!
I am a very data driven guy, so before using this app I am double checking against some other information I use to guide my meals. The macro distribution I am getting from the meals in this app are different from another data source I have used and manipulated myself to track my macros and calories. The data source comes from here: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=8964
It is a list of around 8600 foods and their macro and micro distribution as published by the USDA. For example, whole eggs have 11% fat and 10% protein (ex 100g of eggs have 11gr of fat and 10 of protein) according to this database, but in this app 100g of eggs would have 6.6g of fat and 8.8g of protein. Now, I am not utterly obsessed with properly tracking my macros with an app, I can eyeball a lot of what I need since I've been on keto for over a year now, but I do want a more or less accurate idea of what I'm eating so I can adjust my weightlifting goals.
I figured this app was easier to handle than my standalone management of a huge file in Excel and using it as I saw fit, but if the numbers don't match and my Excel has worked I'll stick to it if even if it's a little more work. I am looking to make my life easier so I am wondering if anyone has had any similar issues, and the general question is: how reliable is this app when it comes to nutritional data (both calories and macros)?
Thanks everyone!
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Replies
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This database is user created and maintained with next to no oversight. 'nuff said.4
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The MFP database is almost entirely user entered and maintained. It is up to the user to double check any entry they choose to either the package or the USDA published values for whole foods. There are plenty of bad entries, so you need to look for a correct one or create your own if it doesn't exist.0
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chuygzaa91 wrote: »Hello guys
I am a very data driven guy, so before using this app I am double checking against some other information I use to guide my meals. The macro distribution I am getting from the meals in this app are different from another data source I have used and manipulated myself to track my macros and calories. The data source comes from here: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=8964
It is a list of around 8600 foods and their macro and micro distribution as published by the USDA. For example, whole eggs have 11% fat and 10% protein (ex 100g of eggs have 11gr of fat and 10 of protein) according to this database, but in this app 100g of eggs would have 6.6g of fat and 8.8g of protein. Now, I am not utterly obsessed with properly tracking my macros with an app, I can eyeball a lot of what I need since I've been on keto for over a year now, but I do want a more or less accurate idea of what I'm eating so I can adjust my weightlifting goals.
I figured this app was easier to handle than my standalone management of a huge file in Excel and using it as I saw fit, but if the numbers don't match and my Excel has worked I'll stick to it if even if it's a little more work. I am looking to make my life easier so I am wondering if anyone has had any similar issues, and the general question is: how reliable is this app when it comes to nutritional data (both calories and macros)?
Thanks everyone!
You need to verify entries. Most entries in the database are crowd-sourced from users, so there are many incorrect entries. For things like the egg, I wouldn't just use a generic egg entry...I would enter the brand I'm using in my search and compare that to the nutritional information on the carton...or I would tag my search with "USDA"0 -
Lol, damn. I guess I'll have to stick with the usda file. Even though it might be not accurate to the mark, I rarely buy stuff from specific brands and just shop on the go, so on average I think it would be more accurate just to base my tracking on my own file. Wellp, there goes one functionality from this app that isn't that helpful
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It's not that hard to find a correct entry in my opinion, and then when you do, it appears in your recent list, so you can keep adding the same correct one.6
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It's not that hard to find a correct entry in my opinion, and then when you do, it appears in your recent list, so you can keep adding the same correct one.
Exactly. I double-check the entry the first time I use it and then I keep using it. Most of us are eating the same foods fairly regularly, so it isn't really that much work.3 -
janejellyroll wrote: »It's not that hard to find a correct entry in my opinion, and then when you do, it appears in your recent list, so you can keep adding the same correct one.
Exactly. I double-check the entry the first time I use it and then I keep using it. Most of us are eating the same foods fairly regularly, so it isn't really that much work.
But how do you know when you find the "correct" entry. What do you base your "correctness" on?0 -
chuygzaa91 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »It's not that hard to find a correct entry in my opinion, and then when you do, it appears in your recent list, so you can keep adding the same correct one.
Exactly. I double-check the entry the first time I use it and then I keep using it. Most of us are eating the same foods fairly regularly, so it isn't really that much work.
But how do you know when you find the "correct" entry. What do you base your "correctness" on?
Unless you're buying eggs right off the farm, it's going to have some brand...search the brand and compare it to the label on the carton.
For most whole foods like meats, veggies, etc I would tag my search with USDA...ie "bell peppers, USDA" and compare that to the USDA website. Over time, you basically end up building your own mini database in your recent and/or frequent foods.2 -
chuygzaa91 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »It's not that hard to find a correct entry in my opinion, and then when you do, it appears in your recent list, so you can keep adding the same correct one.
Exactly. I double-check the entry the first time I use it and then I keep using it. Most of us are eating the same foods fairly regularly, so it isn't really that much work.
But how do you know when you find the "correct" entry. What do you base your "correctness" on?
I double-check against the USDA database, the label on the product, or an entry on a competing logging site that doesn't allow user updates to the database. The majority of what I eat is basic food stuffs, so the USDA database usually has it.0 -
chuygzaa91 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »It's not that hard to find a correct entry in my opinion, and then when you do, it appears in your recent list, so you can keep adding the same correct one.
Exactly. I double-check the entry the first time I use it and then I keep using it. Most of us are eating the same foods fairly regularly, so it isn't really that much work.
But how do you know when you find the "correct" entry. What do you base your "correctness" on?
So, when you click "Add food" you get a search box where you type your food, such as "Eggs, raw."
When you get a list of results, click the first one, and a box will pop up. Click, "Nutrition Information" and it will tell you what the nutrition is for that item.
SOME of the results will have a green check mark in the list, check those first, as allegedly they have been "confirmed" by users. SOME of those are more likely to be correct, I usually start there.
It really isn't that hard, honest. Just takes playing with it.2 -
I don't use the general database. I enter items into My Foods to use it as a personal database and don't share with the general database. It takes a while to set up but lets me customize names and know that the info is accurate at the time of entry.
Any way you do it, double-check entries occasionally. General database entries might get edited to something that's inaccurate for you. Manufacturers change formulations from time to time and might have different formulations for different geographical regions.0 -
Thanks everyone! I eat whole foods most of the time, and very few processed stuff which I would need to rely on manufacturer's specs. I guess I will spend some time during the weekend setting up my most consumed meals on the database, and whatever few that might change (bacon brands, franks, or maybe cheeses?) I'll keep an eye on labels.0
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If you get familiar with the database you can recognize the USDA entries, which are as correct as you are going to get.
Btw, you say: "whole eggs have 11% fat and 10% protein (ex 100g of eggs have 11gr of fat and 10 of protein) according to this database, but in this app 100g of eggs would have 6.6g of fat and 8.8g of protein."
The USDA numbers I see (on the current food look-up site, not MFP) are 9.5 g of fat and 12.6 g of protein for 100 g. When I searched the database (I just did eggs, raw), I got a bunch of entries that were not the actual USDA one MFP put in, but that mostly had those numbers (close or rounded).1 -
The USDA numbers I see (on the current food look-up site, not MFP) are 9.5 g of fat and 12.6 g of protein for 100 g. When I searched the database (I just did eggs, raw), I got a bunch of entries that were not the actual USDA one MFP put in, but that mostly had those numbers (close or rounded).
Since I always eat my eggs cooked and scrambled, that's the item that I look for in my data set.
Measure Names Shortdescrip Measure Values
Energy Kcal EGG,WHL,CKD,SCRMBLD 149
Kcal/gram EGG,WHL,CKD,SCRMBLD 1.49
Carb after Fiber EGG,WHL,CKD,SCRMBLD 0.0161
Fat G / Unit EGG,WHL,CKD,SCRMBLD 0.1098
Protein G / Unit EGG,WHL,CKD,SCRMBLD 0.0999
Fiber G / Unit EGG,WHL,CKD,SCRMBLD 0
(units per gram of egg)
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chuygzaa91 wrote: »
The USDA numbers I see (on the current food look-up site, not MFP) are 9.5 g of fat and 12.6 g of protein for 100 g. When I searched the database (I just did eggs, raw), I got a bunch of entries that were not the actual USDA one MFP put in, but that mostly had those numbers (close or rounded).
Since I always eat my eggs cooked and scrambled, that's the item that I look for in my data set.
Measure Names Shortdescrip Measure Values
Energy Kcal EGG,WHL,CKD,SCRMBLD 149
Kcal/gram EGG,WHL,CKD,SCRMBLD 1.49
Carb after Fiber EGG,WHL,CKD,SCRMBLD 0.0161
Fat G / Unit EGG,WHL,CKD,SCRMBLD 0.1098
Protein G / Unit EGG,WHL,CKD,SCRMBLD 0.0999
Fiber G / Unit EGG,WHL,CKD,SCRMBLD 0
(units per gram of egg)
That's potentially part of your problem, then. Usually the advice is to go by raw weight to be accurate - overcook those eggs and they're going to weigh less due to moisture loss, undercook they'll weigh more. It's the same for any cooked foods. It also doesn't account for anything else that may have gone into the eggs (my scrambled eggs also have milk, salt, pepper, parsley).
Presumably if you're aiming for a high level of accuracy, you're using a digital scale?1 -
I understand being data driven but what purpose does this meticulous account of macro breakdown serve? Are you measuring the results in some way?1
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chuygzaa91 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »It's not that hard to find a correct entry in my opinion, and then when you do, it appears in your recent list, so you can keep adding the same correct one.
Exactly. I double-check the entry the first time I use it and then I keep using it. Most of us are eating the same foods fairly regularly, so it isn't really that much work.
But how do you know when you find the "correct" entry. What do you base your "correctness" on?
Simple, I use the entries imported from the USDA database. Once you know the syntax, they are super easy to find.0
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