How do we know if the calories in the database are correct??

Alsison
Alsison Posts: 651 Member
edited October 4 in Food and Nutrition
I am finding it a little frustrating because the database seems to give inconsistent calorie information for the same foods....

Anybody know of a good website for nutritional information which I could cross reference??

Thanks,

Alsison

Replies

  • CityOnAHill
    CityOnAHill Posts: 136 Member
    Livestrong.com has a lot of calorie counts.

    You might try them. :smile:
  • Pocket_Pixi
    Pocket_Pixi Posts: 1,167 Member
    Read the nutrition label on the food... and if there isn't one I usually just go with one that I think is the closest.

    if you are eating out most places have information on their website.
  • musicgirl88
    musicgirl88 Posts: 504 Member
    well if you are making the food yourself, just look at the nutritional labels. If you are eating out, most restaurants have the nutritional values posted somewhere on their website. I have double checked things before that I have bought just to be safe. For example, I was making pasta one night, and the calorie count seemed super high on here, so I got the box, and double checked, and I was right! Whoever typed it in had either typed in the wrong amount for a serving or just mistyped the calories. I said it was incorrect on the little screen that pops up, and put in the correct values....might seem like a lot of work, but if you really want to make sure you are getting all the right calories in, that extra work is definitely worth it!
  • Rbaker51
    Rbaker51 Posts: 3
    I just posted the same question. I'm finding inconsistencies. I'd love to get it right.
  • catwrangler
    catwrangler Posts: 918 Member
    I use calorieking.com
  • ChubbieTubbie
    ChubbieTubbie Posts: 481 Member
    If I don't have the label to look at or a restaurant website, I go with the one with the highest confirmations.
  • rainunrefined
    rainunrefined Posts: 850 Member
    Read the nutrition label on the food... and if there isn't one I usually just go with one that I think is the closest.

    if you are eating out most places have information on their website.

    What she said.
  • sjtreely
    sjtreely Posts: 1,014 Member
    The container from which they come in. If you're making a recipe, you need to enter the ingredients one at a time with the nutritional value of each ingredient. That would help ensure accuracy.

    Also, if something has been added to the database and there are several confirmations, then you're pretty safe in its accuracy.

    But honestly, even some packages have been less than perfect. I just weighed beets and the can read 4 slices = 29 g for one serving. That was wrong. It was far more slices that got me to 29 g. Maybe they piced the largest slices, IDK. I also weighed pretzels once. I don't know how many the package read as one serving (may 28 or so) but when I weighed them it came out to far less pertzels per serving than what was on the package.

    You could go crazy trying to be exact with calories consumed (and burned for that matter). 'Ya just gotta go with common sense and do the best you can at times.
  • rainunrefined
    rainunrefined Posts: 850 Member
    If I don't have the label to look at or a restaurant website, I go with the one with the highest confirmations.

    This too!
  • Nelski
    Nelski Posts: 1,607 Member
    Livestrong.com has a lot of calorie counts.

    You might try them. :smile:
    I used to use them and they have a lot of incorrect also.

    The only way to truly know is to have the nutrition lable in front of you or be able to look up information on the company's website. If it's something that has several listings that are all very close in values then you are probably safe to pick one that should be a close estimate.
  • CityOnAHill
    CityOnAHill Posts: 136 Member
    I use calorieking.com

    Yes! That's the other one I was thinking of (and couldn't come up with).
  • sandrinamsilva
    sandrinamsilva Posts: 651 Member
    I always double check the label of whatever I am eating to make sure its right. I have only found a few errors.
  • cherryObebe
    cherryObebe Posts: 189
    Always read the nutrition label or facts given by the brand, etc. online. I have found that a lot of information is incorrect on here. I enter in a lot of my own so that I know they are correct. Since I read labels on everything I eat, it is fairly easy to determine if something is correct or not.
  • ╰☆╮PilatesPOPster╰☆╮
    ╰☆╮PilatesPOPster╰☆╮ Posts: 198
    there is nutritional facts of every package/bag/box of food you buy....check it....then check the database!
  • ChubbieTubbie
    ChubbieTubbie Posts: 481 Member
    Also, as you continue forward, you'll learn roughly what most things you eat have in terms of calories--I know most of my regular staples off of the top of my head, just from seeing them over and over and over again. So going by what I know, I am able to guestimate which one is the closest.
  • Alsison
    Alsison Posts: 651 Member
    I always go by the nutritional information labels or restaurants info when available. The problem I am having is when I eat out somewhere that does not provide this information.

    For example, today I had sushi for lunch and the MFP website gave me several different calorie counts for tuna and salmon sashimi.

    Thanks for everyone's input.

    Cheers,
    Alsison
  • marielynne
    marielynne Posts: 4
    www.caloriecount.com is a good cross reference
  • sdrabor
    sdrabor Posts: 34 Member
    And sometimes it doesn't hurt to double check the labels. Trader Joe's Pumpkin and Cranberry loaf bread... Label says 8 servings and that it weighs 1 lb. 110 calories per whatever-grams. So I'm thinking OK divide evenly into 8 slices and there's 110 calories each. After my dau ate one slice I decided to weigh it to make sure she took about 2 oz, and it weighed 1 lb 3.5 oz (AFTER the one slice was gone). So maybe if it only weighed 1 lb there WOULD only be 110 in 1/8 of the loaf, but since it weighed at least 1 lb 4 oz, there are more. And looking at the entries here at MFP for this bread ppl have entered 140 calories per serving. When I first entered the bread for my dau I thought the MFP entries were wrong. Glad I double checked the weight.
  • cherryObebe
    cherryObebe Posts: 189
    I always go by the nutritional information labels or restaurants info when available. The problem I am having is when I eat out somewhere that does not provide this information.

    For example, today I had sushi for lunch and the MFP website gave me several different calorie counts for tuna and salmon sashimi.

    When I go out for sushi, I encounter the same thing and have found this site incredibly helpful!

    http://www.mymakisushi.com/nutrition.php
  • MrsBlobs
    MrsBlobs Posts: 310 Member
    I always check the label on the product itself. Sometimes manufacturers change sizes and ingredients also. I've come across a few that are WAY wrong. But some I can see that the product itself has changed a little and will either add to the database if appropriate or change the existing one depending on what's right.
  • Dreamcyn
    Dreamcyn Posts: 12
    If I have the food with me, I'll double check, and I like that MFP gives you the option to say whether it's correct or not. If It's really important and I don't have the food, I'll look it up. But for me I'm usually fine with just using the listed calorie contents as a guideline, so I know the general area. I'm not too worried if they're not exact.
  • ashnm88
    ashnm88 Posts: 748
    I read my label and correct what is wrong.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    there is nutritional facts of every package/bag/box of food you buy....check it....then check the database!
    Yeah on the processed stuff...
    if you are eating out most places have information on their website.
    No they don't. Unless you are eating at chain restaurants all the time.
  • Circa1964
    Circa1964 Posts: 225 Member
    Every one here has posted what I have done too. Eventually you will have a good idea if it is accurate. Also I watched a show about six months ago (-minutes, Dateline something like that) that said most food labels can be off be off by as much as 20% too.
  • Nikusz
    Nikusz Posts: 69 Member
    I check product label, companies websites and USDA database http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
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