What Nutrients do you Track?

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Spokez70
Spokez70 Posts: 548 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I assume most people track the usual Carbs, Fat and Protein. MFP gives you the option to track a couple others- including Fat, Saturated Fat, Polyunsaturated Fat, Monounsaturated Fat, Trans Fat, Cholesterol, Sodium, Potassium, Fiber, Sugar, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Iron. What else are you tracking and why? Is there anything you want to track that's not an option?

Right now I'm listing Sodium and Fiber
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Replies

  • ClareW23
    ClareW23 Posts: 2
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    Fibre and sugar.
  • sarahcuddle
    sarahcuddle Posts: 349 Member
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    Recently started to track sodium but having problems as many foods that i know must contain quite a lot of sodium do not list it. My main issue is bread. If it says it on the packet there is no problem I can check but the deli counter items like bread rolls that i get from my local supermarket don't have any info. Is this more of a problem because I am in the uk? I don't know. Thinking of not bothering to try to count sodium cause its not accurate anyway
  • stephyy4632
    stephyy4632 Posts: 947 Member
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    Protein and sodium are the only two I really watch I like to be over what mfp suggests for Protein and as for sodium I prefer to keep it under the suggested mfp amounts (more or less just watch my sodium intake and if I get to much I up my water).
  • cmc6921
    cmc6921 Posts: 10 Member
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    Is there any way to tailor MFP to low carb specifically? I find low carb works best for me, and I almost don't have to track, but since I've been having trouble for the past year losing any weight at all, I'm being very diligent about tracking just to see if I can pinpoint where I might be going wrong, and in the past week and a half I have lost 3.2, so something is starting to happen.....
  • JenAiMarres
    JenAiMarres Posts: 767 Member
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    Fibre and sugar.

    Yup... Gotta make sure the plumbing is working... And sugar.... Well obvious reasons, it's addicting and hard habit to break.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    only the big 3 macros. IMO, unless you've got some extenuating health concern, tracking anything beyond that is a waste of energy.
  • MrsORourke
    MrsORourke Posts: 315 Member
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    Potassium and Cholesterol
  • pullipgirl
    pullipgirl Posts: 767 Member
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    saturated fat and sugar
  • LinsenNRoses
    LinsenNRoses Posts: 284 Member
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    Fiber & Sodium! :)
  • LeenaRuns
    LeenaRuns Posts: 1,309 Member
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    Is there any way to tailor MFP to low carb specifically? I find low carb works best for me, and I almost don't have to track, but since I've been having trouble for the past year losing any weight at all, I'm being very diligent about tracking just to see if I can pinpoint where I might be going wrong, and in the past week and a half I have lost 3.2, so something is starting to happen.....

    Go to the home tab, goal, and change your goals--do the custom set up and you can change your %. I have mine set to 40/30/30.
  • Dovekat
    Dovekat Posts: 263 Member
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    I normally track fibre and saturated fats, I know my sugar will go over as I eat quite a lot of fruit and home made fruit smoothies. I don't add salt to anything unless I am cooking pasta, rice or boiling potatoes, also having low blood pressure I can afford to only give sodium a casual glance every now and then often it's under by half or more. Once a week or so I will pan through various choices and back track my diary just to have an idea of how things are going and check if there's anything I need to adjust badly. :)
  • Laner07
    Laner07 Posts: 100 Member
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    I'm tracking protein because I have a metabolic disorder where I can't digest protein. I track it to make sure I don't get too much, besides the supplements that I'm perscribed. I also track calcium and iron to make sure I'm getting enough due to my limited diet.
  • montana_girl
    montana_girl Posts: 1,403 Member
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    Fat, carbs, fiber, protein, and sodium
  • cmc6921
    cmc6921 Posts: 10 Member
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    Thanks for the tips on how to change goals. I didn't even know that was there!
  • wahmx3
    wahmx3 Posts: 646 Member
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    I track fiber and sodium, I think having enough fiber is important for long term health. I track sodium because if I eat too much, I gain weight but can help counteract that with more water. I was tracking sugar but quickly realized MFP tracks ALL sugar and can't show the difference between natural sugar in fruit and added sugar to food, so I think it is pointless to track unless you look specifically at the fruit and subtract that yourself.
  • Chadwick891
    Chadwick891 Posts: 72 Member
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    Carb, protein and fats are the baseline of the majority of calories(Alcohol is another category, but not on this website, I think). That's why it's the most recognised form of nutrient measures. Sugars, polysaturated fats are just sub-categories of these 3 and are an option to show the variations of fats you're taking in.

    Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying there's no point to tracking them, there certainly is! It gives a clear indication of what kinds of nutrients you're getting in.

    I just track the Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats - However, I also keep an eye on my fibre intake, too. I try to keep my fibre pretty medium to high, as I have trouble with proper bowel functions on a daily basis.
  • Chadwick891
    Chadwick891 Posts: 72 Member
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    I track fiber and sodium, I think having enough fiber is important for long term health. I track sodium because if I eat too much, I gain weight but can help counteract that with more water. I was tracking sugar but quickly realized MFP tracks ALL sugar and can't show the difference between natural sugar in fruit and added sugar to food, so I think it is pointless to track unless you look specifically at the fruit and subtract that yourself.

    I agree, that they don't track the different sugars and that's partially due to the various ways sugar is processed.

    What I can say is that Sugar is a form of carbohydrate, so they contain the same calories per gram. (which is 4:1). You can get artificial sweetners that contain zero calories that act like 'sugar' as well.
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
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    Potassium and Calcium since I'm usually on the low end for both.
  • mariobadr
    mariobadr Posts: 58 Member
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    Saturated Fat and Sodium
  • pyororon
    pyororon Posts: 22
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    I have a pretty high protein goal, and I like to keep my fats high too, but as long as I get my protein and stay under my calories I don't worry too much about my other macros.

    What is super important to me:

    Fibre for obvious reasons
    Potassium because I'm at ballet school and my poor muscles need it
    Calcium because I'm amenorrheic and therefore have a higher chance of osteoporosis (we have a family history of it too)
    Iron because I have a history of severe anaemia, and I adjust my iron supplements based on how much I ingest through food

    Even when I'm finished losing weight I'll keep using MFP just because it's absolutely invaluable for making sure I get all the minerals I need.

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