Carb counting app

newbies
(Brenda Soderlund) #1

Hi all. Newbie here. First thing, I really enjoy this forum! Everyone seems helpful and not judgmental or snarky.

I cook from scratch most meals and don’t repeat recipes often. I’ve picked up some recipes from here, other sites or just winged it on my on. Is there an app or website to easily calculate the macros in a recipe? I use the Paprika app on my iPad but it doesn’t automatically calculate macros. I hate to think I’ll have to look up all the ingredients and divide by serving size every time I cook if there is an alternative.

Thanks for your help

(Howie Levy) #2

MyFitnessPal is great for counting Macros. I used it daily when I started Keto and it was an excellent resource.

(Brenda Soderlund) #3

Thanks, I should have been more explicit. I hoped there is an app or site I can import a recipe (from a txt or csv file type maybe) and have it calculate the macros for me. I already have so many recipes entered in my Paprika app I dread having to start data entry again.

It might be a pipe dream but this is the 21st century and a solution should exist if it doesn’t.

(Howie Levy) #4

When you use MFP for a while you can calculate the carbs in a recipe just by reading it. I can now read a recipe and determine how many carbs per serving and determine if it fits my Macros. I count all carbs, not Net carbs.

(Bart) #5

My Fitness Pal for sure

(Brenda Soderlund) #6

I’ve been playing with MFP for the last hour. (Have been using My Net Diary all these years.) This will do the trick, thanks! I knew this had to exist somewhere.

(Tj Slattery) #7

So to clarify, you were able to find a way to upload a .txt or .csv ?

Huge timesaver, care to share?

(Brenda Soderlund) #8

Yes and no.

I just put the URL for the source site of recipes I’ve found. It has produced some weird results - like counting 30 grams of carbs for 1 tsp of dried thyme. I make sure to check the items that look out of whack before saving them.

For modified recipes, I change/delete imported items before I run the calculation and save the recipe.

For my personal/old family recipes, I copy/paste them from my Paprika app. If you haven’t used it, it’s the bomb! My favorite OS X/ios app. I’ve accumulated > 1500 recipes over the years. My original thought was to make a cookbook for the kids, but this app has become a favorite tool for meal planning, grocery lists, etc.

Not perfect, but nearly so. Certainly much better than entering everything from scratch. I’ve been surprised at the carb value of some items - like the bell pepper I was adding to my salad! I appreciate being pointed to MFP.