Reliable nutrition info?

(Steve) #1

Ok, we all know that there’s a plethora of conflicting nutritional information out there (and the manufacturer’s certainly don’t help when they pick a serving size of 1/4 tsp, so they can put 0’s for most of the macros!!!)

Has anyone found a consistently reliable site that they trust? (no, it’s not MFP) :slight_smile:

Give you an example - I was trying to find an accurate depiction of what red, crushed chili pepper flakes would be (as the low carb Cajun seasoning recipe calls for 2 cups of them!). One set of info I found suggested that (when you added it up) 1 cup of red pepper flakes would be 15.37g (which I thought was kinda ridiculous). Off I trundle to Bulk Barn (retailer) to buy a couple cups of crushed chili’s. Do the test measure myself by pouring into my 2 cup Pyrex and I get 189 grams. Hmm. Do another test with my 1 cup measure - get 96 grams. Do another with my tablespoon - get 6 grams (which is consistent with the cup measure).

Going to do more tests on that one (I’m of the opinion that the measuring cup should be poured to fill…scooping creates a more packed result.

So, I found this site which had what I believe is accurate information (based on weight) for dried chili’s:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=29

Should be able to compute the macros by using weights - once I’m confident that the weight to volume is accurate.

Back to the question - is there a resource or site that can be trusted?

(We should lobby the health / food agencies to force all of the food manufacturer’s to standardize on the macros for a larger quantity - say 100grams?)

Edit: Sent off a letter to Health Canada suggesting they enforce a common measure that’s larger and based on mass (volume being secondary, optional) as well that they should house a database populated by the manufacturers that could be accessed and searched by consumers. See if the bureaucrats can actually do some good for a change.

(Rob) #2

That’s the thing… it IS MFP (and LoseIt and Cronometer, etc…) as long as you are careful with which entry you pick… The databases for all have correct data for almost everything (from 3yrs of tracking experience) and different ways of showing validated vs. user generated to help you pick the right thing. They all have multiple sources and you could go there to those (NCCDB seems to be a gold standard, USDA is broader than that but less detailed in micro-nutrients, manufacturers/restaurants are the core source for their products) but the good apps include all these. I have no real trouble using LoseIt to get the correct data for everything I eat now that I know what to look for to weed out the user-gen garbage).

I certainly lose no sleep over the accuracy of my data… if anything it is the accuracy of my estimates of portion size that is the biggest source of deviation from reality… who has the time to weigh everything :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

PS You want Canadian data, I want UK/EU data as well as US, and I find that LoseIt (my app) covers both geographies adequately. Not sure about Canada.

(Steve) #3

Thanks…I’ll give LoseIt a try. Most of the food manufacturers up here are American companies. Sometimes the products differ…usually it’s just that the packaging is different in Canada (different sizes, graphics on the outside).

Yeah, I have a running log / diary of my Keto experience that I also log nutritional information into as I find good data, then reference back to it as I’m calculating new recipes.

The point being that it really shouldn’t be a shit show like this…having to go through many entries and verify across sites, just to get reliable data.

(Rob) #4

Indeed, but these apps all date from a time when there was not good comprehensive data so user generated was essential to avoid “no data” situations. The job to weed out the good from the bad is probably now beyond the small development teams making these apps and constantly upgrading the functionality. Having entries that people have been using disappear, may be more traumatic for folks than having to weed through some wrong entries.

I was into LoseIt from CICO days but have tried MFP and more recently Cronometer. I certainly think Cronometer is the most advanced, the only one that really has a go at a broad range of micro-nutrients and can set complex goals for many things… but it is exponentially more complex than LoseIt which I like for ease of use. It is improving every few days or weeks with constant upgrades that get it close to Cronometer but not sacrificing ease of use. The green check marks show validated data, though not all unchecked data is wrong so there is a bit of label checking to be done. Using the My Foods tab will allow you to easily reuse foods you have already logged and are happy with the data which really accelerates input and confidence once you have found good entries. It helps that I eat many of the same things week to week :grin:

(Perpetua) #5

Totally agree with you on this! I have found weighing anything that is not liquid to be the way to go.

(Perpetua) #6

The big problem with MFP is the false info that they allow users to input! I’ve seen far too many instances of “net carbs” that were off by several carbs. I don’t want my log to look pretty, I want to look pretty! I can’t lose weight on lies and I don’t want to spend hours trying to figure out what I will eat for my 2 meals each day! I also take offense to MFP telling me I didn’t eat enough so it won’t tell me what I could weigh in 5 weeks eating the way I did that day. Lol, I didn’t even know about that function till recently but now that I do, well I needed something new to obsess on…

For 30 plus years I was able to use a thick paperback book to get carb info so I knew how much insulin to shoot for foods. I seldom had to look at it the past probably 10 years because I knew the numbers. Now that I am 60 I can’t read the small prints anymore. Probably need glasses.

Truth time. I think I am changing my food obsession from a love of eating to a hate of food. I will eat only for fuel. I don’t want to spend time thinking about the food though. I think I need to decide on a daily diet and simply meal prep once a week. I’m sorry to have muddied your thread with my issues! No one in my life cares to listen to me. My counselor kept telling me keto wasn’t safe so I quit going to him.

(Steve) #7

I see Keto as being time/work intensive at the front end. Finding/converting recipes to be Keto friendly and all the calculation that goes with it for the macro values. Once you have a great cache of recipes, it gets a lot easier…and the casseroles certainly help.
This is only going to get easier. I see this as being similar to how gluten sensitivity and the foods to support it have gone mainstream (I think the stats I read were that only about 1.5% of people are actually celiac or have a wheat sensitivity, yet gluten free foods are everywhere now.) With how the Keto diet actually reverses diabetes, dementia, Alzheimer’s, etc - there’s no question on if this will become mainstream, it’s simply a matter of time.
Someone should get Oprah on it…that would get it there in a heartbeat. :slight_smile:
Food can (and should) still be a source for enjoyment…you just need to get to the point of having foods that you can trust…and eventually you’ll store a lot of the common macro levels in your head, so you won’t be looking things up on your phone all of the time. :slight_smile:

(charlie3) #8

I’ve used Cronometer and a digital kitchen scale for the past three months with no complaints.