MyFitnessPal Help

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  • Food Diary And Food Database

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    • How do I add a food to my food diary?

    To add a food to your food diary, just take the following steps:

    1. Click on the "Food" tab to go to your diary, then click on "Add Food" under the meal you'd like to log.

    2. Type in the name of the food you'd like to add into the search box and click "Search."

    3. You'll be shown a list of foods in our database that match your query. Click on the item you'd like to add, and that food should appear in the grey box to the right.

    4. Enter in the number of servings you ate and the serving size, then click
    "Add Food to Diary."

    That's it! Your food should now be logged in your diary.

    What is the Most Frequently Used Items list for?

    Most of us tend to eat the same foods every day for each meal. MyFitnessPal takes advantage of that to make logging your meals easier.

    As you log what you've eaten, MyFitnessPal remembers what you like to eat in your "Most Frequently Used Items" list. You can then add any items from those list just by checking the box and clicking the "Add Checked Items To Meal" button.

    The more you log, the easier it gets!

    How do I add a food to my Most Frequently Used Items list?

    Foods are added to your Most Frequently Used Items list automatically based on how often you add them to your diary. As you add items to your diary, they will appear on your list if you add them frequently enough. There isn't anything special that you need to do to make an item appear on the list.

    Can I delete foods from my Most Frequently Used Items list?

    Yes, you can. Just check the foods you would like to delete, then click the "Delete from List" button in the lower right.

    Please note that when you "delete from list" an item on your Most Used list, you are actually "blacklisting" the item from appearing on the list again. So, it's not a temporary deletion, it's a permanent ban on that food returning to your "most used" list. Users, for instance, who have made a radical change in their eating habits will use this to get the junk food off their list.

    If you would like to allow some or all of these items to return to your most used list, hit the "View Deleted Items" button at the bottom of the list. You can place a check next to any foods in the deleted list and then "restore" them to the pool of foods available to accumulate in your Most Used list.

    I deleted a food from my Most Frequently Used Items list, but now I want it back. How do I "undelete" it?

    If you've removed a food from your Most Frequently Used Foods list and wish to restore it, just click on the "View Deleted Items" button in the lower right of your list. You can then check the items you wish to restore and click the "Restore Checked Items" button to make them eligible for your list again.

    Please note, though, that restoring items does not automatically mean they will appear on your Most Frequently Used Foods list. The item you've restored will still need to be one of the items you've eaten most often to appear on the list. You may need to delete some other items on your list, for example, before the item you've restored will appear.

    Can I sort my Most Frequently Used Items list by name instead of by frequency?

    Yes, you can. At the top right of your Most Frequently Used Item list, in the Sort By section, click on Name and your list will be sorted alphabetically instead of by frequency.

    The food I want to log is not in your database. How do I add my own foods?

    It's easy to add a personal food to your database. Just click on "Add Food" to the meal you'd like to add your new food to, then search for the food you'd like to add in our database. If the item does not already exist in our database, you can click on the "Add a food to our database" link below the search results. You'll be taken to a page where you can add the nutritional information for the food you'd like to add to the database. Once you're finished entering in your data, just click the "Save Food" button.

    To add your new food to your diary, just search for it like any other food. For example, if the food you created was called "Mike's homemade apple pie", you could just search for "Mike's apple pie." Your food will appear in the search results, and you can add it to your log like any other food in our database.

    When you are creating a new food, you can also help us grow our database by electing to share your food with other members. We'll review your submission and add it to the MyFitnessPal database for everyone to use. If you do decide to share your food, please do your best to ensure that the information you provide is complete and accurate.

    I made a mistake when entering a personal food. How can I edit or delete a food I've created?

    To edit or delete a personal food, click on the "Food" tab, then click on "My Foods." Search for the food you'd like to edit or delete, then click on that item in the search results. The food you want to edit should appear in the chart to the right. Just click on the "Edit" or "Delete" button to make modifications to your food.


    Please note that if you shared a personal food with our public food database, that food cannot be deleted, because others may now be using it. Similarly, if you have edited a public food to make it more accurate, that item cannot be deleted from your My Foods list.

    I added a food to the database, and elected to share it with other members. Why can't anyone else see it yet?

    We review all of the foods submitted to the database for accuracy and to ensure that the item hasn't already been added. Due to the volume of submissions we receive, there may be a delay before your food is visible to other members.

    We are working on a system where foods will be accessible in a much shorter time, so hopefully you will see some improvements here shortly.

    Where does MyFitnessPal get its food data?

    Our food database contains a combination of foods that we add depending on the availability of information as well as foods that are added by our users. We allow users to both add and share new food items with our community to continue to grow our database and enhance the overall experience for all users. Currently, only foods created on our website (as opposed to created on our mobile apps) are eligible to be shared with the community, however, we may change this in a future version of the application.

    What are meals? How do I remember a Meal, and how do I then add that Meal to my diary?

    For foods that you regularly eat together, saving them as a Meal lets you easily add them to your diary as a group.

    For example, you can create a Meal called "Two eggs and cereal breakfast" consisting of two eggs and a bowl of cereal. You can then add "Two eggs and cereal breakfast" at once instead of adding each item separately.

    To create a Meal, just add the items for that Meal to one section of your diary, then click on "Quick Tools" under that meal name, then on "Remember Meal".

    To add a remembered Meal to your diary, just search for it by name (i.e. search for "Two eggs and cereal breakfast") and add it like you would any other food.

    Can I edit a remembered Meal?

    Yes, you can. To edit a meal, first add it to your diary. Then, within your diary, you can make any changes to the meal that you'd like - for example, changing a portion size, or deleting/adding a different food item. Finally, click the "Quick Tools" link under the section name and choose the "Remember Meal" option to resave the meal. Finally, choose the "Replace an Existing Meal" option. Choose the meal name you wish to overwrite and that meal will be replaced with the meal you just created.

    How can I change the nutrients that are tracked in my diary? Can I track more than 4?

    You can customize which nutrients are tracked in your diary. Just click on the "Food" tab, then click on the "Settings" link. On the following page, you can customize which nutrients in addition to calories that are tracked in your diary. You may track up to 6 toal nutrients, one of which must be calories. At the moment these preferences affect the website's diary, only.

    I am trying to eat lots of small meals each day. Can I show more meals on my food diary, and can I track them by time of day?

    To customize the way your diary is split into meals, just click on the "Food" tab, then click on the "Settings" link. You'll be taken to a page where you can change both the names of the meals used in your food diary, as well as the number of meals tracked.

    For example, to track your eating habits by time, you could change your meal names to "9AM to 11AM", "11AM to 1PM", etc.

    To delete a meal, just edit the meal name to be blank. Please note that previous food diary entries will also have their meal names changed.

    Is there a way to see a full report of the nutrients tracked in my diary?

    To view a printable, full report of your food diary, just click on the "Food" tab, then click on the "View Full Report (Printable)" button at the bottom of the page.

    You'll be taken to a page where you can select the date range you'd like to view, as well as which elements of your food and exercise diaries you'd like to see in the report. You can then print the page and share it with a nutritionist or keep a copy of it for your records.

    I need to print my diaries for an entire week so that I can share it with my doctor or nutritionist. How can I do that?

    Just click on the "Food" tab, then click on the "View Full Report (Printable)" button at the bottom of the page.

    You'll be taken to a page where you can choose the date range you'd like to view along with the elements of your food and exercise diaries you'd like to include in your report. Just click the "Change Report" button and you'll see a printable view of your diary for the time period you selected.

    Can I add a label for Quick Added Calories?

    We'd love to be able to allow labels for quick added calories, but unfortunately, it's difficult for us to do for technical reasons. Instead, what many of our users do is add notes in the Food Notes section as a reminder of what the quick calories were for.

    Can I edit incorrect nutritional info for a food in the database?

    Many of the items in our database have been entered in by other members. If you notice an incorrect entry and would like to edit it, you can do so on the website at www.myfitnesspal.com.

    Once you've signed in, go to the "food" tab. After you click the "food" tab, a link for the "database" should appear directly under the "food" tab. Click on the "database" link.

    Type the item you would like to edit into the "search our food database" and click "search". Find the item in the matching search results and click onto it.

    After you click on the item, another page with the item's nutritional information should appear on the right hand side. To the right of the nutritional facts should be a green "edit" button. Click on the "edit" button, and another page should appear. There you should be able to edit the incorrect information. Make sure you click the green "save changes" button when you have finished.

    Please note that when you edit an item in the database, you are effectively creating a new food item. If you have logged the original item in the past, the "version" in your Most Used or Frequent list is likely the original version. Adding the item from those lists will add the original values to your diary. For best results, add the item from your "My Foods" list to ensure you are logging the edited version.

    What units of measure are used for the various nutrients?

    Tracked as Grams (g)

    Carbohydrates
    Fiber
    Sugar
    Protein
    Fat
    Saturated Fat
    Polyunsaturated Fat
    Monounsaturated Fat
    Trans Fat

    Tracked as Milligrams (mg)
    Cholesterol
    Sodium
    Potassium

    Tracked as Percentage of Daily Value (%DV) - based on a 2,000 calorie diet (per standard US food labeling)
    Vitamin A
    Vitamin C
    Calcium
    Iron

    Please note that in cases of User-Entered food, only a Calorie value is strictly required. So user entered foods may not provide correct accounting of all nutrients.

    Can I share a new food with the database after I've created it?

    At the moment you can only share a food at the time of its creation. We are looking into the possibility of creating a "share later" option

    How do I create a recipe?

    Recipes on the site allow you to combine multiple ingredients and then find out how many calories and what amount of nutrients are in one portion, or serving, of that recipe.

    To get started, click the Food tab then click Recipes. Next, click the Enter New Recipe Button.

    Then, enter the recipe name and the number of servings.

    Because recipes contain various kinds of measures (oz, tbs, cups, lbs, grams) there is no way for the recipe editor to calculate how many servings of a particular size will result when the various items are combined.

    If you're not sure how many servings a recipe will produce, enter a best-guess number when you first create the recipe.

    Then, after the recipe is cooked, you can manually measure the number of servings that have been produced. Then, the recipe can be edited and the correct number of servings can be entered.

    The next time you make the recipe in the same way, the recipe in your database will correctly reflect the resulting quantities.

    Once you have filled in the recipe name and number of servings, click "Add Ingredient" and search for the first ingredient in your recipe. Be sure to adjust the "number of servings" of each ingredient to reflect how much of the item you are using in the entire recipe. For example, an entire box of pasta might contain six or eight servings of the serving size listed on the package.

    Once all of the ingredients are entered, click "Save Recipe." The recipe will now be available in the "Recipes" tab when you add food to your diary in the Food > Food Diary area of the site.

    I can't find the serving size I need to log.

    Currently, the options in the "Serving Size" area are limited to the options entered when the food item was created in our database. If the MFP team entered it, there may be several options available if you tap the Serving Size field, but if another user entered the item there is typically only one choice.


    However, by manipulating the "number of servings" value, you can accommodate for different serving sizes. So, if the serving size was 1 cup, and you use 3/4 of a cup, you could enter .75 as the number of servings and accomplish the same goal.


    Also, if the item is listed as a serving size of 10 oz, for example, the serving size menu should also offer a single unit of this measurement. So a 10oz serving should also have the option of 1 oz, which can then be modified, as mentioned above, by adjusting the number of servings.

    If you are looking for a different serving size (for instance, ounces versus grams) it's likely that another user has created an item in the database that measures the food you're searching for in the units you prefer. If you examine some of the other items that appear in the search results, you may find one that matches your preference.

    How can I track Vitamins, Medications, or Supplements?

    We're definitely considering adding better ways to track vitamins, supplements, or medications. In the meantime, many users use the Notes area to record any vitamins/supplements/medications they are taking.

    Food notes are available on our website at the bottom of the food diary page.

    Or, if you like, you can also create a new "meal" category and label it something like, "vitamins and supplements". Then "create a new food" with your vitamins or supplements and add them in as a food item.

    To add to or change your meal names, click on "My Home", then "Settings", then "Diary Settings". At the top of that page is an area where you can change your meal names as well as add two additional meals if you'd like.