I love the data base, it is great and has many foods that I use. I just wonder why when I input a food like banana, I have to scroll through multiple listing of different types of foods with banana in it to find a simple generic banana listed. It seems to me that the generic version of a food should be at the top of the list. Is it possible to make this magic happen? I would be a very happy MFP camper!

I completely agree.

Supporting this one, when I search "spinach" it's because I want to log spinach in my diary not a spinach / raspberry salad or a burger with spinach as a topping. The basic "ingredient" of spinach should be the first result when that's what you search for.

Agree!! It would be great if MFP could somehow flag the simple foods and have the complex ones (i.e. the burger example above) be a filter to add/subtract.

100% Agree!!!

Agreed!

I did send an email making this suggestion so who knows? It might happen one day.

Also think the data base would be more user friendly if there was someone who could research/update and DELETE all those duplicates. I've found too many foods that were entered into the data base by someone ONLY tracking calories so nothing else was logged. Waste of space and time !!

I'd be happy to start a committee for this LOL !!!

I received a replay from MFP and my suggestion is being worked on. They say they are updating the data base and hope to have a new and improved version up soon. They did not come out and say for sure that the generic food would be the first one listed but it was implied.

myFitnesspal has been a great service, but I may have to switch to another; I'll even pay a membership fee.
The database is simply too large now, and must be searchable with filters.
For example, I weigh everything, but have to sort thru numerous entries by the "cup"; I don't count sausages by the link either. Anyway, I do appreciate what has been compiled here, it has just become a little overgrown.

Just had a look through the database... IF the food diary acted more like the database results do (showing serving size option AS you select the results) you can flip through the results very quickly and see which ones are entered by cup, which ones by ounce which ones by gram, which ones by piece or by slice or by cookie etc to decide which one to use... the trouble is you can't add to your diary right from the database... it'd take one additional button there, since the nutritional info is displayed immediately as you select a result, serving size is immediately visible, you could cut down on the number of "extra entries" for a given food to get the "various" serving sizes which result in 10 entries by cup for a food, that you have to go through to find the 2 entries by gram for the same food.