Carb/calorie counting apps….how accurate is yours?

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  • posted by Verano
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    I have been using fatsecret.co.uk since I started this way of eating nearly three years ago. I have decided that my diet needs more fibre so I started to investigate avocado. These are the results per 100g of avocado from my app….
    Carbs. Fibre. Calories
    8.53 6.7. 160. Generic
    1.9. 1.9. 197. Asda
    5.3. 3.4. 198. Tesco
    1.9. 0. 198. Aldi
    1.9. 3.4. 198. Sainsburys
    1.9. 0.1. 204. Waitrose
    Nutritional value search 9, 7, 160 respectively.
    So, I ask myself…. Isn’t an avocado an avocado? If there are so many variations in the values given for just one item how reliable are these apps?
    Does anybody have real faith in the counter they are using?
    I would value any suggestions for a reliable way of counting carbs and fibre.

  • posted by Cherrysoup
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    I use My Fitness Pal and generally scan bar codes to get accurate data, although if the bar code doesn’t read right and I search for the generic food the results can be startlingly different, as people are free to add their own version of data so I’ll take what looks like an average result. I suppose its still more accurate than using my brain to remember what I’ve eaten, and if I’m recording honestly then I can’t pretend or forget stuff and it’s there in black and white in front of me so is still beneficial.
    I have a little Collins Gem calorie counter book which shows all the basics if I don’t trust what is on MFP.

  • posted by Skipping through the tulips
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    Hi Verano,

    I’ve just had the same experience and cabbage. I’ve had quite a few carbs this lunchtime so was very carefully planning our evening meal. Diet doctor says there are 2g of carbs in cabbage. some of the entries on MFP were 20g per 100g. I’m going to check more carefully in future.
    So now I’ve lost faith in the app

  • posted by Verano
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    Thanks Cherry I have tried Myfitnesspal in the past and I find it cumbersome compared with Fatsecret but maybe it’s more accurate.
    Skipping it seems like a minefield! As far as I know when it comes to fresh produce you can take the fibre out of the carb content to get a net value but Dietdoctor gives values of ‘digestible carbs’
    (with the fibre content removed as that’s not digested so doesn’t affect blood sugar).
    Maybe it’s best to just stick to one counter/app and hope for the best! I must admit I do like Dietdoctor so maybe I’ll use that for a change.

  • posted by benji875
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    I use Yazio which has a huge database that I find very accurate. You can either scan the bar code of the products or search for the food. Because other users can add items, there might be different entries, but there are always food items that are verfied by the app. I never had real problems logging my food. You can check their food table here: https://www.yazio.com/en/foods
    Also Yazio is so much more intuitive and a bit cheaper than MFP which I used before (talking about the pro versions). Their recipes are easy to make and usually don’t include fancy ingredients that you have trouble finding in the store.

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