THE DO'S & DON'TS OF FOOD TRACKING APPS

Tracking your food accurately is crucial for achieving your health and fitness goals, but some food tracking apps can sometimes be misleading. To help you stay on track, here are some key tips for improving your food-tracking accuracy—whether you're logging meals at home or dining out. We will use MyFitnessPal as an example since it is the most popular.

USER-SUBMITTED ENTRIES

Food entries on MyFitnessPal are submitted by users, which means they can be inaccurate. A "green checkmark" does not guarantee accuracy—it only indicates that the entry has what MyFitnessPal considers "complete nutritional info," which could still be incorrect. Always double-check entries when possible.

DO THE MACROS ADD UP?

Ensure that the carb, protein, and fat content of an entry adds up to the total calories stated. If something seems off, it's best to verify with other sources

 

SOLIDS AND LIQUIDS

• Always weigh solid foods for the most precise measurement.
• Use measuring cups and spoons for liquids instead of the milliliter option on your food scale, as it may not always be accurate.

IT ALL DEPENDS

Choose fast-food chains where portion sizes are factory-measured. For example, every McDonald’s burger is the same size, whereas a Chipotle burrito varies based on how generous your server is.

 

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY

• When selecting food entries in MyFitnessPal, overestimate and choose the highest-calorie option to avoid under-tracking.
• Ask your server to request that the cook go easy on butter and oil.
• If eating at places where portions vary (e.g., Chipotle or Jimmy the Greek), add a 10-20% calorie buffer when logging your meal. For example, instead of tracking a 1,000-calorie burrito as 1 serving, enter 1.1 or 1.2 servings (1,100–1,200 calories).

TRACK INGREDIENTS SEPARATELY 

When logging meals, track each ingredient individually instead of using generic entries like "bacon, egg, and cheese omelet." This ensures better accuracy.

 

WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM

Soft serve, gelato, sorbet, and frozen yogurt all have different weights per ½ cup. In Canada, nutrition labels use volume (ml), whereas in the U.S., they often use grams. To simplify tracking, a general rule of thumb is to count 60g of ice cream as equivalent to 125ml (½ cup). However, cross-referencing with U.S. labels can help improve accuracy.

By following these tips, you can significantly improve your food-tracking accuracy and make better-informed choices to support your health and fitness goals.