Can You Manually Add Food on MyFitnessPal?

Over 19.2 million foods are available in the MyFitnessPal database, yet sometimes you need to track something unique. Whether it’s a homemade meal or a rare local brand, the ability to manually add food on MyFitnessPal is a crucial feature for maintaining accurate dietary logs. This guide will walk you through the process, ensuring your tracking remains precise even when the database falls short.

Quick Summary

This guide details the process of manually adding food entries and custom recipes to the MyFitnessPal app and website. Instructions cover how to create new food items from scratch, including nutritional information, and how to combine ingredients into custom recipes. It highlights the benefits of this manual method for improved tracking accuracy and personalization.

Key Points

• Manual Entry is Possible: Yes, MyFitnessPal allows you to manually add custom food entries and recipes that are not in the main database.

• Enhanced Accuracy: Manually adding food is ideal for tracking homemade meals or unique items with precise nutritional information from a label.

• How to Add on App: From the 'More' menu, navigate to 'Meals, Recipes & Foods', then 'Foods', and tap 'Create a New Food' to enter details.

• How to Add on Website: Use the 'Food' tab, select 'My Foods', and click 'Add a food to our database' to manually enter information.

• Create Custom Recipes: Combine multiple ingredients into a single recipe entry, and the app will calculate the nutritional breakdown per serving.

• Quick Add vs. Manual: Quick Add is for estimating calories fast, while manual entry provides detailed and accurate macronutrient tracking for specific items.

• Benefit from Saved Entries: Your manually added foods and recipes are saved in your personal database for quick and easy logging in the future.

Why Manually Add Food to MyFitnessPal?

MyFitnessPal's extensive database is a powerful tool, but it can't cover every food item in existence, especially homemade meals, unique local products, or dishes from smaller restaurants. Being able to manually add food allows for a level of personalization and accuracy that is otherwise impossible. This ensures your nutrition tracking is precise, reflecting exactly what you consume rather than relying on an approximate database entry. For serious macro counters or those with specific dietary needs, this function is essential for achieving health and fitness goals.

Benefits of Manual Entry

• Increased Accuracy: When you create a custom entry, you enter the exact nutritional information from a food label, eliminating the guesswork associated with generic database entries.
• Personalization: You can create and save entries for your favorite homemade recipes, ensuring consistency without re-entering every ingredient each time.
• Efficiency for Repeat Foods: Once a custom food or recipe is created, it is saved in your 'My Foods' or 'My Recipes' list, making it quick and easy to log in the future.
• Tracking Unique Items: For foods not available in the standard database, manual entry provides a reliable solution.

How to Manually Add a Custom Food (App)

For unique or unlisted food items, follow these steps to add a custom entry directly from your mobile device:

1. Navigate to the 'More' Menu: Open the MyFitnessPal app and tap the 'More' (•••) button, typically located in the bottom-right corner.
2. Access 'Meals, Recipes & Foods': From the 'More' menu, select 'Meals, Recipes & Foods' to access custom tracking options.
3. Create a New Food: Tap on the 'Foods' tab at the top, then scroll to the bottom and select 'Create a New Food'.
4. Enter Nutritional Information: Input the food details, including brand name (if applicable), description, serving size, and all available nutrition facts from the label. Entering the serving size in grams is recommended for the highest accuracy.
5. Save the Custom Food: Tap 'Save' (or the checkmark) to add the new item to your personal 'My Foods' list.

How to Manually Add a Custom Food (Website)

The process on the MyFitnessPal website is similar but uses a different navigation path:

1. Go to the 'Food' Tab: Log into your MyFitnessPal account online and click the 'Food' tab at the top of the page.
2. Select 'My Foods': In the menu under the search bar, click on 'My Foods'.
3. Add a Custom Food: Click the button that says 'Add a food to our database' below the search results, or locate the option to create a custom food from the 'My Foods' page.
4. Complete the Form: Fill in the required fields with the food's name, brand, serving information, and all nutritional data.
5. Save the Entry: Click 'Save Food' to finalize the entry and add it to your personal database.

Creating and Logging Custom Recipes

For home-cooked meals with multiple ingredients, the 'Create a Recipe' feature simplifies tracking.

1. Access the Recipes Tool: Go to the 'More' menu (app) or 'Food' tab (website) and select 'Recipes, Meals & Foods'.
2. Add Ingredients: Choose to manually add ingredients. Search for each component of your recipe in the database, adjusting serving sizes to reflect the total amount used.
3. Specify Servings: Once all ingredients are entered, you will specify how many servings the recipe yields. MyFitnessPal then calculates the nutritional information per serving.
4. Save and Log: Save the recipe for future use. When logging, you simply select your custom recipe and the number of servings you consumed.

Comparison: Manual Entry vs. Quick Add

Feature	Manual Food Creation	Quick Add Calories
Tracking Detail	Extremely high accuracy, tracks all macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat) and micronutrients (fiber, sugar) based on your input.	Basic accuracy, only tracks total calories. Premium users can add macros.
Use Case	Best for unique foods not in the database, recipes, or when you have exact nutritional information from a food label.	Ideal for situations where you only know the total calorie count, such as a meal from a restaurant that doesn't provide full nutritional details.
Effort	Requires more upfront effort to enter all nutritional data.	Fast and simple, requiring only a single number entry.
Repeatability	Saved to your personal 'My Foods' or 'My Recipes' list for quick logging in the future.	Not saved as a permanent food item; must be re-entered each time.

Conclusion

Yes, you can absolutely and easily manually add food on MyFitnessPal. This feature provides a powerful way to enhance the accuracy of your dietary tracking, especially for unique or homemade meals. By using the 'Create a New Food' or 'Create a Recipe' functions, you can build a personal food database tailored to your specific needs. While the app's extensive food library and Quick Add feature are great for convenience, manual entry is the key to precision for dedicated health and fitness tracking.

Important Reminders

• Use a digital food scale for the most accurate serving sizes, especially when creating custom food entries.
• When entering nutrition facts, be thorough to ensure accurate tracking. Pay close attention to serving size details.
• Remember that publicly shared custom food entries (if you choose to share them) cannot be deleted later.
• For tracking consistency, save commonly eaten ingredients or recipes under your 'My Foods' or 'My Recipes' lists.

For more information on logging and other features, visit the official MyFitnessPal Help Center.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I add a food item not found in the MyFitnessPal database?

If a food item isn't in the database, you can add it manually. In the app, go to 'More' -> 'Meals, Recipes & Foods' -> 'Foods' and tap 'Create a New Food'. On the website, go to 'Food' -> 'My Foods' and select 'Add a food to our database'.

Can I manually add a homemade recipe instead of a single food item?

Yes, MyFitnessPal has a 'Create a Recipe' feature. You can enter all the ingredients and serving sizes, and the app will automatically calculate the nutritional information for the entire recipe and per serving.

What is the 'Quick Add' feature for?

The 'Quick Add' feature is for logging a specific calorie amount without searching for or entering a food name. It's useful for a rough estimate or when you know the total calorie count but lack detailed nutritional data.

Is it possible to edit a manually added food entry?

Yes, you can edit your personal food entries. In the app, go to your 'My Foods' list to make changes. Be aware that publicly shared foods can sometimes not be deleted.

Why would I manually create a food if I can find a similar one in the database?

Manually creating a food with exact nutrition label information ensures the highest level of accuracy, which is crucial for precise macro or calorie tracking. Database entries, especially those created by other users, can sometimes be inaccurate.

Can I add custom macronutrient information with the Quick Add feature?

By default, Quick Add only tracks calories. However, if you are a MyFitnessPal Premium subscriber, you have the option to add macronutrient values to your Quick Add entries.

How do I save a custom food for future use?

When you create a new food item, it is automatically saved to your 'My Foods' list. To log it again, simply go to your diary, search for the item, and select it from the 'My Foods' tab.