Logging Your Restaurant Meal: A Step-by-Step Guide
Eating out no longer needs to be a mystery when it comes to your daily food log. MyFitnessPal offers several methods to help you accurately track your meal, from searching for official restaurant menu items to creating custom entries for local eateries. The following sections will detail how to use each approach effectively.
Method 1: Search the MyFitnessPal Database
The most straightforward way to log a restaurant meal is to find it in MyFitnessPal's extensive database, which includes many popular restaurant menus.
- Open the App and Add Food: Tap the
+button at the bottom of the screen, then tap theFoodicon. - Select the Meal: Choose the meal (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, or Snacks) you want to log.
- Search Precisely: Type the restaurant's name and the specific menu item into the search bar. For example, search for "Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl". Precision is key to getting the best results.
- Find the Best Match: The search results will display several options. Look for entries that are marked with a green checkmark, which indicates that the nutrition information is verified and complete. Sometimes, the app will even label a result as the "Best match," which has been reviewed by MyFitnessPal's nutrition science team.
- Log the Food: Tap the
+button next to the item to log it quickly, or tap the item itself to adjust serving size and review the nutrition facts.
Method 2: Create a Custom Food Item
If your restaurant or specific menu item isn't in the database, or if you want to ensure maximum accuracy, creating your own food item is the best option. This is especially useful for small, local restaurants or custom orders.
- Find the Restaurant's Nutrition Information: Many restaurants, including smaller chains, post their nutrition information online. Visit the restaurant's website to find the data for your specific meal.
- Start a New Food Entry: Navigate to
More>My Meals, Recipes & Foods>Foods>Create a new food. - Enter Details: Input the brand name (the restaurant), the food description, and the serving size based on the restaurant's website.
- Fill in Nutritional Information: Manually enter the calories, macros, and other key nutrients. Be as accurate as possible.
- Save the Food: Tap the checkmark or
Savebutton. The new custom food will now be available in your personalMy Foodssection for future logging.
Method 3: Break Down the Ingredients for Estimation
For smaller, independent restaurants or when a menu item is simply not available online, you can break the meal down into its component parts and log them individually. This is the least accurate method, but it's better than nothing.
- Estimate Portion Sizes: For example, if you ate grilled chicken with rice and broccoli, estimate the weight or volume of each component.
- Search Generic Entries: Search for generic entries like "grilled chicken breast," "rice pilaf (generic)," and "steamed broccoli." The more specific you can be, the better.
- Consider Cooking Methods and Sauces: Remember to account for the oil used for cooking or any added sauces, which can significantly increase calories and fat. A simple search for "butter (generic)" or "oil (generic)" can help.
Comparison of Restaurant Food Logging Methods
| Feature | Database Search | Custom Food Entry | Ingredient Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accuracy | High for green checkmark/verified entries; variable for user-submitted | Highest, if accurate data is available | Lowest; relies heavily on estimation |
| Effort | Low, especially for popular chains | Moderate; requires manual data input | High; involves estimation and multiple searches |
| Speed | Very Fast | Slow initially, but fast for repeated use | Slow |
| Best For | Major restaurant chains with official menus | Any restaurant with nutritional info available online | Independent restaurants or ambiguous meals |
Frequently Asked Questions About Logging Restaurant Food
Logging food from restaurants on MyFitnessPal is a common challenge for many users. Here are some answers to address the most frequent questions on this topic.
What do the green checkmarks mean on MyFitnessPal?
On MyFitnessPal, a green checkmark next to a food item signifies that the entry has been reviewed or added by the app and has complete nutrition information from a reliable source. For restaurant food, this often means the data comes directly from the restaurant's official menu.
How can I make my custom food entries more accurate?
To ensure custom food entries are as accurate as possible, always use a reliable source, such as the restaurant's official website, for nutritional data. Be precise with the serving size and double-check all macro and micronutrient information before saving the entry.
Is the meal scan feature useful for restaurant meals?
MyFitnessPal's Meal Scan is a Premium feature that uses your phone's camera to analyze and suggest foods. While helpful for simple or whole foods, its accuracy can be limited with complex restaurant dishes. It's often better to use a manual search for specific restaurant items.
What should I do if the restaurant's menu has changed?
If the menu has been updated and the MyFitnessPal database entry is outdated, you should use the official restaurant's website to find the most current nutritional information and create a new custom food entry for your personal database. You can also report the inaccurate entry in the app.
How do I log a single dish from a large family-style meal?
For large, shared dishes, the best approach is to estimate your individual portion. You can do this by searching for the component ingredients and logging your estimated serving size for each, just as you would with the ingredient breakdown method.
Can I share my custom restaurant meals with other MyFitnessPal users?
When you create a new food entry, you have the option to make it public. Public entries can be viewed and used by other users, but they cannot be deleted later, so be certain of the information you are providing. Creating a meal from your Diary and saving it, however, keeps it in your personal database.
How do I log multiple items from a restaurant at once?
If you frequently order the same combination of items from a restaurant, you can create a custom Meal in MyFitnessPal. Log the individual items once, then use the Save Meal option. This saves the entire meal as a single entry for quick logging in the future.
Conclusion: Making Restaurant Tracking a Habit
Successfully tracking restaurant food in MyFitnessPal requires a mix of searching the extensive database and, when necessary, performing your own detective work. For popular chains, the database search is your best friend, and relying on verified entries with a green checkmark ensures the highest accuracy. For unique or independent restaurants, taking a few extra minutes to create a custom entry based on the restaurant's website provides peace of mind and precision in your tracking. Even when data isn't available, breaking down the meal into its ingredients offers a reliable estimation method. By following these steps, you can confidently log your restaurant meals and stay on track with your nutritional goals without sacrificing your social life.
Pro Tip: Save Regular Meals
For meals you eat often, like your go-to order at a local cafe, save it as a custom meal or food item in your database. This makes future logging a one-tap process.
Resources
- MyFitnessPal's Official Blog: For general tips on how the food database works, check out the MyFitnessPal blog.
- Restaurant Websites: Most major and many smaller restaurant chains post their nutritional information online. Always check there first for the most accurate data.
