How to Add a Food to MyFitnessPal Database: A Complete Guide

According to MyFitnessPal, their database contains over 14 million foods, yet you may still come across an item or recipe that isn't included. Learning how to add a food to MyFitnessPal database manually ensures your daily nutrition logs are complete and precise, allowing you to track your intake accurately even when you eat something new or homemade.

Quick Summary

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for adding custom foods and recipes to your MyFitnessPal account. It covers the process for both the mobile app and the website, offering detailed tips for accurate nutritional data entry. Instructions for creating custom food items and importing full recipes are both included.

Key Points

• Adding Custom Foods: Use the 'More' > 'Meals, Recipes & Foods' > 'Foods' > '+' option in the mobile app to enter details from a nutrition label.

• Using the Website: The web version also allows manual entry under the 'Food' > 'My Foods' > 'Custom Food' tab, offering a similar process.

• Creating Custom Recipes: For multi-ingredient dishes, use the 'Recipes' feature to combine ingredients and generate nutritional information per serving.

• Prioritize Accuracy: For the best results, reference the actual nutrition label and use a food scale for gram-based serving sizes.

• Know When to Add Manually: Reserve manual entry for homemade meals, unbranded items, and new products not found or inaccurately represented in the public database.

• Public vs. Personal: You can choose to share new single-item foods with the public database at the time of creation, but they cannot be deleted later. Recipes remain private.

Why Add Your Own Food to MyFitnessPal?

While MyFitnessPal’s extensive database is incredibly useful, it isn't perfect. For optimal nutrition tracking, it is crucial to account for all foods you consume. Manually adding your own food entries is particularly important in several key situations:

• Homemade meals: Recipes you cook at home can vary significantly from generic database entries. Adding your own recipe with specific ingredients ensures your macronutrient and calorie counts are spot-on.
• Local or unbranded items: When dining at a local restaurant or buying produce from a farmer's market, you won't find a barcode to scan. Creating a custom entry allows you to log this information accurately.
• New or obscure products: Even with the millions of items in the database, some newer products or specialty items may be missing. Manually entering the nutrition information from the label is the most reliable way to track it.
• Incorrect data: Occasionally, a user-submitted entry in the public database might have inaccuracies. Creating your own, verified entry from the product's nutrition label guarantees you have the correct information.

How to Add a Custom Food in the Mobile App

Adding a single food item with a nutrition label is a straightforward process on the MyFitnessPal mobile app.

1. Navigate to the 'Foods' section. From the main Dashboard, tap 'More' (the three horizontal lines icon) in the bottom right corner.
2. Access your personal food list. Tap 'Meals, Recipes & Foods,' and then select the 'Foods' tab at the top.
3. Initiate new food creation. Tap the plus ('+') icon in the top right corner to bring up the 'Create a New Food' screen.
4. Enter food details. Fill in the brand name and description based on the product's nutrition label. Be as specific as possible.
5. Input serving information. Enter the serving size and servings per container. For highest accuracy, it is best to use a metric like grams, as it allows for more precise tracking of odd portion sizes later.
6. Add nutritional data. Fill in the calories, fat, carbohydrates, protein, and dietary fiber from the label. While other micronutrients are optional, including the key macros is essential for tracking.
7. Save your custom food. Tap the checkmark icon to save the item to your personal food database.

How to Create and Add a Recipe in the Mobile App

For meals with multiple ingredients, creating a custom recipe is the most efficient method.

1. Go to the 'Recipes' section. From the 'More' menu, go to 'Meals, Recipes & Foods' and select the 'Recipes' tab.
2. Start a new recipe. Tap 'Create a Recipe' and choose 'Enter Ingredients Manually'.
3. Name your recipe and add servings. Enter a descriptive name for your meal. You will also need to estimate the total number of servings for the finished recipe.
4. Add all ingredients. Search for and add each individual ingredient from your recipe. MyFitnessPal will calculate the nutritional information for the recipe based on the items you add.
5. Review and save. Once all ingredients are entered, you can review the nutritional breakdown and save the recipe to your personal database.

How to Add a Food on the MyFitnessPal Website

1. Navigate to the 'Foods' tab. Log into your account and click on the 'Food' tab at the top of the page.
2. Select 'My Foods'. Click on 'My Foods' in the sub-menu to access your personal database.
3. Create a new food. Click the 'Custom Food' button. This will start the two-step process of adding a new item.
4. Fill out the details. On the first screen, enter the Brand Name and Description. Click 'Continue'.
5. Enter nutritional facts. Input the serving size, servings per container, and all other nutritional data from the food label. Click 'Save' to finalize.

Comparison: Manual Entry vs. Barcode Scan

Feature	Manual Food Entry	Barcode Scan
Accuracy	Highest, as you are referencing the physical product's nutritional information.	High, particularly for Verified items, but can be inaccurate if a user-submitted entry is flawed.
Convenience	Requires more time to input data manually. Best for occasional, hard-to-find items.	Fastest method for packaged goods. Instantly logs food by scanning the barcode with your phone's camera.
Best For	Homemade meals, local restaurant dishes, new products, and verifying questionable database entries.	Branded, packaged foods and groceries that are already in the database.
Data Origin	Comes directly from the physical product's nutrition label.	May come from a user-submitted entry, or a verified source if a green checkmark is visible.

Tips for Accurate Manual Entry

• Always use a food scale: Weighing your portions in grams is more accurate than relying on volume measurements like cups or tablespoons. Set the serving size of your custom food to '1 gram' to easily log any portion.
• Verify data: If you are using a user-submitted entry, cross-reference it with the physical nutrition label to ensure accuracy, especially for items without a green checkmark.
• Add recipes, not just custom foods: For multi-ingredient meals, use the 'Create a Recipe' function to get a detailed nutritional breakdown for a single serving size, instead of manually adding each ingredient every time.
• Use generic for fresh items: When adding fresh produce, use 'Generic' as the brand name for easy searching.

Conclusion

Knowing how to add a food to MyFitnessPal database manually is an essential skill for anyone serious about accurate nutrition tracking. While the barcode scanner is convenient for packaged goods, the ability to create your own custom foods and recipes guarantees that every single meal, whether homemade or from a local establishment, is accounted for with precise nutritional data. By following these steps and incorporating best practices like using a food scale, you can maximize the effectiveness of your food logging and ensure your dietary goals are met with the highest possible accuracy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a food that is not in the MyFitnessPal database?

Yes, you can easily add foods that are not in the database by creating a custom food entry. This is done by navigating to the 'Meals, Recipes & Foods' section and using the 'Create a New Food' option to manually input the nutritional details.

What is the most accurate way to add a food item?

The most accurate way is to create a custom food entry using the nutrition facts from the product label. It is also recommended to set the serving size to 1 gram and use a food scale to weigh your portion for the most precise log.

How do I add a homemade recipe to MyFitnessPal?

You can add a homemade recipe by going to 'More' > 'Meals, Recipes & Foods' > 'Recipes' > 'Create a Recipe' and manually adding all the ingredients. The app will then calculate the total nutritional information for the entire recipe.

Is there a difference between adding a custom food and a custom recipe?

Yes, a custom food is a single, isolated item, while a custom recipe is a combination of multiple ingredients that results in a complete meal with a calculated nutritional profile per serving. Recipes are typically private, whereas you can choose to make a new custom food public.

Can I add custom foods on both the MyFitnessPal app and website?

Yes, you can add custom foods using both the mobile app and the website. The process is similar, involving navigation to the 'Foods' or 'My Foods' section and entering the nutritional information manually.

Why would I manually add a food if I can scan a barcode?

Manual entry is necessary for items without a barcode, such as fresh produce or restaurant meals. It is also useful for verifying potentially inaccurate user-submitted entries that may appear when you scan a product.

Can I delete a custom food that I've shared publicly?

No, if you choose to share a custom food with the public database at the time of creation, you cannot delete it later. It is best to create a private food entry if you think the nutritional data may change or you want to maintain control over the item.