How do I find the nutrition details of meals prepared at home by me?
(May 31, 2010)
In order to easily and successfully check the nutritional information of foods prepared at home, it is a good idea to make a list of the most commonly used ingredients by you. Include everything you use while cooking, such as oil, salt, sugar, spices, vegetables and so on. After making this list, you can go back to the individual packaging of each ingredient and make a note of the nutritional information of each individual thing, along with the quantity you would use. This is an easy calculation to make, as the nutritional information chart will always be provided with a quantity. For instance, a nutritional information chart for a box of nuts will tell how many units of each nutrient is present in perhaps 100 grams of nuts.
This way, you can get a solid idea of how much nutritional value lies in everything you use to cook. In order to get the nutritional information about things that do not come with a chart, such as loose vegetables, fruits and meats, the best place to go is your regular health care provider. Most general family physicians keep such charts. Keep in mind that the process of cooking may make a difference in the nutritional value of food, but this will not be significant, so it can be overlooked. This chart can be made and put up somewhere on a fridge or a wall in your kitchen, so that you can refer to it each time you cook. It will be easy, because all it takes is a glance and the chart will be comprehensive enough to tell you everything you need to know.
The next thing to do is invest in a set of measuring cups and spoons as well as a small kitchen weighing scale. Even if one is cooking in large quantities, it is essential to weight and measure down to the last drop. This is truly the best way to keep a good control over the quantities and nutrients alike. This becomes particularly important if there is a sick person for whom foods have to be made in a particular way, or even if the ultimate aim of doing these things is to lose weight. In the rare case that you would be cooking with new or unfamiliar ingredients whose nutritional properties are not known, you can overlook this too. Just remember to keep the quantities small and thus make the meal manageable.
