🔍 How to Search for Foods

Get the most accurate results from the NutrientShield Calculator

✅ Verified Working Searches

These searches have been tested and work correctly. Copy them exactly:

✓ Apple golden
✓ Banana
✓ Spinach
✓ Strawberries raw
✓ Peaches raw
✓ Peaches yellow raw
✓ Egg whole raw
✓ Chicken breast raw
✓ Beef ground raw
✓ Quaker oats old fashion
✓ 200g Chicken Breast raw
💡 Pro Tip: Be specific about the variety or preparation AND put the main food name FIRST! Word order matters!

⚖️ Searching with Quantities

Add weight measurements before the food name for custom portions:

✓ 200g Chicken Breast raw
✓ 5oz Salmon
✓ 1lb Ground beef
✓ 150g Brown rice

Supported Units:

  • Grams: 200g, 150g
  • Kilograms: 1kg, 0.5kg
  • Ounces: 5oz, 8oz
  • Pounds: 1lb, 0.5lb
💡 Default Serving: If you don't specify a quantity, the calculator uses 100g (standard nutrition serving size).

🏷️ Using Barcode (UPC) Codes

For packaged foods, you can search by the 12-digit UPC barcode:

✓ 041220602117
✓ 030000010204
💡 Where to Find UPC: Look for the barcode on food packaging - it's usually a 12-digit number under the bars.

📋 Search Best Practices

🔴 WORD ORDER MATTERS!

⚠️ CRITICAL: The order of words in your search makes a HUGE difference. Always put the main food FIRST!
✓ Beef ground raw
✗ Ground beef raw (finds flaxseed - WRONG!)
✓ Chicken breast raw
✗ Raw chicken breast (may find wrong item)
✓ Apple golden
✗ Golden apple (may not find it)

✅ DO:

  • Main food FIRST: "Beef ground raw" NOT "Ground beef raw"
  • Use exact tested terms: Copy examples from this guide exactly
  • Use specific variety names: "Apple golden" instead of just "apple"
  • Include preparation method LAST: "Chicken breast raw" or "Broccoli steamed"
  • Add brand names for packaged foods: "Quaker oats old fashion"
  • Use plural when appropriate: "Strawberries raw" NOT "Strawberry raw"
  • Use UPC codes for exact matches on branded products

❌ AVOID:

✗ apple (too generic - might find apple juice, crabapples, or apple pie)
✗ strawberry (use plural: strawberries)
✗ chiken (typos will not find results)
✗ ground beef (wrong order - finds flaxseed!)
✗ raw chicken (wrong order)
⚠️ Important: Generic terms or wrong word order will return incorrect results. Follow the examples in this guide EXACTLY!

🥗 Common Foods - Quick Reference

Fruits:

  • "Banana" or "Banana raw"
  • "Apple golden" or "Apple fuji"
  • "Orange navel" or "Orange valencia"
  • "Strawberries raw" (use plural!)
  • "Peaches raw" or "Peaches yellow raw"
  • "Grapes red"

Vegetables:

  • "Broccoli raw" or "Broccoli cooked"
  • "Spinach raw" or "Spinach cooked"
  • "Carrot raw"
  • "Sweet potato baked"

Proteins:

  • "Chicken breast raw" or "Chicken breast cooked"
  • "Egg whole raw" or "Egg whole cooked"
  • "Salmon raw" or "Salmon cooked"
  • "Beef ground raw" (NOT "Ground beef raw"!)
  • "Turkey breast raw"
  • "Pork chop raw"

Grains & Breads:

  • "Quaker oats old fashion"
  • "Brown rice cooked"
  • "Quinoa cooked"

Breads (Use Brand Names!):

💡 Best Practice for Bread: Include the brand name for most accurate results!
  • Popular Brands: Nature's Own, Sara Lee, Arnold, Dave's Killer Bread, Pepperidge Farm
  • Organic/Sprouted: Food For Life (Ezekiel), Silver Hills, Rudi's Organic Bakery
  • Store Brands: 365 by Whole Foods, Trader Joe's

Examples:

  • "Nature's Own whole wheat bread"
  • "Dave's Killer Bread"
  • "Sara Lee wheat bread"
  • "Ezekiel bread" (Food For Life brand)
  • "whole wheat bread" (generic - finds a branded version)
⚠️ Avoid: Don't search "bread whole wheat" or "wheat bread" - wrong word order finds incorrect items!

🔧 Not Finding What You Need?

Try These Tips:

  • Add brand name first: "Nature's Own whole wheat bread" instead of just "whole wheat bread"
  • Add variety/type: Instead of "apple", try "apple golden", "apple gala", or "apple fuji"
  • Specify raw vs cooked: "chicken breast raw" vs "chicken breast cooked"
  • Use plural for fruits: "Strawberries raw" instead of "Strawberry"
  • Put main food FIRST: "Beef ground raw" NOT "Ground beef raw"
  • Check the barcode: Use the 12-digit UPC for packaged items
💡 Still Can't Find It? The database contains over 2 million foods from the USDA Food Data Central. If you can't find something, try searching with different terms or check the food label for the UPC barcode.
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