Where our nutrition data comes from

Nutrient database

The nutrition figures shown across NutriForks – Food & Recipes — on every recipe and inside the nutrition calculator — are built on the USDA FoodData Central database, maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is the reference dataset used by dietitians, researchers and food-label makers, covering thousands of whole and prepared foods with values for calories, macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and amino acids.

Every USDA entry lists nutrient amounts per 100 grams of food. Each ingredient in a recipe is matched to the closest food in the database, converted from its written amount (cups, tablespoons, pieces, ounces) into grams, and the nutrients are summed and then divided by the number of servings. Where a specific nutrient is missing for a food, it is left blank rather than estimated, so the totals stay honest.

Daily Values (% DV)

The % Daily Valuebars indicate how much a serving contributes to a typical day’s intake. These percentages use the FDA Daily Values from the 2016 Nutrition Facts label (in effect since 2020), based on a 2,000 calorie reference diet.

Daily Values are a general guide for a healthy adult. Your own needs depend on age, sex, body size, activity level and health goals, so treat the percentages as context rather than a personal target.

How the calculation works

When you view a recipe or paste ingredients into the analyzer, each line is parsed into a food, a quantity and a unit — fractions (½, ¼), checkbox bullets and prep notes such as “finely chopped” are handled automatically. Each food is matched to USDA FoodData Central, scaled to its weight in grams, and combined into a single per-serving total.

Every recipe page shows how many of its ingredients were matched, and you can open the full ingredient list in the analyzer to see exactly which USDA food each line was matched to.

Accuracy and limitations

Nutrition values are close estimates, not laboratory measurements. Real-world numbers vary with brands, cuts, ripeness, portion sizes and cooking methods, and some specialty or branded ingredients may not have an exact match in the public database. Use the figures as a dependable guide for meal planning and macro tracking, and consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian for medical or clinical dietary decisions.

References

1. USDA FoodData Central — U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
2. Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels — U.S. Food & Drug Administration
3. Dietary Reference Intakes — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine