Food Database | Know the Nutritional Value of Every Bite You Eat

A healthy well-balanced diet with various nutrients is vital for your overall well-being. It has been proved time and again that it not only keeps you moving but also reduces the number of health issues.

But how to measure and evaluate if we are taking sufficient nutrients in our everyday diet? Food Composition Database (FCD) is the solution to this. It is used to evaluate the nutrient intake for a given food item.

The dietary intake data, which is based on the different foods we eat, cannot be converted into the nutrient intake data without the information on the nutrient content of foods.

Science has developed accurate food composition databases with advanced technologies that use sophisticated laboratory methods of food analysis and computers to compile and save food information.

The nutritional assessment of the food we eat is a two-stepped process:

• Evaluation of the food consumed.
• Conversion of food consumed into nutrient intake by using FCD.

E.g. A lunch meal consisting of 1 medium bowl of dal-rice, 2 medium chapatis, 1 medium bowl of low-fat curd, and a large bowl of cucumber-tomato salad is converted into the number of calories, carbohydrates, proteins, etc. using the food database.

FCDs are used for many purposes like:

• Make health-related decisions
• Health promotion
• Nutrition research
• Dietary assessment
• Research into diet-disease relationships
• Food regulatory policy formation
• Food labeling

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has given guidelines and support to countries to create and improve their FCDs.

Enormous varieties of food are consumed across the globe, and every country has its cuisine with its people having different meal preferences, due to which food database may remain incomplete.

In this direction, the Indian Food Composition Tables (IFCT) was released recently in 2017 by the Government of India (GOI) ever since it was last released in 1971.

The IFCT handbook contains data on 586 varieties of Indian food with their nutritional values. It is used as a tool for planning institutional diets, sports nutrition, and the foodservice industry.

Fitterfly Data Platform

At Fitterfly, we have a vast food database with 1000+ ingredients and 200+ nutrients. We have a variety of APIs that give the nutritional value of the food and food recipes. Our extensive database has 4000+ regional recipes and 2500+ packed foods recipes.

Fitterfly uses its AI-powered (artificial intelligence) search engine for meaningful use of its extensive food database.

1. The foods can be tagged for taste, cuisine, brand, meal type, mealtime, serving size, nutrient density, and more.
2. The ingredients can be linked with various allergens, diseases, and different health goals.
3. It analyses and generates reports of the food consumed versus required based on age, gender, BMI, and other factors.
4. It is used in disease management and nutritionists services. e.g. the search engine will automatically give low-carb recipes to a patient with type 2 diabetes.
5. It includes an automatic meal or diet planner using the AI recommendation.

Filtered recipes can be extracted from Fitterfly’s food database with the help of the AI-powered search engine, which significantly enhances the user experience.

Based on the different needs of the customers, Fitterfly has come up with various products using its all-in-one food database. It includes:

1. Restaurant platform: With the growing demands of the customers, you can now calculate the nutritional value of the food that you serve based on the cooking style and ingredients used. You can even get nutritional details of the customized recipes as well!
2. Nutrition Calculator: It calculates the nutrient value of the food – the number of carbs, fats, proteins, vitamins & minerals, and more in a particular food item.
3. Ntuitive – The Nutrition Practice Software: It is holistic software that is designed for nutritionists by nutritionists themselves for practice management, nutrient calculation, report generation, and much more – all in one place!
4. Patient Wellness Programs: In its quest for a healthier world, Fitterfly has launched various digital healthcare programs with its team of experts that uses its tech-enabled solutions for better health outcomes.

The extensive food database is used by Health Coaches for patient-centered care to manage diabetes, obesity, PCOS, pregnancy & lactation, child nutrition, and many more health conditions.

Various industries like the F & B industry, hospitals, health insurance companies, pharma, corporates, and many more have incorporated these solutions in their businesses for improved outcomes.

In July 2020, Fitterfly partnered with Danone Nutricia – a global nutrition food company for launching India’s first-ever Immuno-nutrient calculator and personalised wellness program which uses Fitterfly’s AI-powered, strong & scientific database to their 5000 consumers as they celebrated Protein Week 2020.

We have also collaborated with Nestle, Eris Life sciences, SunPharma, Abbott, Apollo clinic, Cipla, Swiggy, Mitr hospital, Aehi hospital, HDFC bank, ICICI bank, HDFC bank, and many more.

A healthy body, mind, and soul begin with the right eating. A lot of weight is placed on a healthy well-balanced diet packed with various nutrients. Now, with the help of technology, you can know every little detail about every bite you put in your mouth.

Science has evolved, let’s make use of it!