Food Database for Australia

[StarryG]

Now that Fitbit is being sold (and is loved) in Australia, I'd love to see a Food Database for Australian users.  I don't use the Food diary at the moment, because it takes far too much time trying to adapt the American database to match what I am eating.

Would this be possible in the future?

Moderator Edit: Updated label

[flex]

I have real trouble trying to match Australian food with the American list.  At the moment I am constantly referring to 'Calorie King', which lists all Aussie foods and their calorie values.  Consequently I am running 2 fitness/diet programs, which is time consuming and irritating.  It would be great to have an Australian list option for Fitbit Flex.

[Nellc]

I have been adding my intake by purchasing ready cooked meals that have all the details on the lable. It makes it hard going. There should be more databases besides USA, Spain, France and Dutch. I'm sure the UK would like one too.

[LF20]

Try the MyFitnessPal App for your food diary and link MFP and Fitbit account, it works well for me. Cheers

[Bilopete]

I am a new user to Fitbit and I am starting to find this problem irritating. Someone mentioned a link between weightwatchers and Fitbit and also MyFitnessPal app - it would be good if details of how to set up these links were posted as well.

[misswright]

I completely agree with adding an Australian database. I am finding that the American items have a LOT more sodium and added sugars than the Australian ones and I end up having to correct them manually.

[flex]

Thanks to another member I have found at least a temporary solution. Link
your Fitbit account with MyFitnessPal (can be downloaded for free) and then
change the Settings to Australian. You enter your food and activities
there and it automatically syncs with Fitbit. Works great!

Ann

[SharonKarma]

The list of countries in the Food Database is very limited atm.  Converting Australian foods using the US database is hard because many foods are just named differently and third party tools are need to convert the weights etc.

[Colinm39]

I believe others are linking with the Australian My Fitness Plan. (MFP) and  I can't help because I don't use it.

If you haven't any Austraila Groups try this link because there have been topics on MFP there. Use this link      Group Link       and enter Australia Sydney Brisbane in the search box.

[Danp]

I was having the same problem.   My wife is a great cook, but none of it, unfortunately, is available easily on the Food Database, so it was mostly guesswork.   Then she told me about programs online that will do an analysis of recipes: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php  It's tedious putting it all in at first, but if gives you a nice nutritional analysis of what you made.   That can be entered in the Food Log as a special food.  Once it's in there, you can find it any time you make it.   When we boil it down, we may have 20 recipes we make fairly regularly, so it makes things reasonably managable.  

[SharonKarma]

Hi Danp

Thanks for that.  I have set up an account at caloriecount so I can use the recipe analysis and store into the food database.

[NewfieDiver]

i am not sure why all these fitness food analysis sites use a standard database of resturants or processed foods... I constantly look for simple things like coleslaw made with carrots or a quarter chicken with skin on... boneless skinless chicken.. simple things and it seems I have to wade through a list of KFC, Popeyes, and McDonalds to find a homemade hamburger...

If you are trying to get fit, chances are you should not be eating at KFC.... so more general foods or an option to do a recipe analysis as Sharon said she had to find elsewhere.

[fitandfifty]

can we please have an australian food data base

[roscosoarer]

I agree, as an Australian I don't eat much of the food on the database, don't even know the stores.  My eating is simple and includes:

Breakfast

eggs, tomato and bacon on toast [2 slices of bread]

Burcher muslei, or 2 weetbix maybe with dob of yoghurt

a small muffin or slice of cake

Lunch   one hot dog in bread roll with tomato sauce or mustard

sandwich, one round i.e something between  2 slices of bread

hamburger [small cw USA]

pie or pasty

Nibbles: rice cracker with prawn, cheese, pickled onion or french dip... say 6

Dinner.  Roast beef, lamb, chicken  with 3 vegetables

Steak, 300 gram with salad, maybe a boiled potato 30 gram

spagetti bolognese, 200 gram  say

Desert, slice of fruit pie 200 gram MAX, cream or a little ice cream

Can't we have a simple menu for Australia.  A two page [maximum] extract from 'Borushek'd Calorie Fat and Carbs Counter would do.

Canberra

[fitandfifty]

hello roscosoarer... happy to see someone else agrees.

the fitbit team and a few of the ladys on here have suggested syncing your fitbit to myfitnesspal. which in the end i succumb too. very happy i did it now. its a lot more realistic and most of the foods are in there. i was quite surprised at the data base. however once again it is users of the myfitpal as with the fitbit that enter the data into the system so it is a good idea just do double check with your nutritional info on the pack to make sure it is correct. most of it is but i have found the odd bod that is not. the thing i found most difficult is the deli meats and cheese that i buy in shops.

if you sync your fitbit to the myfitnesspal make sure you only enter your food and extra exercise in the myfitnesspal otherwise it is suggested that it will double up with your fitbit.

in saying all that i still agree that there should be and australian food data base in the fitbit saves having to go to 2 places. one for syncing your fitbit which the site is very difficult to get onto at times especially at night. and the other for entering food eaten. and the only way that the fibit food data base is going to get any better for australians it would seem to me is for us to enter the information ourselves. the fitbit team have suggested to me to go to there suggestions page and suggest brands to enter into the system which i have not done as i just joined myfitnesspal instead.

hope this helps

grace : ))

[HOLDENA1]

I have been using calorie king website to get Australian nutritional food information.  It's a bit annoying to log for the first time, but once I've done it once, I save as a favourite and as I tend to eat the same foods also, it has become easier.  I have only had a fitbit for about 2 weeks.

This might also be helpful if you don't want to use myfitnesspal.

[Fluffy1]

In Australia we are just tarting to discover Fitbit and I feel that if an Australian food database could be added it would be of great advantage.

[SueHow]

I totally agree, I have been using another app my fitnessPal to get the Australian food, very frustrating. 

[louisemfrost]

Hi All

Another Aussie newbie here, look forward to reading up on what apps you are all using to log food, so far I have read about myfitnesspal & australian my fitness plan (MFP) any other sucessful ideas, I am brand new to this, so all help happily received & appreciated 🙂

[dab59]

Hi there., I'm new to fitbit Community. If it hasn't already been requested an Australian version of food database would be helpful. After perusing database this morning I am not sure how I'm going to some add food items from availabe list. Thanks!

[ozzyfit]

Hi, I'm also new to the fitbit community and am also finding it difficult to find many Australian foods. It's frustrating. Would be great if fitbit looked at calorieking's database. 

[MatthewFitbit]

Thanks for the suggestion - please check out this established post on the same topic.

I'll go ahead and close this as a duplicate.

[Harr1s]

Would make it perfect if Fitbit had an Australian Food Base, tried to get similar food from the USA but have now given up on the food log, which is half the reason I purchased it.

[LindaQ_OZ]

There are many Australians using your product, especially as it has been heavily advertised recently.  Can you please add an Australian food database, or in the very least allow us to sync properly with My Fitness Pal.  I bought this product under the impression that I would be able to log food easily and am finding it takes way too long to have to enter in all of my own food. How soon will this issue be fixed?

[LoGro]

Fitbit need a Australian food database! So disapointed i cant count my calorie intake on My Fitbit because there is none for Australia! Tried American, but no brands are the same and can never find the food i eat. How can Aus be missed?

On another note, does anyone know how to track your exersize, as in see how many kms or calories burnt in 'JUST' excersize session. I can see all my totals, but would like a break down from my Jog, it just tells me how long i have 'excersized' for, how can you tell the calories burnt in one session? Help please

(Fitbit help is very breif and have to wait a few days for a reply)

Moderator Edit: All-caps

[LoGro]

Totally agree with u! this was my post exactly! i use MyFitnessPal too, i would like to use Fitbit for all of it tho. If they sell them in Australia they should have an Aus food database!