How We Calculate Nutrition Estimates

Nutrition on Fork Around & Find Out Kitchen is calculated from the ingredients and quantities in the recipe itself. We do not copy the calorie count from a similar recipe and call it close enough. When nutrition appears on a FAFO recipe, it is an estimate for one serving of that specific recipe as written.

Primary Data Source

Our primary reference is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's FoodData Central, a public food-composition database maintained by USDA. For ordinary ingredients, nutrient values are matched to an appropriate generic food entry. When a recipe depends on a specific packaged ingredient and the brand materially changes the result, the manufacturer's label may be used instead.

How the Math Works

Ingredient nutrients are calculated from the amount used in the recipe. USDA FoodData Central commonly reports nutrient values per 100 grams; a recipe's ingredient weight is used to scale those values to the amount actually called for. The nutrients for all counted ingredients are then totaled and divided by the recipe yield to produce the per-serving estimate shown on the page.

For example, a recipe that uses 900 grams of watermelon and makes 6 servings is calculated from the nutrient contribution of those 900 grams, then divided by 6. That is more defensible than borrowing a nutrition panel from somebody else's granita, because their fruit amount, sugar, yield, and serving size may be different.

What Is and Is Not Counted

• Measured ingredients in the recipe are included.
• Water is included for recipe math but contributes no calories or macronutrients.
• Unmeasured ingredients such as “salt to taste” are not guessed; the recipe's nutrition note identifies the omission when it matters.
• Optional garnishes, serving suggestions, bread, crackers, rice, or other accompaniments are excluded unless the recipe gives a measured amount and treats them as part of the serving.
• If a recipe offers ingredient alternatives with meaningfully different nutrition, the baseline used for the estimate is identified when practical.

Why the Actual Number Can Vary

Home cooking is not a laboratory. Ingredient brands, produce size and ripeness, trimming, cooking loss, absorbed or discarded fat, sauce left in the pan, and the size of the portion on the plate can all change the final numbers. That is why FAFO labels these figures as estimated nutrition.

Serving Size Matters

The values shown are per serving based on the yield stated on the recipe. If a four-serving recipe is divided into three larger portions, each portion will contain more than the displayed per-serving estimate. The nutrition figure is descriptive information, not a recommendation about how much anyone should eat.

Not a Medical or Laboratory Claim

FAFO nutrition estimates are intended as practical cooking information. They are not laboratory analyses and are not medical or dietary advice. Anyone who must track a nutrient precisely for a medical reason should verify the exact products and portions they use with package labels or an appropriate nutrition professional.

Corrections

If you spot a quantity, yield, or nutrition estimate that does not line up with the recipe, send it through the contact page. We will review the underlying ingredient math and correct the page when needed. See the Corrections Policy for how updates are handled.

Sources

Nutrition methodology is based primarily on USDA FoodData Central. General serving-size and nutrition-label context is also checked against U.S. Food and Drug Administration Nutrition Facts guidance.