Nutrition Learn

Practical, plain-language guides to food categories and nutrients — written for this site, not auto-translated.

Nutrition topics

Protein: how much you need and where to get it

Protein supplies the amino acids your body uses to build and repair muscle, skin, enzymes, and immune molecules. Unlike fat and carbohydrate, protein is not stored for later — the …

Fiber: the carbohydrate that feeds your gut

Fiber is the part of plant food your enzymes cannot digest. It slows glucose absorption, feeds gut bacteria, and adds bulk that keeps digestion moving. Because it passes through wi…

Sugars and sodium: the two numbers worth watching

The sugars figure in this database is total sugars — it includes the fructose in whole fruit alongside sucrose stirred into soda. Whole-food entries with naturally occurring sugar …

Fats explained: saturated, unsaturated, and what changes

All dietary fats provide about 9 kcal per gram, so total fat drives calories regardless of type. What differs is how each type affects blood cholesterol and inflammation. This is w…

Vitamin C: beyond the common cold

Vitamin C is a cofactor for collagen synthesis, carnitine production, and antioxidant defense, and it significantly improves absorption of non-heme iron from plant foods. Deficienc…

Iron and minerals: small amounts, large roles

Heme iron comes from animal muscle and blood and absorbs efficiently — roughly 15–35%. Non-heme iron from plants, grains, and legumes absorbs at a lower and more variable rate. Mea…

How to read a nutrition table like an analyst

Every figure on this site is expressed per 100 g, which makes unlike foods comparable for the first time. Commercial labels instead use serving sizes chosen by the manufacturer — 3…

Energy balance: where calories actually come from

Body weight changes when energy in exceeds energy out over time. Carbohydrate and protein each provide about 4 kcal per gram, fat provides about 9, and alcohol provides 7 with no n…

Beef Products 954

Beef products cover everything from lean eye of marbling-rich ribeye in this 954-entry category. Beef is one of the most complete sources of protein in the data…

Vegetables and Vegetable Products 814

With 814 entries, vegetables are the largest category on the site. Most are low in calories and dense in fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and folate, but the spread…

Baked Products 517

Baked products run from plain breads and tortillas to pastries, cakes, and cookies across 517 entries. Flour is the common base, so most items are carbohydrate-…

Lamb, Veal, and Game Products 464

This 464-entry group covers lamb, veal, venison, bison, rabbit, and other game meats. Compared with beef and pork, several game cuts are leaner while keeping co…

Poultry Products 383

Chicken and turkey dominate this 383-entry category, most of it skinless breast and thigh meat. Poultry is a lean, high-quality protein with B vitamins and phos…

Beverages 366

The 366 beverages range from water and unsweetened tea to sodas, fruit drinks, alcohol, and energy drinks. This is the category where calories can arrive with a…

Sweets 358

Candies, chocolates, sugars, honey, and syrups fill this 358-entry category. Nearly all deliver quick carbohydrates with minimal protein, fiber, or micronutrien…

Fruits and Fruit Juices 355

355 entries spanning fresh fruit, dried fruit, and juices. Whole fruit pairs natural sugars with fiber, water, and vitamin C, which changes how the body handles…

Baby Foods 345

345 entries of commercial infant formulas, cereals, dinners, and snacks, formulated to strict nutrient specifications. Formulas are nutritionally complete by de…

Pork Products 336

336 entries of fresh pork, cured ham, bacon, and shoulder cuts. Fresh lean pork rivals chicken breast on protein while offering thiamin (vitamin B1) at levels f…

Fast Foods 312

312 entries of commercial burgers, fries, pizza, tacos, and combo meals, captured with their real-world preparation. This category is dominated by refined carbo…

Dairy and Egg Products 291

291 entries of milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, cream, and eggs. Dairy delivers calcium, high-quality protein, and vitamin B12, with fat content spanning from skim…

Legumes and Legume Products 290

290 entries of beans, lentils, peanuts, and soy foods — the plant-protein backbone of the database. Legumes combine protein with unusually high fiber and comple…

Finfish and Shellfish Products 264

264 entries of freshwater and salted fish, shrimp, crab, oysters, and other seafood. Fish is the leading source of long-chain omega-3 fats (EPA and DHA) in this…

Soups, Sauces, and Gravies 254

254 entries of canned and dry-mix soups, tomato and soy sauces, gravies, and condiments. These are flavor carriers: small servings, large impact on sodium and f…

Fats and Oils 216

216 entries of butter, margarine, vegetable oils, lard, and cooking sprays. This is the most energy-dense category in the database — almost pure fat at roughly …

Breakfast Cereals 195

195 entries of ready-to-eat and hot breakfast cereals, from plain oats to frosted flakes. Sugar content splits this category more than any other column: unsweet…

Cereal Grains and Pasta 181

181 entries of rice, wheat flour, pasta, couscous, and cooked grains — the starch foundation of most diets. Whole-grain versions carry meaningfully more fiber, …

Snacks 176

176 entries of chips, popcorn, pretzels, snack bars, and savory mixes. Snacks share a pattern: refined carbohydrate base, added fat, and salt, in portions peopl…

Sausages and Luncheon Meats 167

167 entries of sausages, hot dogs, bologna, salami, and deli slices — processed meats by definition. Protein stays high, but so do sodium and saturated fat, and…

American Indian/Alaska Native Foods 165

165 entries of traditional Native American and Alaska Native foods, from frybread and pemmican to salmon preparations and wild-rice dishes. This group is cultur…

Nut and Seed Products 137

137 entries of tree nuts, peanuts, seeds, nut butters, and nut flours. This is the densest healthy-fat category on the site: nuts and seeds deliver monounsatura…

Restaurant Foods 109

109 entries of named restaurant and chain-restaurant dishes, recorded as sold. The defining trait here is sodium and fat at levels above home equivalents — rest…

Meals, Entrees, and Side Dishes 81

81 entries of complete meals, entrees, and side dishes — combinations rather than single ingredients. Each record stacks multiple components, so nutrition refle…

Spices and Herbs 63

63 entries of dried and fresh herbs, spices, and seasoning blends — the smallest category, and the most surprising. Used by the pinch, these barely register in …