Published by Saura ·
Nutrition library: food values and practical meal guides
Find a food, check its preparation and compare the portion you actually eat. Browse 80 food profiles in eight groups, plus practical guides for recipes, labels and everyday meals.
Quick answer
Start with a food group below for source-backed nutrition tables. For your own meal, match raw, cooked or drained weight, scale to the edible portion and include additions such as oil or dressing. Use package labels for specific products.
Start with the question you want to answer
Use a food profile to look up a representative food. Use a method guide to calculate something about your own portion or recipe. A table cannot identify an unknown brand or reveal hidden oil from a photograph.
Scroll sideways to see all columns. With a keyboard, focus the table and use the arrow keys.
| Your question | Where to start |
|---|---|
| What is in this food? | Choose a food group and open the matching preparation. |
| What is in my portion? | Match edible weight, then scale the per-100 g values. |
| What is in my homemade dish? | Calculate all ingredients and divide the finished recipe. |
| Why is my package different? | Check the label basis, preparation and carbohydrate convention. |
Browse foods by group
Choose a group, then open a food profile for calories, protein, available carbohydrate, fat, saturated fat where available, and fiber. Each profile identifies its Fineli source and explains which edible weight to use.
- Grains and starches nutrition: compare foods and portionsCompare quinoa, rice, bread, potatoes and other starches using a clearly identified dry or cooked reference. Preparation changes water content, so equal weights do not always describe equivalent starting quantities.
- Fruit nutrition: compare foods and portionsExplore ten fruit profiles with edible-weight examples and practical notes about peel, stones, juice and dried products. A fruit count or a bowl size can hide a large difference in weight.
- Vegetables nutrition: compare foods and portionsCompare plain vegetable references and learn how roasting, frying, draining and dressings change the dish. These profiles focus on edible portions, available carbohydrate, protein, fat and fiber.
- Beans, lentils and soy nutrition: compare foods and portionsBrowse cooked beans, lentils, peas and soy foods with clear notes about dry weight, drained cans and product variation. These foods can contribute protein, carbohydrate and fiber in different proportions.
- Dairy nutrition: compare foods and portionsCompare plain cultured dairy, milk and cheeses using explicit fat levels and weighed servings. A product's style and moisture content can matter as much as its name.
- Meat and poultry nutrition: compare foods and portionsCompare specific meat and poultry cuts with their raw preparation state and fat assumptions visible. A bone-in purchase weight, a raw edible weight and a cooked serving weight are different quantities.
- Fish and seafood nutrition: compare foods and portionsExplore fish and seafood profiles with distinctions between raw, baked, canned, salted and smoked products. Edible fish weight excludes shells, bones and other parts you discard.
- Nuts, seeds and oils nutrition: compare foods and portionsCompare edible nut kernels, dry seeds and olive oil in practical weighed portions. These foods are often used as toppings or recipe ingredients, so a 100 g ranking alone can give a misleading sense of a usual serving.
Learn the methods behind a meal estimate
These guides cover the decisions that often change a food log: matching raw and cooked weights, reading a package label, dividing a recipe and including sauces or oil.
- Raw vs cooked food weight: choose the matching nutrition entryLearn when to weigh rice, pasta, meat and beans raw or cooked, with a worked batch-yield example and tips to avoid counting the same food twice.
- How to calculate recipe nutrition from ingredients and servingsCalculate a homemade recipe's calories and nutrients from ingredient weights, then divide by portions or cooked yield with a transparent worked example.
- How to read a nutrition label without mixing up serving sizesCompare per-serving and per-100 g labels, calculate the amount you eat, and understand why US total carbohydrate differs from Fineli available carbohydrate.
- Food portion sizes: measure what you eat, not a generic servingMake portion estimates clearer with edible weights, package serving sizes and a few reusable measurements for bread, rice, cheese, fruit and nuts.
- How to log cooking oil in a pan, tray or shared recipeMeasure cooking oil, divide it across shared servings and handle oil left in the pan without claiming an exact absorbed amount from a photo.
- Canned vs dried beans: compare drained and cooked portionsCompare canned and dried beans on the same cooked basis, understand drained weight, and calculate a batch without mixing dry and cooked entries.
- How to track restaurant meals when the recipe is unknownUse published restaurant information, identify portions and hidden additions, and keep uncertainty visible when logging meals you did not cook.
- How to estimate food from a photo and review the resultTake a useful meal photo, add hidden ingredients and preparation details, and review portion estimates before saving calories and nutrients in your diary.
- Building a balanced meal from foods you already enjoyCombine vegetables or fruit, a protein source and a grain or starch into flexible meals, with practical examples and links to food nutrition profiles.
- Protein and fiber breakfast ideas with everyday ingredientsBuild breakfast around a protein-containing food plus fruit, wholegrain bread, beans or seeds, with flexible menu ideas and preparation tips.
- Budget-friendly balanced meals built around flexible ingredientsPlan flexible meals with beans, grains, vegetables and leftovers, compare cost per edible serving, and reduce waste without relying on fixed price claims.
- How to log sauces and dressings as part of the mealMeasure packaged or homemade sauces, divide shared dressing and avoid double-counting oil, mayonnaise, yogurt or cheese already included in a recipe.
Use a reference that matches the food
Food-composition values describe representative foods. A specific brand, variety or cooking method can differ. Use the current package panel for a packaged product, and do not compare dry and cooked weights as if they had the same water content.
Fineli available carbohydrate excludes fiber. US Nutrition Facts Total Carbohydrate includes fiber, so the measures should not be silently mixed. The selected extract does not provide sugar, sodium or micronutrient values. Missing saturated fat is shown as unavailable, never zero.
Put the numbers in the context of a meal
A per-100 g comparison is a reference, not a serving recommendation or a complete judgment of a food. Compare portions you might actually eat and include the other ingredients in the dish.
Nutrition values and photo results are estimates. Check ingredients and portions before saving a meal.
Keep exploring
- Grains and starches nutrition: compare foods and portionsCompare grains and starches calories, protein and fiber with source-backed food tables, clear preparation states and links to practical portion guides.
- Fruit nutrition: compare foods and portionsCompare fruit calories, protein and fiber with source-backed food tables, clear preparation states and links to practical portion guides.
- Vegetables nutrition: compare foods and portionsCompare vegetables calories, protein and fiber with source-backed food tables, clear preparation states and links to practical portion guides.
- Beans, lentils and soy nutrition: compare foods and portionsCompare beans, lentils and soy calories, protein and fiber with source-backed food tables, clear preparation states and links to practical portion guides.
- Dairy nutrition: compare foods and portionsCompare dairy calories, protein and fiber with source-backed food tables, clear preparation states and links to practical portion guides.
- Meat and poultry nutrition: compare foods and portionsCompare meat and poultry calories, protein and fiber with source-backed food tables, clear preparation states and links to practical portion guides.
- Fish and seafood nutrition: compare foods and portionsCompare fish and seafood calories, protein and fiber with source-backed food tables, clear preparation states and links to practical portion guides.
- Nuts, seeds and oils nutrition: compare foods and portionsCompare nuts, seeds and oils calories, protein and fiber with source-backed food tables, clear preparation states and links to practical portion guides.
Frequently asked questions
Where do these nutrition values come from?
The food profiles use a committed extract of Fineli — National Food Composition Database in Finland, THL, Release 20.0, accessed May 9, 2026, under CC BY 4.0. Values are selected, scaled to example portions and rounded.
Can I use these values for any brand?
Use them as representative references. A current package label is a closer match for a specific brand, fat level or prepared product.
Sources and method
- Fineli — National Food Composition Database in Finland (THL)
Release 20.0, accessed May 9, 2026. CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Selected records are scaled to example portions and rounded; available carbohydrate excludes fiber. Source values describe representative foods, not a laboratory measurement of your meal.