- Nutrition Content is Too High?
- Possible Reason 1: Serving Number too Low for Total Ingredient Amounts
- Possible Reason 2: An Ingredient uses a Special Unit of Measure that is too High
Nutrition Content is Too High?
When you review a recipe, you may notice that its nutrition content is higher than it should be for the portion size for the recipe. In the Chicken Dijon example recipe below, the nutrients and calories (860) are too high for the 4 oz portion size set for the recipe.
In addition, notice the high cost at $5.58 per 4 oz portion for the recipe.
Possible Reason 1: Serving Number too Low for Total Ingredient Amounts
When the nutrition content of a recipe is too high, it could be that the serving number is too low for the total ingredient amounts for the recipe. You can confirm this by checking the Estimated Serving Size and the Servings set for the recipe. (The estimated serving size is the sum of the edible portion (EP) amount of all ingredient divided by the serving number; see Understanding Estimated Serving Size of a Recipe).
In the Chicken Dijon example recipe below, the Estimated Serving Size is 21.35 oz and the Servings are only 2, which means that the total EP amount of ingredients (42.70 oz) is divided by only two servings, resulting in the estimated serving size of 21.35 oz, which is too high for the ideal portion size of 4 oz.
Note: Click the scale icon () for a breakdown of each ingredient's weight per serving.
Solution Option 1: Calculate and Enter a Higher Serving Number to Decrease Estimated Serving Size
After identifying that the serving number is too low for the total ingredient amounts, you can calculate a higher serving number to decrease the estimated serving size to match the portion size. To do so, use the following calculation:
- Multiply the current estimated serving size (21.35 oz) by the serving number (2) to get the total weight of the ingredients (42.70 oz).
- Divide the total weight of the ingredients (42.70) by the ideal portion size (4 oz) to get the proper estimated serving size (10.675 or 10 servings).
With the correct estimated serving size calculated (10), you can now enter the number directly in the Yield/Servings field, which will adjust the Estimated Serving Size accordingly (4.27 oz) to match the ideal portion size of 4 oz. Ensure to click Save to apply your changes.
Solution Option 2: Decrease the Ingredient Amounts to Decrease Estimated Serving Size
If you don't want to enter a higher serving number, then the other option is to decrease the ingredient amounts to decrease the estimated serving size to match the portion size.
Rather than doing the math for each ingredient to decrease the estimated serving size, you can use the yield tool to automatically calculate the new ingredient amounts based on the portion size. To do so, complete the following steps.
- Your first step is to obtain the desired estimated serving size to match the portion size, which in the example below is 4 oz. You do this by entering a higher serving yield until you achieve the desired result. In the example screenshot below, entering 10 servings decreases the estimated serving size to 4.27 oz, which will suffice.
- With the desired estimated serving size achieved, your next steps are to use the scale function to automatically adjust the ingredient amounts. Click the adjust icon beside Yield and the Yield Adjustment window appears (second screenshot below).
- In the Scale To field, enter the original serving number of the recipe (which, for example's sake, was 2), and then click Calculate. The window refreshes with the new ingredient amounts.
- Click the Update Recipe Yield button to apply the new ingredient amounts to the recipe.
- Click the Save button to apply your changes.
Possible Reason 2: An Ingredient uses a Special Unit of Measure that is too High
If the Serving number is not too low, but the Estimated Serving Size is too high, it could be that an ingredient in the recipe uses a special unit of measurement (i.e., "Each", "Loaf", "Slice"), and the amount for the special unit of measurement is too high.
For example, for the Chicken Sandwich recipe below, the "Bun Hamburger White" ingredient has an "Each" measure, and by opening the ingredient and drilling down, you see that the "Each" measure has 200 grams, which is too much.
Reach out to MealSuite Support to have the special unit of measure amount adjusted.