A protein log that keeps portions and grams straight

Name the two quantities

A portion weighing 150 g does not necessarily contain 150 g of protein. Give the food portion and protein amount separate columns. This keeps a common shorthand error out of your totals.

Write enough detail to identify the food: product name, preparation, or recipe. Keep your original source available if you are using a database.

Make one example auditable

Suppose an invented product label states 8 g protein per serving. If you eat two of those servings, the log would show 16 g protein. Keep “two servings” in the portion field so someone can follow the calculation.

Match raw or cooked weight to the database entry

The question is not simply whether weighing before or after cooking is better. The portion weight and the nutrition entry must describe the same food in the same preparation state. USDA FoodData Central descriptions can specify raw or cooked food and other preparation details; read the full description before selecting an entry.

For an invented example, suppose you weigh 120 g of a cooked food and find a matching cooked entry with 25 g protein per 100 g. The calculation is 120 × 25 ÷ 100 = 30 g protein. These are demonstration values, not nutrition data for a particular food. A raw-food entry cannot be substituted into that calculation just because its name is similar.

• If a batch weighed 400 g before cooking and 300 g afterward, the two weights alone do not establish its protein content. Do not apply a universal shrinkage percentage or assume all recipes lose the same amount.
• For a shared recipe, keep its version and the share eaten. Unequal portions or unevenly distributed ingredients make a simple equal-share estimate less certain.
• Use the protein portion calculator only after matching the food entry and measurement basis. Save the entry description beside the result so you can check it later.

Match the food description before doing arithmetic

A database match should identify more than a familiar food name. Check whether the entry refers to the food as purchased or after preparation and whether its portion basis matches your measurement. A number for a different preparation should not become exact-looking just because the calculator accepts it.

If the match is uncertain, save the description you actually know and label the amount as an estimate. For a packaged product, retain the current label information rather than relying on an older entry with the same brand name. Formulations and package portions can differ. This is a record-checking task; it does not require judging the food as good or bad.

Work through a recipe portion explicitly

Suppose a complete recipe has a calculated 48 g of protein and is divided into four equal portions. Each portion contributes 12 g under that assumption. If you eat one and a half of those portions, the record amount is 18 g. Keep the assumption about equal portions with the calculation; it is not established merely by writing “four servings.”

If you calculate the whole recipe from ingredients, do not also add those ingredient rows again when counting the finished meal. Keep either a recipe total linked to its ingredient calculation or the ingredient rows themselves. If you change the recipe, create an identifiable version so that last week's portion does not silently use this week's ingredients.

Review a day without hiding uncertainty

Before looking at totals, look at coverage. Did you record every meal and snack you intended to include, or only selected foods? Are amounts measured, copied from a label, or estimated? A total made from incomplete entries should be described as the sum of recorded items, not automatically as total daily intake.

Use the food record to state the date range and recording method. Useful questions include whether your portion descriptions are clear and which source your dietitian prefers for a frequently eaten food. Keep protein targets and clinical decisions outside the arithmetic tool. The calculator simply applies a label ratio; it cannot tell whether an intake is appropriate for your circumstances.

Review the record without turning it into a prescription

Look for entry errors, missing portions, and duplicate meals before considering the total. Ask a qualified professional for an individual target when you need one.

Protein Tracker+ offers food logging and report features. The free browser log is useful for a short record or a printable sheet; it does not recommend protein amounts for a medical condition.