Raw, Cooked or Canned: Choose the Matching USDA Record
Published by Renal Diet · · Food-data explanation, not clinical review
Choose a food record whose preparation matches what you are measuring. “Raw”, “cooked”, “canned” and “drained” are part of the food's identity, not interchangeable labels.
Read past the first word
A search for a fruit or vegetable can return several entries. Compare the full description before copying a number. A canned product packed in liquid and a drained portion describe different things on the scale. A generic cooked record may not match a recipe with added ingredients.
Use the food index to find a record, then open its page. The source section preserves the USDA description, dataset, release and FDC identifier. If the description does not fit, look for a better match instead of quietly relabeling the entry.
Compare in this order
- Food and preparation: read the complete name, including raw, cooked, canned or drained wording.
- Portion: confirm whether the weight describes the portion you are measuring.
- Basis: use per 100 g for an equal-weight comparison; use the actual grams for your log.
- Source: retain the FDC id and release so another person can reproduce the lookup.
Why a different number is not automatically an error
USDA FoodData Central contains different data types. Foundation Foods and SR Legacy are distinct datasets; branded-food records have their own sources. A result from another entry or release may describe a different sample, product or preparation. Start by comparing identifiers and descriptions, then compare values.
Our site publishes a curated set of generic USDA records rather than every supermarket product. A generic entry is a reference, not a laboratory measurement of your meal. For a branded item, read its label and discuss missing nutrients or substitutions with your care team.
Do not turn a comparison into a cooking promise
Subtracting a raw entry from a cooked entry does not establish how much a particular cooking method removed from your own food. The records are not necessarily a controlled before-and-after experiment. These pages do not prescribe soaking or cooking treatments.
Reporting a possible mismatch
Send the support team the page address, FDC id and the value you expected. A link to the source makes the issue reproducible. You do not need to send health records, lab results or personal intake targets.
Source: USDA FoodData Central data documentation. Our sources page records the releases and checksums used to build this website.