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I'm confused around sources and their reported calories
A can of Great Value sardines is 100 calories and 16 grams of protein for 74 grams drained. But the entry doesn't include the amino acid breakdown so I looked up the nccdb entry for sardines in water, drained and get 144 calories and 18.7 grams of protein. I've seen similar discrepancies on other food items. How should I be thinking about this? Which source should I trust?
Answers
I don't know this for a fact but would guess the manufacturer uses a guaranteed minimum amount whereas NCCDB uses an average amount.
From the user manual "If your priority is to use the most detailed information for a food, we recommend choosing entries from the NCCDB (Nutrition Coordinating Center Food & Nutrient Database) or USDA SR28 (United States Department Sof Agriculture National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference) in the Common Foods Tab. These entries along with those found from the CNF (Canadian Nutrient File) and IFCDB (Irish Food Composition Database) have compiled results from lab analyses and research papers to provide us with a comprehensive nutrient profile."
I use mostly NCCDB. Hope this helps.
Sadly, I see discrepancies for some CRDB results. Believe me I admire the persons' doing their best to accurately enter data for so many foods. I couldn't do it. The positive person in me looks for sources that truly have the most information. I try to examine the sources and their data and will choose one and then add as a favorite.