Recipe Writers - Cookbook Authors!

You may have heard of Ron Johnson's wonderful site, NutritionData.com but now it's even better. Ever wonder what's the nutrient breakdown in one of your own recipes? Want to create your own food labels for the recipes you use, or a cookbook your writing perhaps?.

Start at the Nutrition Data's Quick Start Guide: Step-by-step explanation on how to use this wonderful tool. The Pantry is where we're headed though, because this is where you can get serious.

I decided to analyze the Better-than-Sex cake I made for Easter. It was darn good. My husband called it "The Almost Better than Sex Cake," (that means he liked it).

I don't think I'd want to eat this everyday now would I? Imagine if you were writitng a cookbook and wanted the nutritional breakdown? What about a t-shirt with your personal nutritional breakdown, say 100% sugar, LOL. I can see where this would be more than just handy, it could also be a lot of fun. Here's what Johnson has to say:

"Say, for example, that you want to self-publish a cookbook on healthy Cajun cooking. You just can't convince people that your recipes are healthy unless you include nutrient information. But the time and cost to tally up the nutrients and typeset the Nutrition Facts information is astronomical. The Better Solution: Simply enter the ingredients into ND's Pantry, click one button to get the nutritional analysis, and then one more click to download the final Nutrition Facts images. It just couldn't be any easier!"

I couldn't agree more. Visit NutritionData.com and add up the tally for your favorite recipes. Only then can you really know what you're eating.

Become more aware of the real breakdown, and more importantly the per servings size. I read a jello recipe the other day that supposedly served 10. Oh, sure, maybe in your house, but not mine. If there are two of us, it'll serve two, and if there's three, it'll serve three. If there'll be four or more I'll probably double the recipe - sound familiar?

Hardly anyone actually splits a recipe into as many servings as the label say there are, so be sure to double or triple those numbers, if you track your nutrients. Watch the labels on the low carb foods you buy as well for suggested servings size! If the box says 2 net carbs, but the serving size is ridiculously small, you'll end up eating far more. Watch what you really eat to get the real nutrition breakdown.

I use the Food & Exercise Diary when I do my one-week-a-month food diary. That and other programs I like are listed on my Tools: Software for Weight Loss page.