Configurable Base Measurement: Define Your Own Food Data Starting Point

Stop being limited by the default 100-gram base when creating custom foods. Foodzilla's configurable base measurement feature, available on Pro plans, lets nutrition professionals set any quantity as the base measurement for new foods and ingredients. Whether you are entering a supplement per capsule, protein powder per scoop, or butter per tablespoon, you define the base that makes sense for how the food is actually used. The result is greater precision, fewer conversion errors, and a custom food database that works the way you do.

Why the Default 100 Grams Does Not Always Work

Most nutrition databases store food data per 100 grams. This makes sense for bulk ingredients like rice, chicken, or vegetables where gram-based measurement is standard. But many foods are not consumed or measured by the gram:

• Supplements: A multivitamin capsule weighs a fraction of 100 grams. Entering its nutrition per 100 grams means working backwards from a quantity nobody ever uses.

• Protein powders: Manufacturers list nutrition per scoop (typically 30-35 grams), not per 100 grams. Converting introduces rounding errors.

• Oils and spreads: Butter, coconut oil, and nut butters are commonly measured by the tablespoon. A tablespoon of butter is approximately 14 grams - far from the 100-gram default.

• Regional and specialty products: Many local foods, artisanal products, and cultural ingredients have standard serving sizes that do not align with 100-gram increments.

• Liquid supplements and drops: Products like fish oil or vitamin D drops are measured per drop or per millilitre, making a 100-gram base impractical.

When you force all foods into a 100-gram mold, you spend time converting, rounding, and double-checking. Configurable base measurement eliminates that friction entirely.

 

How Configurable Base Measurement Works

Setting a custom base measurement in Foodzilla is straightforward. When you create a new food or ingredient, here is the workflow:

1. 1. Open the Custom Food Creator: Navigate to the food database section and select "Create New Food" in your Foodzilla dashboard.

2. 2. Set Your Base Measurement: Instead of accepting the default 100 grams, enter the quantity and unit that represents the natural base for this food. For example, enter "1 capsule," "30 grams" (one scoop), or "15 millilitres" (one tablespoon).

3. 3. Enter Nutrition Values: Input the calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients per your chosen base. If the label says 120 calories per scoop, enter 120 calories with a base of 30 grams.

4. 4. Save and Use: Once saved, the custom food is available across all your meal plans. When you add it to a meal and adjust the quantity, Foodzilla handles all proportional calculations automatically.

All nutrition values scale proportionally from your defined base. If you set a protein powder at 24 grams of protein per 30-gram scoop and a client uses 1.5 scoops, Foodzilla calculates 36 grams of protein automatically.

 

Use Cases: When Configurable Base Measurement Shines

Here are common scenarios where setting a custom base measurement saves time and improves accuracy:

 

Benefits for Nutrition Professionals

Configurable base measurement is a Pro feature built for practitioners who demand precision in their food databases:

1. 1. Eliminate Conversion Errors: When you enter nutrition data in the same unit the manufacturer uses, there is no room for rounding mistakes. The data you enter is the data your meal plans use.

2. 2. Save Time on Data Entry: No more pulling out a calculator to convert per-scoop values into per-100g format. Enter the values as they appear on the label and move on.

3. 3. Build a Practical Food Database: Your custom foods reflect how they are actually used in the real world. When a client sees "1 scoop" in their meal plan, they know exactly what to measure.

4. 4. Improve Client Compliance: Clients are more likely to follow meal plans when the measurements make intuitive sense. "Take 2 capsules" is clearer than "take 1.4 grams."

5. 5. Support Specialty Products: Regional foods, artisanal products, and niche supplements often lack standard database entries. Create precise entries tailored to the exact products your clients use.

 

Works Seamlessly with Other Foodzilla Features

Configurable base measurement integrates with the broader Foodzilla platform to give you a complete custom food management workflow:

• Custom Measurements: Pair configurable base measurement with custom measurements to define additional serving units for your foods. Set the base as 1 scoop, then add "half scoop" and "double scoop" as alternative measurements.

• Creating Custom Foods: The base measurement setting is part of Foodzilla's custom food creation workflow. Build an entire database of foods tailored to your practice.

• Editable Foodzilla Ingredients: Need to adjust an existing food in the Foodzilla database? Use editable Foodzilla ingredients to modify nutrition values and measurements for any item.

• Meal Plan Integration: Once saved, foods with custom base measurements work everywhere in Foodzilla - meal plans, recipes, food diaries, and grocery lists. Nutrition values scale correctly regardless of the quantity your client uses.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Get Started with Configurable Base Measurement

Configurable base measurement is available on Foodzilla Pro plans. Start your free trial to see how flexible food data entry can be:

1. 1. Sign up for free - No credit card required.

2. 2. Create a custom food - Set your own base measurement instead of defaulting to 100 grams.

3. 3. Enter nutrition values - Input data exactly as it appears on the product label.

4. 4. Add to meal plans - Use your custom food across all client meal plans with automatic nutrition calculations.

Related Features: Learn more about Custom Measurements, Creating Custom Foods, and Editable Foodzilla Ingredients to see how Foodzilla gives you full control over your food database.