A couple of years ago, I posted an Excel Calorie Counter workbook, which has been very popular. In one of the comments, Autumn suggested that I add a recipe calculator to the file.
“I’m also looking to add a sheet within the workbook, that would work similarly to the Daily Entry sheet, where I can input a recipe to calculate the nutritional info for 1 serving of said recipe.”
And in the latest version, that Recipe Calculator has been added. Thanks Autumn, for the suggestion and the reminder. 😉
The new version also has protein, carbohydrates, fat and fibre data. If you download the workbook, please let me know what you think of the changes.
Enter the Recipe Ingredients
On the new RecipeCalc sheet, you can enter a Recipe Name and category, and the number of servings. Then, enter the ingredients and their categories, along with the required amounts.
Calculate the Amounts
Also enter the amount shown in the Food List measurement, and the worksheet calculates a multiplier. This feature uses the Excel CONVERT function.
For example:
- In the first row shown below, the recipe calls for 1.25 pounds of chicken.
- The Food List has the nutrient information for 100 grams of chicken.
Add to the Food List
After you calculate the recipe’s nutrients per serving, you can copy the total amounts, and paste as values in the FoodList sheet.
I used the category _MY RECIPES, but you could use one of the standard categories, if you prefer.
Use Your Recipes in the Daily Data Entry
Once your recipes are added to the list, you can select them in the FoodEntry worksheet, where you enter your daily food choices.
Download the Excel Calorie Counter with Recipe Calculator
You can download a zipped copy of the Excel Calorie Counter with Recipe Calculator on the Contextures website. The file is in Excel 2007 format, and contains a macro. In the download section, look for “Excel Calorie Counter With Recipe Calculator”
As I mentioned when posting the original Calorie Counter, I’m not a medical professional, so use this workbook for entertainment purposes only. The calorie counts are from Health Canada, so the ingredients and calorie counts might be different where you live. Check the product labels for accurate numbers.
If you’re looking for more nutrient information, to add items to the food list, you can try these websites:
- http://nutritiondata.self.com/ (type a food in the search box at top right)
- mynetdiary.com (sign-up is required, free membership available)
- http://www.exercise4weightloss.com/weight-watchers-points.html (pdf files with restaurant foods at bottom of page)
Send Your Feedback
This is a beta version of the Recipe Calculator, and I have a few ideas for improving it. I’d appreciate your thoughts too. If you download the file, and test it, please let me know if you have any suggestions for making it easier to use.
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Thanks for getting this up so quickly after my 2 month late reminder lol
Couple questions, because I am horrible at this stuff.
a) I cannot copy and paste totals into foodlist, they come up as the #DIV/0! error. So i have to write them down or flip between sheets
b) Is there a way to have a save button, like the daily entry button, and have the recipe totals save to the foodlist that way? just wondering. That would be wonderful!
There’s a website called FatSecret which has an API that could be leveraged in VBA, but it requires OAuth which I don’t have the strength to implement right now.
NutritionData gets their data from the USDA. You could simply download the latest nutrition information (here: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=22113) and create a few lookup formulas to grab whatever you needed, then plug in the latest data as it changes. I did write to them, however, to see if they have an API.
Hi
Are you still working on this excel sheet? I am diabetic and need to find a way to plan menus for my eating and this seems great but just lacks a few things to make it a little easier to set up. I also have a few questions regarding how items are presented to the user. Possibility of asking you some questions as this appears to be a great tool?
thanks
Bryan Barney
yeah im looking for something thats kinda like this :
item quantity energy protein carbs fat salt fibre minerals vitamins amino acids etc (per 100g )
chicken 100g 120kcal 24g 0 0.5g
in excell
I have just downloaded this and started to play with it. I did find that it is easy to add a food to the list that is not already included which is really nice – thanks so very muc. Can we add another column to the nutritional information for saturated fats as well as sodium? I need to watch my cholesterol and sodium intake and having those values available would be wonderful.
thank you for this helpful excel file. I’m wondering if there is anyway I can use this file in excel online because it was fully working only in the desktop. i’ve tried to upload the file to google sheet and online excel< neither of them workd as the desktop.
thank you for this helpful file. if you can add total percentage for macros that would be great.
I’ve tried to upload the file to google sheet and online excel, neither of them worked as the desktop excel. In both google sheet and online excel it does not show the calorie after picking the food.
Thanks, Zak, and the macros in the Excel file won’t work in the online version of Excel or in Google Sheets.
Thank you so much for this invaluable tool! Is it possible to me to add a nutrient—like sodium—without messing up the macro? I’ve searched and searched the internet and the App Store and nothing comes even close—blessings!
You’re welcome, and there are steps for updating a similar workbook and its macro, in this blog post:
https://contexturesblog.com/archives/2010/01/06/excel-calorie-counter/
Those steps might help you!
Awesomeness! And thank you for the quick reply.