--- title: "Choose food records that match how you measured the food | Moodwell" description: "Keep raw, cooked, drained and prepared descriptions aligned with the amount you enter." url: "https://www.moodwell.ai/guides/raw-and-cooked-food-records" --- 1. [Home](https://www.moodwell.ai/) 2. [Guides](https://www.moodwell.ai/guides) 3. Choose food records that match how you measured the food Nutrition # Choose food records that match _how you measured the food_ Keep raw, cooked, drained and prepared descriptions aligned with the amount you enter. Moodwell Updated September 20, 2026 3 minute read In brief Match the food record’s preparation state to the state in which you measured it. Do not combine a raw-food amount with a cooked-food record or assume one universal conversion between the two. In this guide 1. [Preparation is part of a food’s identity](https://www.moodwell.ai/guides/raw-and-cooked-food-records#preparation-is-identity) 2. [Do not guess a universal raw-to-cooked conversion](https://www.moodwell.ai/guides/raw-and-cooked-food-records#avoid-a-universal-ratio) 3. [Worked example: rice measured at two different stages](https://www.moodwell.ai/guides/raw-and-cooked-food-records#preparation-example) 4. [Four details to match before choosing a result](https://www.moodwell.ai/guides/raw-and-cooked-food-records#matching-checklist) 5. [Make the next preparation easier to document](https://www.moodwell.ai/guides/raw-and-cooked-food-records#keep-clear-kitchen-notes) ## Preparation is part of a food’s identity Food descriptions can look repetitive until you read their qualifiers. Raw, cooked, dry, drained and prepared describe different records. USDA FoodData Central documentation identifies characteristics such as raw or cooked as part of a food’s description. Treat those words as selection criteria rather than background detail. Start by asking when the amount was measured. If you weighed an ingredient before cooking, look for the corresponding uncooked record. If you measured the finished food on your plate, look for a record that describes that prepared form. Consistent naming makes a repeated recipe easier to understand later. ## Do not guess a universal raw-to-cooked conversion There is no need to create a conversion when you can select a record that matches the food you measured. Cooking methods and the final preparation can differ. A ratio remembered from another meal is not evidence for this particular ingredient. Choose the matching description instead of converting by habit. For a homemade recipe, record the ingredients and measured amounts in your own kitchen notes, then work out the share you ate. This calculation happens outside Moodwell. Log the corresponding ingredient foods and amounts in the diary. Avoid mixing raw quantities with unrelated cooked serving assumptions simply because one description was easier to find. ## Worked example: rice measured at two different stages You measure 80 g of dry rice before preparing a pot and write that quantity in your kitchen notes. If you eat one quarter of that evenly divided batch, your ingredient calculation is 20 g of dry rice. Alternatively, weigh your cooked portion and use a matching cooked-food record for that measured amount. Do not enter a dry amount against a cooked record and expect it to describe the original ingredient. Choose one method: log the ingredient amount calculated from your notes, or log a matching prepared food. Logging both for the same rice would count it twice. Moodwell does not perform a recipe-serving calculation for you. ## Four details to match before choosing a result - Read whether the food is raw, dry, cooked or otherwise prepared. Make that agree with the point at which you measured the amount. - Check additional descriptors such as drained or with sauce. They help distinguish foods that share a basic name. - Inspect the serving unit. A measured weight and a loosely described cup may refer to different reference amounts. - Decide whether this is an ingredient in a recipe or a separately logged food. Keep a single representation for the amount you actually ate. ## Make the next preparation easier to document When you find a useful matching food, reuse it for the same preparation. Keep recipe versions clearly named in your own kitchen notes. If you change ingredient quantities, review those notes before logging the ingredient amounts again. The benefit is consistency in your records, not a claim that a homemade portion has precisely measured nutrient content. ## Sources and further reading - [USDA FoodData Central: Foundation Foods Documentation](https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/docs/Foundation_Foods_Documentation_Apr2024.pdf) Related Moodwell feature ## Review the food before it reaches your diary Capture foods by photo, voice, description or manual entry, then confirm the match and portion. [Explore food tracking](https://www.moodwell.ai/nutrition/food-tracker) Keep reading ## Related guides Nutrition 4 minute read ### [Keep kitchen notes for the ingredients you actually use](https://www.moodwell.ai/guides/building-a-recipe-from-ingredients) Write down your recipe outside the app, calculate your share, then log confirmed ingredient foods in Moodwell. Read the guide Nutrition 3 minute read ### [Turn a whole recipe into portions you can log](https://www.moodwell.ai/guides/calculating-recipe-portions) Calculate recipe portions in your own notes, then translate your share into the ingredient foods you log. Read the guide Nutrition 3 minute read ### [Make serving sizes match the portion you ate](https://www.moodwell.ai/guides/understanding-food-serving-sizes) Separate a food record’s reference serving from your own portion, then check the amount before logging. Read the guide Moodwell ## Bring the whole day into _one place_ Choose Android or iOS to see the current release, beta, or waitlist option. [Android Beta](https://www.moodwell.ai/beta/android) [iOS Waitlist](https://www.moodwell.ai/waitlist/ios)