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<h2 style='text-align: center;'>FAQ</h2>
<ul class='helpIndex' style='margin-left: 1em; padding-left: 1em;'>
<li><a href='#whatisthis'>What is this thing?</a></li>
<li><a href='#datasource'>Where does the data come from?</a></li>
<li><a href='#searching'>What do all those search options mean?</a></li>
<li><a href='#noresults'>Why don't my searches return any results?</a></li>
<li><a href='#whyregister'>Why should I register?</a></li>
<li><a href='#timestamp'>What is a diary "timestamp?"</a></li>
<li><a href='#favorites'>What are "favorites" and how do they work?</a></li>
<li><a href='#nofavorites'>
I haven't marked anything as a favorite but things are still showing up in my favorites lists. Why?</a>
</li>
<li><a href='#favoritediary'>Where can I mark a diary as a favorite?</a></li>
</ul>
<a id='whatisthis' style='position: absolute;'></a>
<div class='helpItem'>
<strong>What is this thing</strong>?<br />
This is a searchable database of food nutrient content. Beyond being able to do simple
searches for foods, you are able to collect various individual foods into a recipe and
then view a complete nutrition profile for that recipe. Once registered with the site,
you will also have the ability to save food searches as well as recipes so that you can
easily and quickly reference them again later. There is also the functionality of a food
diary. You may create as many diaries as you like and then add food searches or saved foods
and recipes to the diary. This is a simple way to record what you are eating on a daily
basis.
</div>
<a id='datasource' style='position: absolute;'></a>
<div class='helpItem'>
<strong>Where does the data come from</strong>?<br />
The USDA has done extensive testing of an impressive array of foods and food products to
determine their respective macronutrient (protein, carbohydrate, and fat), vitamin, and
mineral content. The data in this database was provided by the
<a href='http://www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/ndl'>USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory</a>.
The data is public domain.
</div>
<a id='searching' style='position: absolute;'></a>
<div class='helpItem'>
<strong>What do all those search options mean</strong>?<br />
All Words
<div class='helpItem'>
This is a logical 'AND' search. This is the default search type and is probably the
most useful. ALL word(s) in the search text box which are separated by any amount of
whitespace, MUST be present or the search will return an empty result set. For example,
if you entered 'cherry pudding dessert' - the following record might be returned:<br />
- Babyfood, dessert, cherry vanilla pudding, strained<br />
... but the following record would not be returned because it does not contain the word 'dessert':<br />
- Pie, cherry, prepared from recipe
</div>
Any Words
<div class='helpItem'>
This a logical 'OR' search. This search might be useful if you are having problems
getting any results with the 'All Words' search. If ANY word in the search text box
which is separated by any amount of whitespace is found, then the record is returned as a match.
For example, if you entered 'banana pudding' - the following records might be returned:<br />
- Babyfood, dessert, cherry vanilla pudding, strained<br />
- Bananas, dehydrated, or banana powder
</div>
Exact Phrase
<div class='helpItem'>
This is, as it states, an EXACT search. This search is probably not useful at
all unless you are either very familiar with the database, lucky, or both. For example,
if you entered 'babyfood, dessert, cherry vanilla pudding junior' - the following
record would NOT be returned because you are missing the comma between 'pudding' and 'junior':<br />
- Babyfood, dessert, cherry vanilla pudding, junior<br />
</div>
Partial Word
<div class='helpItem'>
Words that you enter in the search text box can constitute a portion of a word.
For example, if you entered 'mayo' the following record would be returned:<br />
- Salad dressing, mayonnaise type, regular, with salt<br />
...this is because 'mayo' makes up part of the word 'mayonnaise'. You can see
that this type of search can get out of control in a hurry if you are not careful.
For example, if trying to be thorough you enter the text 'm', every single record
in the database that even contains the letter 'm' will be returned. Although this
is the default search type, use it with caution or you may get more records than
are useful - possibly thousands.
</div>
Full Word
<div class='helpItem'>
Any words that you enter in the search text box will be taken as full words in the
search. For example, if you entered 'mayo' the following record would NOT be returned:<br />
- Salad dressing, mayonnaise type, regular, with salt<br />
... however, this record would be returned because it contains the exact word 'Mayo':<br />
- Salad dressing, KRAFT Mayo Light Mayonnaise
</div>
Sort order
<div class='helpItem'>
This option determines how the results of your search should be ordered. If you select
'Category' (the default), then your results will be grouped by food category and then
ordered alphabetically within each group. If you select 'Food Description' then the results
will not be ordered, grouped, or otherwise associated with a food category. Instead, the
search results will simply by ordered aphabetically.
</div>
</div>
<a id='noresults' style='position: absolute;'></a>
<div class='helpItem'>
<strong>Why doesn't my search return any results</strong>?<br />
There may be several reasons why your searches are coming up empty. Each food item in the database
has an associated description field which contains multiple descriptors for that particular food item.
When you search the database, you are simply looking for keywords in this field. The search options
you choose will affect how this field is searched. Please note that all searches are case-insensitive
e.g. 'a' and 'A' are treated the same. Also, the order of words does NOT matter - a search for 'cherry vanilla'
would return both a record that contained '...cherry...vanilla...' and '...vanilla...cherry...'.
</div>
<div class='helpItem'>
TIP: Try pluralizing or singularizing your search terms. A good example of this is a search for
'blueberry.' You may be looking for information on the fruit, yet a search for this word
doesn't turn up any fruit. This is because information for the fruit is registered with
a description of "blueberries, raw." In this case pluralizing the word would return the
fruit, among many other things. Another worthwhile way to search is using partial words.
For example, a search for simply 'blueberr', assuming you are doing a "Partial Word" search,
would return everything containing "blueberry" as well as "blueberries."
</div>
<a id='whyregister' style='position: absolute;'></a>
<div class='helpItem'>
<strong>Why should I register</strong>?<br />
You certainly don't have to register to use this site. However, if you don't register you will
be unable to save anything for future reference. Also, DRIs (similar to RDAs) are age/gender
specific and if you are not logged in then the system will report to you the DRI values for a
30 year old male. Creating an account will also allow you to specify which nutrients you
do and don't want to see by default, which may be useful as there are around 140 nutrients, most
of which you probably won't be interested in.
</div>
<a id='timestamp' style='position: absolute;'></a>
<div class='helpItem'>
<strong>What is a diary "Timestamp"</strong>?
A food diary "Timestamp" allows you to specify exactly when you ate a particular food or recipe.
Most people are not going to be able to enter foods into the food diary exactly at the
moment they are eaten. However, for a variety of reasons it is important to know when a
particular item was consumed, especially if you are trying to determine a food sensitivity, or
track statistics about your eating habits. For example, with a timestamp the system may be able
to make calculations to determine how many calories you are averaging per day, or how much
Calcium you are intaking per week, etc. Without a timestamp none of that would be possible.
</div>
<a id='favorites' style='position: absolute;'></a>
<div class='helpItem'>
<strong>What are "favorites" and how do they work</strong>?<br />
Marking a food or recipe as a favorite will give you quick access to the items that you use most
frequently. For example, you may have saved 500 different foods, but perhaps you only reference,
say, 50 or 60 of those with any frequency, so you mark those 50 or 60 foods as "Favorites." There
is nothing different about a favorite saved food or recipe from any other saved food or recipe, except
that your favorites will be located in the quick-access drop-down menus in the left sidebar, and you
will also have access to the "Quick Edit" functions for your favorite foods and recipes. There is no
limit to how many foods or recipes can be marked as favorite. However, if you have many foods and
recipes you may find it inconvenient to have a drop-down menu with hundreds of items, but this is a
personal choice. <strong>Note</strong>: you cannot mark a diary as a favorite. All diaries are
considered favorites.
</div>
<a id='nofavorites' style='position: absolute;'></a>
<div class='helpItem'>
<strong>I haven't marked anything as a favorite but things are still showing up in my favorites lists. Why</strong>?<br />
If your total saved foods or recipes, respectively, are less than 15 then the system will automatically
place those items in your favorites lists as a convenience. However, only the first 15 will appear.
For example, if you have saved 40 foods, but haven't marked any as a favorite, then the system will
automatically select the first 15 saved foods and place them in the favorite foods drop-down menu.
Once you mark at least one food or recipe as a favorite, only those foods or reipes marked as favorites
will appear in the favorites drop-down menus, no matter how few or many. <strong>Note</strong>: you
cannot mark a diary as a favorite. All diaries are considered favorites.
</div>
<a id='favoritediary' style='position: absolute;'></a>
<div class='helpItem'>
<strong>Where can I mark a diary as a favorite</strong>?<br />
You can't. It is assumed that you generally won't have a great number of diaries, as this would
defeat the purpose of being able to summarize your nutritional trends over time. Perhaps you will
have only one food diary. However, the facility for having multiple diaries is present
and may be used as one sees fit.
</div>
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