Here’s a hidden secret of the Internet: at the end of 2013 Google quietly launched their nutrition comparison tool. To use this clever web-based tool, simply type the word ‘compare’ into the Google search bar, followed by two types of food.
For example, if you want to know the nutritional difference between asparagus and artichoke, simply type ‘compare asparagus and artichoke’ and pretty images of both items will appear along with a breakdown of calories, fat, sugar content, protein, and other nutrition values.
I tested the tool by searching for two of my favourite not-so-good-for-you foods: cheese and chocolate. As you can see in the photo above, I was able to filter my cheese and chocolate selection by using the drop-down menu below each item. I selected dark chocolate and Camembert cheese for the comparison, and I learned that the chocolate is higher in calories than the cheese. Interesting!
The system is not foolproof. I had trouble searching for a few brand names, and when I tried to compare like items to like items (milk chocolate and dark chocolate) I was directed to articles and not the tool. According to Google, the data comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Nutrient Database, meaning you can only compare anything the Department of Agriculture keeps information on.
If you’re interested, here are the comparisons of spinach and kale, rice and quinoa, and bagels and donuts.
Tagged under: technology,Nutrition,foods,How to Use Google’s Nutrition Comparison Tool,google,fats,sugars,bad for you,which is worse,nutrition gadgets,nutrition apps
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