When using Eater Meter, you may come across a situation where you can not find the food you are looking for to fill out your food log for the day. This situation would occur in the early stages of using Eater Meter. Or when you choose to try out new foods that you don't usually eat as part of your regular diet. 

Why might you ask? Simply put, the food is not showing up because the specific food is not within the Eater Meter food database. Therefore, the food needs to be categorised into one of the Five Food Groups (read more about the Five Food Groups here). Furthermore, the food needs to be categorised into a Food Type (a subcategory of the Five Food Groups). 

Categorising your food will help identify the "serving" your food belongs to within The Five Food Groups. Additionally, it will help calculate its carbon footprint using an approximation based on the type of food. For example, suppose the food you are trying to add is a leafy green like spinach. In that case, your food's carbon footprint will be averaged from all leafy greens within the Eater Meter Database. Although this is not entirely accurate, it is the best information based on the existing data. See below for an infographic on the Five Food Groups and Food Types used in Eater Meter. 

Although the number of categories will feel daunting, learning them off by memory is not necessary. Some of them are pretty straightforward, such as "leafy green", meaning any type of vegetable that is leafy, like spinach or kale. However, the fruit categories are admittedly relatively new to most people outside of botany circles. A quick workaround for this complication is to simply google the name of the fruit you are trying to add and see what category it belongs to. Alternatively, you can refer to this infographic for guidance (see below).

Note: If you are a vegan, the legumes and pulses you consume will contribute servings toward your protein source. As non-vegans, legumes and pulses will contribute servings to your vegetables. 

Knowing how to identify and categorise foods into the food group and food type allows you to not only use Eater Meter more effectively but make better food choices in general. In worst-case scenarios, if you do not know where your uncategorised food goes, please feel free to email support@eatermeter.com.au.