Methionine is only directly lab-measured for whole/basic foods (Foundation & SR Legacy, marked good). Name-brand results are grouped separately because manufacturer numbers vary by product and are often estimated from protein content instead of measured — tap "Source" on any result to see USDA's original record.
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Recipes
Tap "Load" to add a recipe's ingredients to Today's Log. Loading doesn't happen automatically — nothing here is added until you tap it.
Complete Nutrition Profile
How this works
New here? Start here
You'll see amounts written like "646 mg" — mg is short for milligram, just a small unit of weight, the same way an inch is a unit of length. You don't need to do any math; the tool adds everything up for you.
Step 1 — Look up a food. Type it into the search box (e.g. "chicken breast," or "6 oz chicken breast" if you know the amount), tap the microphone (🎤) and say it out loud, or tap the camera (📷) to scan a package barcode. There's also a row of buttons above the search box for common foods — just tap one instead of typing.
Step 2 — Add it to your list. Each search result has a box for how many grams and a + Add button. Change the amount to match your portion, then tap Add. The "Adding to" choice above the search box sends it either to Today's Log (what you're eating now) or the Shopping List (planning ahead — doesn't count toward your total).
Step 3 — Read your total. The bar at the very top of the page always shows your running total in mg against whatever daily amount your doctor has given you (type it into the box there — this tool doesn't suggest a number itself). Tap the small × next to any item in Today's Log to remove it.
Search details
Search pulls live results from the USDA FoodData Central database. Voice input (🎤) and barcode scanning (📷, using your camera) work the same way as typing — whatever text they produce gets searched.
Why some foods show "estimated" methionine
USDA only publishes full amino-acid breakdowns for "Foundation Foods" and "SR Legacy" entries — whole, basic foods like raw chicken breast, lentils, or rice. "Branded" packaged foods only carry label macros, because manufacturers aren't required to disclose amino acid content. When methionine isn't in the data, this tool estimates it as a share of the food's protein content — 1.5% for produce, 2.5% for canned goods, 3.5% for meat — and always marks it as an estimate (in italics, with a ~), never presenting it as measured.
Log, Shopping List & recipes
The log tracks what you've eaten against your daily methionine cap; the shopping list is just a running total for planning ahead, with a print button. Tap "📖 Recipes" in the top-right to open the recipe drawer — nothing there gets added to your log until you tap "Load" on a specific recipe. Save the current log as a named recipe to reuse later — everything is stored locally in your own browser, nowhere else.
Why methionine?
Methionine is an essential amino acid. Research by Professor Robert M. Hoffman (UCSD) found that many cancer cells are unusually dependent on external methionine for growth — a phenomenon sometimes called the "Hoffman Effect" or methionine addiction — even though, unlike normal cells, they're technically capable of producing some of their own. Restricting dietary methionine has been studied preclinically, and in some published case reports, as a way to selectively stress cancer cells and potentially sensitize them to chemotherapy (the "Hoffman Protocol").
Important context
This research is real but early-stage: the evidence base is mostly preclinical (cell and animal studies) plus individual clinical case reports, not large randomized controlled trials. Methionine restriction is not part of standard oncology treatment guidelines, and no methionine-restricting drug is FDA-approved for cancer treatment. This tool is for people who want to track and plan a lower-methionine diet for their own reasons — it is not medical advice.
This app is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice. Talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before making significant dietary changes, especially in the context of a cancer diagnosis or treatment.