Search any food · USDA FoodData Central · no login
Search USDA FoodData Central
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.
Your List
Just a running tally of what you've added — no daily target, no goal, nothing to be "over" or "under."
Food
g
Cal
Pro (g)
Met (mg)
Total
0
0
0
Recipes
Tap "Load" to add a recipe's ingredients to Your List. 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 does it for you.
Step 1 — Look up a food. Type it into the search box (e.g. "chicken breast"), 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 — Set the weight. Every result defaults to 100g (USDA's standard serving), shown like a nutrition facts label. Change the number to match your actual portion — the numbers update automatically.
Step 3 — Add it to your list, if you want to. Tap + Add to keep a running tally in Your List below. This is just a plain sum of what you've added — there's no daily target, no cap, no "safe" or "over" — this tool doesn't set goals, it only reports numbers. Tap the small × next to any item 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.
Your List & recipes
Your List is a running tally, stored only in your own browser — nothing is sent anywhere, and there's no account. Tap "📖 Recipes" in the top-right to open the recipe drawer — nothing there gets added until you tap "Load" on a specific recipe. Save your current list as a named recipe to reuse later.
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.