---
pretty_name: NutrientsDB Sample Data
language:
- en
tags:
- nutrition
- food-composition
- nutrient-database
- json
---

# NutrientsDB Sample Data

A small, representative sample from [NutrientsDB](https://www.nutrientsdb.com/), the global
food composition database for developers, researchers, and AI builders.

The full database has **2.9M+ food entries** across **86 nutrient fields**, normalized to
standard units and deduplicated across 180+ countries. This repo contains a tiny slice so
you can inspect the shape of the data before getting the full dataset.

## What's here

| File | Description |
| --- | --- |
| [`sample.json`](sample.json) | 1,000 food entries with the complete 86-field nutrient schema |

This mirrors the free 1,000-food sample available at [nutrientsdb.com](https://www.nutrientsdb.com/).

Github: https://github.com/colinearstudio/nutrientsdb-sample
Hf: https://huggingface.co/datasets/colinearstudio/nutrientsdb

## Working with the data

The data is plain JSON, so it loads in any language with no database server required.

```python
import json

with open("sample.json") as f:
    foods = json.load(f)

for food in foods:
    n = food["nutrients"]
    print(food["name"], n["energy_kcal"], "kcal")
```

## Data schema

Each record has a stable `public_id`, a human-readable `name`, and a `nutrients` object.
All 86 nutrient keys are present on every entry. Values are numbers, or `null` when a
source does not report that nutrient.

```json
{
  "public_id": 2923506,
  "name": "Turkey, drumstick, from whole bird, meat only, raw",
  "nutrients": {
    "energy_kcal": 109.0,
    "protein_g": 23.66,
    "fat_g": 1.48,
    "carbs_g": 0.14,
    "vitamin_b12_ug": 0.63,
    "potassium_mg": 242.0
  }
}
```

All values are per 100 g of the food, the standard basis for food composition data.

## Units

The unit is encoded as a suffix on each field name.

| Suffix | Unit |
| --- | --- |
| `_g` | grams (g) |
| `_mg` | milligrams (mg) |
| `_ug` | micrograms (mcg) |
| `_kcal` | kilocalories (kcal) |

### Energy and macronutrients

| Field | Unit | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `energy_kcal` | kcal | Total food energy |
| `protein_g` | g | Total protein |
| `fat_g` | g | Total fat (lipids) |
| `carbs_g` | g | Total carbohydrate |
| `fiber_g` | g | Dietary fiber |
| `starch_g` | g | Starch |
| `water_g` | g | Water content |
| `alcohol_g` | g | Alcohol (ethanol) |

### Carbohydrates and sugars

| Field | Unit | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `sugar_g` | g | Total sugars |
| `sugar_added_g` | g | Added sugars |
| `glucose_g` | g | Glucose (dextrose) |
| `fructose_g` | g | Fructose |
| `galactose_g` | g | Galactose |
| `sucrose_g` | g | Sucrose |
| `lactose_g` | g | Lactose |
| `maltose_g` | g | Maltose |

### Fats and fatty acids

| Field | Unit | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `saturated_fat_g` | g | Total saturated fat |
| `monounsaturated_fat_g` | g | Total monounsaturated fat |
| `polyunsaturated_fat_g` | g | Total polyunsaturated fat |
| `trans_fat_g` | g | Trans fat |
| `cholesterol_mg` | mg | Cholesterol |
| `fatty_acid_4_0_g` | g | Butyric acid (4:0) |
| `fatty_acid_16_0_g` | g | Palmitic acid (16:0) |
| `fatty_acid_18_0_g` | g | Stearic acid (18:0) |
| `fatty_acid_18_1_g` | g | Oleic acid (18:1) |
| `fatty_acid_18_2_n6_g` | g | Linoleic acid (18:2 n-6) |
| `fatty_acid_18_3_n3_g` | g | Alpha-linolenic acid, ALA (18:3 n-3) |
| `fatty_acid_20_5_n3_g` | g | Eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA (20:5 n-3) |
| `fatty_acid_22_6_n3_g` | g | Docosahexaenoic acid, DHA (22:6 n-3) |

### Minerals

| Field | Unit | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `calcium_mg` | mg | Calcium |
| `iron_mg` | mg | Iron |
| `magnesium_mg` | mg | Magnesium |
| `phosphorus_mg` | mg | Phosphorus |
| `potassium_mg` | mg | Potassium |
| `sodium_mg` | mg | Sodium |
| `chloride_mg` | mg | Chloride |
| `zinc_mg` | mg | Zinc |
| `copper_mg` | mg | Copper |
| `manganese_mg` | mg | Manganese |
| `selenium_ug` | mcg | Selenium |
| `iodine_ug` | mcg | Iodine |
| `fluoride_ug` | mcg | Fluoride |
| `chromium_mg` | mg | Chromium |
| `molybdenum_ug` | mcg | Molybdenum |
| `phytate_mg` | mg | Phytate (phytic acid) |

### Vitamins

| Field | Unit | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `vitamin_a_rae_ug` | mcg | Vitamin A (retinol activity equivalents) |
| `thiamin_mg` | mg | Vitamin B1 (thiamin) |
| `riboflavin_mg` | mg | Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) |
| `niacin_mg` | mg | Vitamin B3 (niacin) |
| `niacin_equivalents_mg` | mg | Niacin equivalents (NE) |
| `pantothenic_acid_mg` | mg | Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) |
| `vitamin_b6_mg` | mg | Vitamin B6 |
| `biotin_ug` | mcg | Vitamin B7 (biotin) |
| `folate_ug` | mcg | Folate (B9) |
| `vitamin_b12_ug` | mcg | Vitamin B12 |
| `vitamin_c_mg` | mg | Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) |
| `vitamin_d_ug` | mcg | Vitamin D |
| `vitamin_e_mg` | mg | Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) |
| `vitamin_k_ug` | mcg | Vitamin K |
| `choline_mg` | mg | Choline |

### Carotenoids

| Field | Unit | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `alpha_carotene_ug` | mcg | Alpha-carotene |
| `beta_carotene_ug` | mcg | Beta-carotene |
| `beta_cryptoxanthin_ug` | mcg | Beta-cryptoxanthin |
| `lutein_zeaxanthin_ug` | mcg | Lutein and zeaxanthin |
| `lycopene_ug` | mcg | Lycopene |

### Amino acids

All amino acids are reported in grams.

| Field | Description | Field | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `histidine_g` | Histidine | `alanine_g` | Alanine |
| `isoleucine_g` | Isoleucine | `arginine_g` | Arginine |
| `leucine_g` | Leucine | `aspartic_acid_g` | Aspartic acid |
| `lysine_g` | Lysine | `cystine_g` | Cystine |
| `methionine_g` | Methionine | `glutamic_acid_g` | Glutamic acid |
| `phenylalanine_g` | Phenylalanine | `glycine_g` | Glycine |
| `threonine_g` | Threonine | `proline_g` | Proline |
| `tryptophan_g` | Tryptophan | `hydroxyproline_g` | Hydroxyproline |
| `valine_g` | Valine | `serine_g` | Serine |
| `tyrosine_g` | Tyrosine | | |

### Other compounds

| Field | Unit | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `caffeine_mg` | mg | Caffeine |
| `theobromine_mg` | mg | Theobromine |