Diabetes Pilot - Software for Palm PDA's and Windows PC's

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Diabetes Pilot Instructions: Using the Food Database This section explains how to use the Diabetes Pilot food database. The food database provides reference information on thousands of foods. You can add your own foods to the database and customize it to meet your needs. Accessing the Food Database Finding Foods Adding New Foods and Groups Marking Foods as Favorites Organizing the Database	[Back to table of contents]
Accessing the Food Database The food database can be accessed in two different ways: From the main screen, select "Food Database" from the "Tools" menu. This will display the food database and allow you to look up food information and do things like add, edit, and organize the foods and mark foods as favorites. When you are building a new meal entry (see Food Records) tapping on the "Lookup food..." button will display the food database. You'll be able to do all of the functions listed above. In addition, you can select a food from the database and tap the "Use food" button to add it to the meal.
Finding Foods You can locate foods in the food database in several different ways: Option 1: Browse through the foods by category. To browse through the foods by category, click on the "Browse by Group" tab near the bottom of the listings. This displays an organized listing of the foods and groups. Food groups are indicated by a yellow folder icon. Foods are indicated by a black fork and knife icon or, if the food is marked as a favorite, by a "smiley" icon. To open a group and see its contents, double click on the group's name or click on the small "+" icon next to the group name. To close a group double-click on the group name, or click on the "-" icon next to the group name. You can close all of the groups by clicking the "Collapse All" button at the bottom of the listings. To select a food, click on the food's name. Option 2: Search for foods by name. To search for foods by name, click on the "Search" tab near the bottom of the listings. This displays a box labeled "Search:" and a blank space for food listings. Enter a few letters of the food you are looking for in the "Search" box, then tap the "Go" button. The food database will be searched for what you enter. Any food or group containing your search letters will be displayed in the search box. You will usually have better results with the search feature if you enter just a few letters of a food name - this way, the food will appear in the results even if it is named a bit differently than you'd expect. This is a good way to find a food if you can't find it by browsing. To select a food, click on it in the search result list. Option 3: Display a list of the foods you have marked as favorites. To do this, click on the "Favorites List" tab. A list of the foods that you've marked as favorites will be displayed. To select a food, click on it in the list. See Marking Foods as Favorites for more information. To see more of a food description that's larger than the screen, tap and hold the stylus on the item.
Adding New Foods and Groups To add a new food or group to the food database, use the "Browse by Group" tab in the food database. Start by browsing to the location where you would like the new item added (see Finding Foods above). Select the group in which you would like to add the new item. To add a new group, choose "New Group" from the "New" menu at the bottom of the screen, enter a name for the new group, and press the enter key. To add a new food, choose "New Food" from the "New" menu at the bottom of the screen, enter a name for the new food, and press the enter key. Then, fill out the food information screen that appears and tap the "OK" button.
Marking Foods as Favorites When a food is marked as a favorite, it will appear in the "Favorites List" tab. It will also appear with a "smiley" icon next to it in the food database list. To mark a food as a favorite: Find the food in the database (see Finding Foods above). Select the food (by tapping on it to highlight it) Choose "Mark as Favorite" from the "Food" menu at the bottom of the screen. To remove a food from the favorites list, select it and chose the "Mark as Favorite" menu item again. The food will be removed from the favorites list.
Organizing and Customizing the Food Database Several functions are available to help you organize and customize the food database. To delete a food from the database: Find the food in the database (see Finding Foods above). Select the food (by tapping on it to highlight it) Choose "Delete" from the "Food" menu. To edit the name or data associated with a food or group: Find the food in the database (see Finding Foods above). Select the food or group (by tapping on it to highlight it) Select "Edit Selected Item" from the "Food" menu. Make the changes that you desire to the food or group data. Tap the OK button.
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