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USDA Survey Foods137 exact records

Dairy: find the record that best matches the food.

Milk, yogurt, cheese, cream, and dairy-based foods and drinks. This page shows the shape of the collection before asking you to choose a number: what sits near the middle, how wide the central range is, and which words distinguish one source record from another.

The shortest route to a defensible estimate

Choose in this order: identity, amount, then context.

  1. 01

    Identity

    Match the exact food description—especially preparation, additions, and whether the record is a single food or mixed dish.

  2. 02

    Amount

    Use a household measure tied to that record or enter grams. A familiar serving word without a weight can hide a large difference.

  3. 03

    Context

    Add the brand, recipe, sauce, cooking fat, toppings, or edible portion that the generic source record cannot know.

What the collection actually contains

Central nutrient ranges on one denominator

Each row uses values per 100 grams. The median is the collection midpoint; the central range runs from the 10th to the 90th percentile. That interval describes variation among source records—not uncertainty around a single meal and not a recommended intake range.

Median and central per-100-gram nutrient ranges for records in this category
NutrientMedianCentral 80%Records reporting
Energyper 100 g 101 kcal 50–361 kcal 137 of 137
Proteinper 100 g 4 g 1–24.8 g 137 of 137
Fiberper 100 g 0 g 0–0.6 g 137 of 137
Sodiumper 100 g 60 mg 34–895 mg 137 of 137

Zeros are retained when reported; missing values are not silently converted to zero. Rounded values are for orientation. Open an exact profile for Feast’s 21-nutrient panel and source citation.

Three coordinates, not winners

Records that make the range easier to understand

These examples sit near the collection’s energy midpoint or upper central protein and fiber boundaries. A high value for one nutrient is not a complete judgment of the food, and the records are not ranked as “best.”

What “Dairy” includes here

One Feast category, several USDA source categories

Feast groups related records to make the library navigable. The more specific USDA category and the complete food name remain the better evidence for choosing a match.

Cheese41 records
Yogurt, regular12 records
Milk shakes and other dairy drinks11 records
Cream and cream substitutes10 records
Plant-based milk10 records
Yogurt, Greek10 records
Cream cheese, sour cream, whipped cream6 records
Flavored milk, reduced fat6 records
Flavored milk, nonfat5 records
Flavored milk, lowfat4 records
Flavored milk, whole4 records
Milk, nonfat4 records
Cottage/ricotta cheese3 records
Milk, reduced fat3 records
Milk, whole3 records
Plant-based yogurt3 records
Milk, lowfat2 records

Decision support from the exact records on this page

Turn source data into a better next decision

These conclusions and reading paths are computed from 9 exact records behind Dairy category landmarks. Links are chosen by record identity, controlled contrast, formulation input, nutrient spread, or serving context—not by loose keyword similarity.

Equal-weight result

Cheese, Gouda or Edam is higher in calories per 100 g

Cheese, Gouda or Edam reports 356 kcal versus 30 kcal for Almond milk, sweetened: a 326 kcal difference when both are normalized to 100 g.

Inspect the underlying evidence

The denominator changes the answer

Cheese, Muenster, reduced fat is denser; Hot chocolate / cocoa, with whipped cream is higher in its source amount

Cheese, Muenster, reduced fat reports 271 kcal per 100 g and 57 kcal in USDA source amount (21 g). Hot chocolate / cocoa, with whipped cream reports a lower 101 kcal per 100 g but a higher 250 kcal in USDA source amount (248 g).

Record identity is part of the estimate

Distinguish “Hot chocolate / cocoa, with whipped cream” from “Mozzarella sticks, breaded, baked, or fried”

These are separate USDA records with separate formulations or survey descriptions. Match preparation, additions, and the named household amount before borrowing either record’s nutrients.

Inspect the underlying evidence

Contextual knowledge graph

Follow the relationship that matches your question

For Dairy category landmarks, each path states why the destination belongs here, so you can distinguish a true evidentiary connection from a merely similar label.

Best next guide for this exact record Cheese

Cheese, Gouda or Edam and Cheese, Muenster, reduced fat are explicitly linked in this guide, which separates direct name matches from contextual variants.

Follow this evidence path Best next guide for this exact record Almond milk

Almond milk, sweetened is explicitly linked in this guide, which separates direct name matches from contextual variants.

Follow this evidence path Put the observed spread in corpus context Calories: density and serving context

In this page’s records, calories runs from 30 kcal in Almond milk, sweetened to 356 kcal in Cheese, Gouda or Edam, all per 100 g.

Follow this evidence path A formulation detail that separates records Almond milk, unsweetened, plain, shelf stable

USDA input 14091 appears in 1 of 9 context records; its summed listed input weight spans 96–96 g across those source formulations. These are source-formulation input weights, not plated or serving weights. Follow the code to inspect every represented occurrence.

Follow this evidence path A formulation detail that separates records Cream, whipped

USDA input 12140000 appears in 1 of 9 context records; its summed listed input weight spans 10–10 g across those source formulations. These are source-formulation input weights, not plated or serving weights. Follow the code to inspect every represented occurrence.

Follow this evidence path Test a nearby record choice Coffee creamer, liquid vs Coffee creamer, liquid, fat free, flavored

Coffee creamer, liquid is held as one side of the comparison. The explicit record-description contrast is Fat-level wording: No matching controlled term in the source name versus nonfat or fat-free wording; it is a selection cue, not evidence of cause.

Follow this evidence path Test a nearby record choice Cheese, Muenster vs Cheese, Muenster, reduced fat

Cheese, Muenster, reduced fat is held as one side of the comparison. The explicit record-description contrast is Fat-level wording: No matching controlled term in the source name versus reduced-fat wording; it is a selection cue, not evidence of cause.

Follow this evidence path

Exact-record directory

Browse all 137 profiles in this category

Records are presented as source descriptions, not as universal recipes. Open the closest wording first; compare alternatives only after checking that the denominator and preparation context match.

Dairy

Cheese, Brie

70 kcal in a 21 g source amount. Open the record to compare that amount with 100 grams and other source measures.

Source amount
70 kcal · 21 g
Listed measures
57–802 kcal
Protein, same amount
4.4 g
See nutrition details for Cheese, Brie

Interpretation, not trivia

Three questions that prevent the most common category mistakes

Food databases become more useful when the limits are part of the answer rather than buried beneath it.

What does this category’s median represent?

It is the calculated median among the records in this Feast category on a 100-gram basis. It is not a measurement of a particular food, a suggested serving, or an estimate of what people usually eat.

Why can two records in the same category be far apart?

A broad category can contain different ingredients, water content, preparation methods, additions, and formulations. Compare the complete record names before attributing a nutrient difference to any one factor.

Should I use the source serving or the per-100-gram value?

Use per 100 grams to compare nutrient concentration on equal weight. Use the closest household measure or gram amount to estimate the food you actually ate. The source serving is a reference amount, not a recommendation.