Diabetes Food Hub Recipes Scraper

Scrape diabetes-friendly lunch recipes from Diabetes Food Hub. This Apify actor extracts structured recipe data, including ingredients, instructions, nutrition facts, and more, using JSON-LD parsing first and HTML fallback. Perfect for collecting diabetic recipes, meal planning, and nutritional analysis.

Features

• Targeted Scraping: Focuses on lunch recipes from https://diabetesfoodhub.org/recipes/lunch or custom category pages.
• Data Priority: Leverages JSON-LD structured data for accurate extraction, with robust HTML parsing as backup.
• Comprehensive Details: Captures titles, descriptions, ingredients lists, step-by-step instructions, prep/cook times, servings, images, and detailed nutrition information.
• Pagination Support: Automatically navigates through listing pages to collect the desired number of recipes.
• Flexible Input: Supports search queries, custom start URLs, or category-based scraping for various recipe types.
• Proxy Integration: Uses Apify Proxy to handle rate limits and access restrictions.
• Clean Output: Produces normalized, ready-to-use JSON records for easy integration into apps, databases, or analysis tools.

Input

Configure the actor via the Apify input interface or JSON payload. Below is a sample configuration:

{
  "searchQuery": "chicken",
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://diabetesfoodhub.org/recipes/roasted-veggie-grain-bowl-seared-tilapia-herbed-yogurt-sauce"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://diabetesfoodhub.org/recipes/lunch"
    }
  ],
  "category": "lunch",
  "results_wanted": 100,
  "max_pages": 30,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}

Input Fields

• searchQuery (string, optional): Keyword to search for recipes (e.g., "chicken", "salad"). If provided, starts from search results and overrides category/startUrls.
• startUrls (array of objects, optional): List of URLs to start scraping from. Each object should have a url key. Supports listing pages (e.g., category URLs) or individual recipe pages. If provided, overrides category and search.
• category (string, default: "lunch"): The recipe category slug (e.g., "lunch", "breakfast", "dinner"). Used if searchQuery and startUrls are empty.
• results_wanted (integer, default: 100): Maximum number of recipes to collect before stopping.
• max_pages (integer, default: 30): Maximum number of listing pages to visit as a safety limit.
• proxyConfiguration (object, recommended): Proxy settings to avoid blocking. Enable Apify Proxy for best results.

Output

The actor saves results to the default Apify dataset. Each item is a JSON object with the following structure:

{
  "title": "Turkey Spinach Wrap",
  "description": "A quick and healthy lunch wrap packed with protein and veggies.",
  "ingredients": [
    "2 cups fresh spinach",
    "4 oz sliced turkey breast",
    "1 whole wheat tortilla"
  ],
  "instructions": [
    "Lay the tortilla flat on a plate.",
    "Spread the turkey evenly over the tortilla.",
    "Add the spinach on top.",
    "Roll the tortilla tightly and cut in half."
  ],
  "prep_time": "10 minutes",
  "cook_time": null,
  "total_time": "10 minutes",
  "servings": "2",
  "image": "https://diabetesfoodhub.org/sites/default/files/styles/recipe_image/public/recipe-images/TurkeySpinachWrap.jpg",
  "nutrition": {
    "calories": "220",
    "carbohydrateContent": "18g",
    "proteinContent": "15g",
    "fatContent": "8g"
  },
  "tags": "Lunch",
  "category": "lunch",
  "url": "https://diabetesfoodhub.org/recipes/turkey-spinach-wrap",
  "source": "diabetesfoodhub.org"
}

Field Descriptions

• title: Recipe name.
• description: Brief overview of the recipe.
• ingredients: Array of ingredient strings.
• instructions: Array of step-by-step directions.
• prep_time, cook_time, total_time: Time strings (e.g., "10 minutes").
• servings: Number of servings as a string.
• image: URL to the recipe image.
• nutrition: Object with nutritional facts (varies by recipe).
• tags: Recipe tags or categories.
• category: The scraped category.
• url: Full URL to the recipe page.
• source: Data source identifier.

Usage

1. Access the Actor: Find and open the "Diabetes Food Hub Recipes Scraper" on the Apify platform.
2. Configure Input:
   • For lunch recipes, leave startUrls empty and keep category as "lunch".
   • To scrape other categories, change category to "breakfast", "dinner", etc., or provide specific URLs in startUrls.
   • Set results_wanted to your desired number of recipes.
   • Enable proxyConfiguration for reliable scraping.
3. Run the Actor: Click "Run" to start the scraping process.
4. Monitor Progress: Check the actor's run log for status updates.
5. Download Results: Once complete, export the dataset in JSON, CSV, Excel, or access via API.

Example Use Cases

• Meal Planning Apps: Integrate diabetic-friendly recipes for users with diabetes.
• Nutritional Analysis: Use extracted nutrition data for diet tracking.
• Content Aggregation: Build a database of healthy lunch ideas.
• Research: Collect data for studies on diabetic meal options.

Configuration Tips

• Handling Large Volumes: Increase max_pages if you need more recipes, but monitor for rate limits.
• Custom Categories: Use startUrls for non-standard pages or subcategories.
• Proxy Settings: For international access, specify proxy groups like "RESIDENTIAL" in proxyConfiguration.
• Data Quality: Recipes with JSON-LD provide the most accurate data; HTML fallback ensures coverage.

Notes

• The scraper respects the site's structure and avoids overloading servers.
• Nutrition information is extracted as available; not all recipes include full details.
• For best performance, run during off-peak hours and use proxies.
• If the website updates its layout, minor adjustments may be needed (contact support if issues persist).

Changelog

• 1.0.0: Initial release with JSON-LD priority, HTML fallback, pagination, and full recipe extraction for Diabetes Food Hub.