How many nutrients does your body actually need?

Most calorie apps answer one question. Did you eat too much. That's a useful number. It's not the same question your body is asking.

The three nutrients everyone tracks#

Protein, carbohydrates, and fat. They get most of the air time because they're the calorie-bearing macros. They're also the easiest to estimate from a photo of a plate. Three numbers that fit nicely on a dashboard.

The 130+ nutrients almost nobody tracks#

Real bodies run on far more than three inputs. Vitamins (13). Minerals (16 essential, more if you count trace). Fatty acids in different chain lengths. Amino acids in specific ratios. Bioactives like polyphenols and carotenoids.

That long list isn't medical jargon. It's why eating the same calories every week can feel like a great day or a terrible one.

What "low" feels like#

• Iron: tired in a flat way, even with sleep.
• B12: thinking gets slower at 3pm.
• Magnesium: sleep gets shallow, muscles cramp.
• Vitamin D: motivation drops in autumn.
• Omega-3 EPA/DHA: chronic low-grade inflammation, dry skin.

None of these show up on a calorie app. They show up in how Tuesday feels.

Why we built it this way#

OrthoFoodie tracks 140+ nutrients because there are 140+ that matter. We don't grade you on calories at the end of the day. We show you which inputs you actually got, against the reference values your body needs.

That's it. No supplement upsell, no fasting plan, no shame. Just the picture.

If you only ever track three numbers, you can hit them every week and slowly run a deficit on the other 137. That deficit is invisible until it isn't.

What to do with the picture#

Day one: log three meals. Day seven: read your weekly summary. The two nutrients you're most short on get one suggestion each. Two food swaps in week two. By month one, the picture changes. That's the whole loop.