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Pocket Nutrition Coach

Sources

Sources and references

Counts verified 30 September 2026

Every calculation Pocket Nutrition Coach makes (calorie targets, macro splits, fibre and sodium guidance, and portioning) is based on published, peer-reviewed research and national health guidelines. This page lists the source for each one, and credits the data and images the app uses.

On this page

How your numbers are calculated

Resting energy (BMR)

Your basal metabolic rate is estimated with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the predictive equation with the strongest validation in healthy adults.

Daily energy needs (TDEE)

BMR is multiplied by a physical-activity factor between 1.2 (sedentary) and 1.9 (very active), consistent with international human energy requirement guidance.

Calorie targets for fat loss and muscle gain

Fat-loss plans use a moderate (about 20%) deficit and muscle-gain plans a small (about 12%) surplus, rates aligned with evidence-based recommendations for preserving lean mass and limiting fat gain.

Protein targets

Protein is set at 1.8 to 2.2 g per kg of bodyweight (higher in a deficit to protect lean mass), or 2.0 to 2.6 g per kg of lean mass when your body-fat percentage is known, within internationally recognised sports-nutrition ranges.

Fat and carbohydrate split

Dietary fat is set at about 25% of calories, inside the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (20 to 35%), with remaining calories allocated to carbohydrate.

Fibre target

The suggested fibre target is about 14 g per 1,000 kcal, the reference used in national dietary guidelines; this lands near the Australian adequate intake of 25 g (women) to 30 g (men) per day at typical calorie levels.

Sodium cap

The default daily sodium cap is 2,300 mg, the widely used upper limit for adults; Australian guidance suggests aiming lower (about 2,000 mg) where practical.

Minimum safe calories

Before a calorie target below a safety floor (1,200 kcal for women, 1,500 kcal for men) is saved, the app warns that targets this low need medical supervision and asks for confirmation, consistent with widely used clinical guidance for unsupervised dieting.

Medical and digestive condition filters

The optional condition filters (IBS/low-FODMAP, reflux, gout, stoma, low sodium) exclude foods commonly flagged for each condition in published guidance. Foods whose suitability is uncertain are excluded rather than included. 'Low sodium' follows the Food Standards Code definition: at most 120 mg sodium per 100 g. These filters are a convenience, not a treatment. Individual tolerance varies, and conditions that need individually prescribed limits (such as kidney disease or warfarin management) are deliberately not offered as filters.

General healthy-eating principles

Meal composition (vegetables with mains, whole foods first, discretionary treats capped) follows the Australian Dietary Guidelines.

Food data

Australian Food Composition Database

1,500+ Australian generic foods in the app carry energy, macros and 18 vitamins and minerals per 100 g, sourced from Food Standards Australia New Zealand's Australian Food Composition Database (Release 3).

Food composition data sourced from the Australian Food Composition Database, Food Standards Australia New Zealand, released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

What we changed: energy is converted from kilojoules to calories (kJ divided by 4.184); 18 of the database's 58 nutrients are carried; and values are scaled from per 100 g to the portion in your plan or diary. FSANZ has not reviewed or endorsed the app.

Packaged foods and barcodes

Supermarket and branded foods use the nutrition information on the product label. When you scan a barcode for a product the app doesn't have yet, it looks the product up in Open Food Facts (opens in a new tab), an open food database. Its data is available under the Open Database License (ODbL) (opens in a new tab) and its product photos under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (opens in a new tab). Foods imported this way stay private to you until we've checked them.

Other vitamin and mineral values

Where no Australian figure exists, some vitamin and mineral values come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's FoodData Central (opens in a new tab) (public domain) or are estimated from generic food composition tables.

The food counts on this page are floors, re-counted on 30 September 2026. In all, the app has 2,200+ foods to search.

Eating Out figures

Eating Out shows 300+ Australian takeaway and fast-food items, and is included with membership.

Nutrition figures are based on the chains' published information where available; some are our own estimates. Menus change, so treat them as planning estimates, not official chain figures.

Restaurant and chain names, and the names of their menu items, belong to their owners. Pocket Nutrition Coach is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, any of them.

Images

Exercise images
Food images
Recipe images

If you made an image the app uses and it isn't credited here, or is credited wrongly, email support@pocketnutritioncoach.app and we'll correct it or take it down.

Not medical advice

A starting point, not a prescription. Nothing here is medical advice.

Pocket Nutrition Coach provides general nutrition information and meal planning tools for healthy adults. It is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The medical and digestive condition filters remove foods commonly flagged in published guidance, but they cannot account for your individual medical situation. They are not a substitute for advice from your treating team, and any instructions from your doctor or dietitian always take priority over this app. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, have a medical condition (including diabetes, kidney disease, or a history of disordered eating), or take medication that interacts with diet, consult your doctor or an Accredited Practising Dietitian before following any plan.