1. “Missing” can mean four different things
Do not begin with the lowest percentage. Begin with the evidence behind it. A useful tracker should keep these states separate:
| What you see | What it means | What to do first |
|---|---|---|
| No meal or personal portion | The tracker does not have food for that person and period. | Enter or assign the missing food; do not read the blank as zero. |
| No value reported | The selected food data do not provide this nutrient value. | Check the food match and source; keep the contribution unknown if no suitable value exists. |
| Partial amount | Some food contributions are reported and others are not. | Treat the visible number as a subtotal that may be understated. |
| Complete amount below reference | All included foods report the nutrient, and their total is below the selected planning reference. | Review the food pattern and several complete days; do not call it a diagnosed deficiency. |
An estimate is a fifth evidence label worth keeping visible. It can contain reported nutrient values while relying on a working ingredient amount, stand-in food or unconfirmed preparation basis. That is different from missing data and different again from a measurement.
2. Work through the reported subtotal
Suppose a planned day contains four dishes. The following iron figures are invented to teach the calculation; they are not values for named foods and are not a recommended intake.
| Dish | Reported contribution | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 3.4 mg | Value reported for every included food |
| Lunch | 2.1 mg | Value reported for every included food |
| Snack | 1.0 mg | Value reported for every included food |
| Dinner | Unknown | One selected food has no iron value |
The visible calculation is 3.4 + 2.1 + 1.0 = 6.5 mg reported. It is wrong to write “the day contained 6.5 mg” because dinner is unresolved. It is also wrong to add an invented zero for dinner. If a better-matched record later reports 0.8 mg for the missing contribution, the revised example becomes 7.3 mg; until then, 6.5 mg remains a partial subtotal.
The FSANZ description of AFCD Release 3 says the database reports 58 core nutrients and may include many other components depending on data availability. Its values are primarily analytical, with other derivations including recipe calculations. Check the record’s food identity, derivation and available fields rather than assuming every row has every nutrient.
3. Use Below reference and No data as separate lists
In MorselMetrics, select one person before reviewing nutrients. That uses their assigned portions and applicable Australian and New Zealand reference profile. Prepared food totals answers a different question and has no personal reference comparison.
- Open the relevant day or week. Confirm that the person has portions for each included meal.
- Open All nutrients. Use Below reference to see reported amounts furthest below the selected daily reference.
- Check No data as well. A nutrient with no reported value is kept out of the low list instead of being counted as zero.
- Open one nutrient. Read any Partial or Estimate note, then expand From your meals to see each dish and ingredient contribution.
- Review source problems before food changes. Correct unresolved ingredients, unsuitable food matches, missing portions and quantity estimates where evidence supports a correction.
- Return to the day behind a weekly result. Weekly reference bars use a daily average across all calendar dates, including empty ones.
The AU/NZ Nutrient Reference Values introduction distinguishes RDI, AI and UL. An RDI or AI is used as an adequacy reference; a UL is an upper reference. MorselMetrics labels the reference type because “100%” does not mean the same thing for every line.
4. Match the response to the evidence
For a complete result, look at more than one day. A practical next step might be varying the breakfast base, adding a side you already buy, or choosing a different main meal. Recalculate energy, macros and other micronutrients too; a food is not a single nutrient.
If you need ideas, MorselMetrics can show foods or reviewed recipes that report the selected nutrient. That is a discovery aid, not an unsupported “best food” ranking. Check serving basis, food form, recipe yield and missing values before using the comparison.
5. A low tracker result is not a deficiency diagnosis
Nutrient references describe healthy population groups and have specific uses. A planner estimate cannot account for everything that affects an individual assessment, and it cannot measure the exact nutrient content of a meal or what the body absorbed. A single low day or partial week therefore cannot diagnose a deficiency.
Use the result to improve the food record and ask a focused planning question. If you have symptoms, a medically prescribed diet, concerns about supplements or repeated concerns about intake, take the record—including its missing values and estimates—to a qualified health professional.
Check the evidence behind the lowest bar.
Select the person, open All nutrients, and review Below reference and No data before changing a meal.
Keep exploring
Reviewed 13 October 2026 against MorselMetrics personal and prepared-food scopes, Below reference and No data filters, evidence labels, calendar-day averaging and contribution detail. Official references: Eat for Health AU/NZ NRVs and FSANZ AFCD Release 3. The iron figures are illustrative arithmetic only.
Try it with foods and recipes
Compare iron in Australian foods by household serve, then compare recipes by their reported nutrients per serving. Check the food form, recipe yield and missing values before making a comparison.
Turn your chosen recipes into a meal plan and shopping list.