1. Decide: a recipe, a plan or a food record?
These answer different questions. Recipe analysis estimates what is in a batch or serving. A meal plan estimates the food you intend to eat. An intake record describes the food you actually ate, including snacks, drinks and changes of plan.
MorselMetrics analyses recipes and shows the nutrient contributions of meals in your planner. It does not automatically know whether you ate them. If you use a plan to reflect a real day, adjust the meals and portions to match; anything you leave out stays outside the calculation.
2. Match both the food and its preparation
Use the closest relevant food record, not just the first name that looks familiar. Check raw versus cooked, canned versus dried, drained versus undrained, and fortified versus unfortified. Australian food data is a useful starting point for foods commonly available here; the FSANZ Australian Food Composition Database provides detailed composition records.
- Weighed cooked rice? Use a cooked-rice record with the cooked weight. Do not apply a dry-rice record to that same weight.
- Drained a tin of chickpeas? Use a matching drained food and the amount you used, rather than assuming the tin’s total weight is edible chickpeas.
- Changed the milk in a recipe? Check the actual product and any fortification. A generic alternative may not have the same nutrient profile.
- Cooked a four-serving recipe but made three portions? Correct the serving count. Each portion now contains one third of the batch.
In MorselMetrics, review uncertain ingredient matches and quantities before relying on the results. Source coverage and preparation evidence are separate: a reported food value does not establish exactly what happened during further cooking. See how the calculations work.
3. Look for gaps before judging a low number
A label or food record may report energy and protein but omit some vitamins and minerals. FSANZ’s explanation of nutrition information panels lists the standard information, including energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, sugars and sodium. It is not a requirement to list every vitamin and mineral on every ordinary food label.
“Not reported” is different from zero. If one ingredient has no calcium value, adding the other ingredients gives a reported subtotal, not a complete calcium total. In MorselMetrics, open the nutrient detail and review ingredient contributions and coverage before deciding what to change.
A worked example: one bowl, two different questions
Imagine a breakfast bowl with 40 g oats, 150 g yoghurt and 100 g berries. The figures below are invented solely to demonstrate the maths; they are not food-composition values and should not be used to log this meal.
| Ingredient | Amount | Example calcium per 100 g | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oats | 40 g | 50 mg | 50 × 0.40 = 20 mg |
| Yoghurt | 150 g | 120 mg | 120 × 1.50 = 180 mg |
| Berries | 100 g | Not reported | Unknown |
The reported subtotal is 200 mg. Two of three ingredients report calcium, but that does not mean the calculation captures two thirds of the bowl’s calcium: ingredients contribute different amounts. If a verified record later supplies 15 mg for the berries used, the example total becomes 215 mg.
If you eat half the bowl, the initial reported subtotal is 100 mg for your portion, and the berries’ contribution is still unknown. Reducing the portion does not fix missing data.
4. Choose the right reference, then read the amount
Check that your age and applicable life-stage settings are correct. The Australian and New Zealand Nutrient Reference Values distinguish several kinds of reference:
In the planner, select the named person and open All nutrients, then the vitamin or mineral you want to inspect. Check its unit, reference label and data notes. A bar reaching 100% is not a health score or proof that the entire diet meets your needs.
5. Review the pattern without hiding incomplete days
Start with the day view. Include the meals and amounts you want that day’s estimate to cover. Then use a longer view to inspect the pattern, keeping incomplete dates visible.
Why the denominator matters: suppose your plan reports 2,100 mg of a mineral over three entered days in a seven-day view. Dividing by all seven calendar days gives 300 mg/day; dividing only by the three entered days gives 700 mg/day. Both calculations are arithmetically correct, but they answer different questions.
MorselMetrics compares period reference bars using all calendar days in the selected period, including empty days. A partly filled week therefore does not describe a complete week of eating.
- Check missing meals, portions and ingredient matches.
- Check whether a low nutrient amount has incomplete source data.
- Choose one realistic food change and compare the updated plan.
- Keep variety and practicality in view; do not optimise one nutrient while ignoring the rest of the meals.
An app estimate cannot diagnose a deficiency. If you have symptoms, a prescribed diet or a concern about supplements, take the food record and its uncertainties to a qualified health professional rather than treating a low bar as a treatment instruction.
Start with a meal you know.
Enter one recipe, check its food matches and servings, then explore the reported vitamins and minerals.
Keep exploring
Sources linked at the relevant claims; checked 8 October 2026. Product instructions checked against the current MorselMetrics implementation. The bowl and weekly-average examples are teaching examples, not dietary recommendations.