We recommend focusing on the overall ZOE food scores, rather than the ‘Impact on you’ Blood Sugar, Fat and Microbiome scores.

These ‘Impact on You’ Subscores don't give a complete picture of a food’s nutritional value. This is because a food can have a negative short-term impact on one of these areas but still be great for your overall health.

For example, fruit contains carbohydrates and natural sugars that can cause a blood sugar response, and can score poorly for Blood Sugar. But fruit is also an incredible source of fiber, polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals. All the evidence suggests that eating more fruit is associated with better health, lower risk of death, and even improved mental health. In this case, the positives vastly outweigh the negatives.

While the Subscores can be interesting if you want to understand how a food affects specific aspects of your health, or build meals, they shouldn’t be the main focus when making diet choices. The ZOE food score takes all these factors into account, providing a much more comprehensive picture of the food.

Overall, the ZOE food score is the best guide for making balanced and informed dietary choices.