How are food scores calculated and personalized?
At ZOE, we look far beyond calories when scoring a food or meal. We focus on the overall quality of the ingredients, backed by data from your personal ZOE profile and gut test.
1. Nutritional Quality & Science
We evaluate key nutritional factors for every food, including:
Carbohydrates: Amount & Quality (including Glycemic Index when relevant)
Fats, Protein & Fibre: Amount & Quality
Processing & Additives: Processing level, sugar content, and sodium (salt)
Latest Health Research: Science-backed evidence on how specific foods impact long-term health
🌟 The Gut Health Boost: We give extra score boosts to whole foods like fruits, vegetables, fermented foods, and dark chocolate, which are proven to nourish your gut microbiome.
Conversely, foods high in added sugar or sodium (especially for their portion size) will receive lower scores.
You can also view this article to see Food Score Colours Explained
2. Personalisation
Your scores are unique to you. We personalize your recommendations using:
Metabolic Predictive Models: Insights into your blood sugar and blood fat control, calculated using our predictive model and data from your initial setup questionnaire.
Your Microbiome Test: Specific insights into your unique gut bug profile (if you’ve completed our Gut Health Test).
Our predictive models are built on ZOE’s groundbreaking research with hundreds of thousands of participants, allowing us to accurately predict how your body will respond to different foods based on your unique profile.