The science and data behind Zuppy · zuppyhealth.com
Important notice
Zuppy is a nutrition and wellness tracking app. It is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition. All nutritional data and wellness information in the app is sourced from the publicly available references listed below. Zuppy is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of these organizations.
Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health-related decisions, especially if you have specific dietary requirements, medical conditions, or are taking medication.
All calorie, macro, and micronutrient values shown in Zuppy — for ingredients, logged meals, and generated meal plans — are derived from the following database.
USDA FoodData Central
The primary nutritional database behind Zuppy. FoodData Central contains laboratory-analyzed nutrient data for over 400,000 foods, maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. The database is published in the public domain under CC0 1.0.
Zuppy estimates your daily calorie needs using Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), adjusted for activity level and goal. BMR is calculated using the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation — the most widely validated predictive equation for resting energy expenditure.
The equations used:
Female: (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5.0 × age) − 161
Male: (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5.0 × age) + 5
Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO.
“A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals.”
The original 1990 study that derived and validated the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation across 498 healthy adults (ages 19–78), using indirect calorimetry. It outperformed all prior equations including the Harris-Benedict formula and remains the standard recommendation of major dietetics organizations.
Select features in Zuppy are informed by peer-reviewed scientific literature.
de Cabo R, Mattson MP (2019)
“Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Health, Aging, and Disease.”
This comprehensive review, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, examines the metabolic and cellular effects of intermittent fasting (IF). It underpins Zuppy's fasting feature and the claim that intermittent fasting can help regulate insulin, promote fat loss, and support long-term health. The authors summarize evidence from animal and human studies across multiple IF protocols.
Meal scanning & AI analysis
Zuppy's meal scan feature uses AI-powered image recognition to estimate the nutritional content of photographed meals. This analysis is performed by a third-party large language model (AI). Results are estimates and may not be exact — accuracy depends on image quality, portion visibility, and food complexity.
AI-generated nutritional estimates are not sourced from the USDA database and should be treated as approximations. For precise tracking, we recommend logging ingredients manually using USDA-backed data.
This page reflects the sources used in the current version of the Zuppy app. Sources may be updated as features evolve.