Hi. Layman here. Why aren’t there more app options for micronutrient tracking? I’m a long-time user of MFP, but (aside from macros) it only tracks a couple of micronutrients (Vit A, C, Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Sodium).
Is it difficult to do? Is it because of inaccuracies that can’t be accounted for? What is a good way to keep track of intake?
cronometer is a good way of tracking them.
Micros vary wildly (up to 20% variation is allowable between what they report to USDA and what they are), are sensitive to storage (time & temp) and cooking method. When you get in to meat there is huge variance between beef breeds, the grass they were fed on in the pasture and the exact feed they were fed in pens. I figure since the reported nutrition is average and I try and get most of my micros to 200% i’m good, tracking is more useful to make sure you are in the right ballpark rather than to get an accurate read on exactly what my intake is.
Everyone absorbs and uses nutrients slightly differently too. Unless its blood/pee testable not really a way to figure that out though. I need ~500% RDA of B12 to have the right amount in my blood because I’m a poor absorber, only know that because doctor included it in a test years ago and I have been tweaking my diet since.
TL;DR: If you are a nutrition geek its fun to track but they honestly have fairly limited actual utility. Getting a dietician review of your diet and doctor ordered tests to check what your serum levels look like is much more valuable.
At a guess, it’s a matter of too much work for too little return. User demand for micronutrient tracking is probably very low, and it’s not as straightforward as tracking macronutrients and calories and fiber.
Seconding Cronometer. When you select foods in the app, unless it’s something quite specific, it’s better to use the generic non-branded food and choose the USDA or NCCDB data that’s available, as they have the highest quality data with the most micronutrients tested. There’s a filter button next to the search bar that you can use to select one of these at a time and narrow down the search results.
Of course, for something like a prepared lasagna from the freezer case, you won’t be able to find USDA or NCCDB data and will have to choose the brand item. But using USDA or NCCDB when you can will give a lot more available data. Best of luck!