✓ Start your personal diet plan — every recommendation backed by official sources Start free →
Home › Our sources

Our sources & methodology

Every recommendation on ProvenPlate must be traceable to official nutrient data or a government/intergovernmental scientific body. We do not use blogs, influencers, or unverified websites, and we do not invent health benefits.

1. What a food contains

Nutrient values come from the Bundeslebensmittelschlüssel (BLS) 4.0 by the Max Rubner-Institut (Max Rubner-Institut (2025): Bundeslebensmittelschlüssel (BLS), Version 4.0 — Deutsche Nährstoffdatenbank. Karlsruhe. DOI: 10.25826/Data20251217-134202-0). For every value we keep the BLS component code, unit, the MRI's provenance label (analysis, literature, calculation, other database …) and the literature reference. Selenium and choline, which BLS does not report, come from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, linked by FDC ID on each food page.

2. What a nutrient does

Function statements are limited to the health claims authorised in the EU (Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 and the EU Register). A claim is shown for a food only if the food meets the legal condition of use — e.g. "source of" a vitamin means at least 15 % of the Nutrient Reference Value per 100 g (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, Annex). The page shows the exact numbers. Background explanations link to NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheets.

3. How much you need

Daily targets use NIH ODS / US National Academies RDAs and AIs by age and sex, EFSA reference values for protein (0.83 g/kg), fibre (25 g) and EPA+DHA (250 mg), and WHO limits for salt (< 5 g), saturated fat (< 10 % of energy) and fruit & vegetables (≥ 400 g). Calorie needs follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025, Appendix 2; weight-loss plans subtract about 500 kcal to aim for the gradual loss of about 0.5–1 kg a week that CDC recommends, never going below 1,200 kcal (women) / 1,500 kcal (men) — an app safety floor.

4. What we will never say

Official nutrient databases do not establish that a food prevents or treats a disease, and EU law forbids presenting food that way (Article 7(3), Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011). For diagnosed conditions — cancer, kidney, lung disease, diabetes — we show official guidance and refer you to your care team. Each goal page has a "What is not established" section.

5. How meal plans are built

Plans combine 65 meal templates made only from foods in our database. For each day, an optimiser chooses meals that best cover your goal's nutrient targets while respecting your diet, allergies, WHO limits, at most 1–2 red-meat and 4 fish meals per week, and variety rules. Portions are then scaled to your energy target. All totals are computed from the data — nothing is typed in by hand.

Food composition data

EU law on health claims

Scientific bodies

Public-health guidance

Peer-reviewed research (physiology detail not covered by agency pages; abstracts verified on PubMed / Europe PMC)

Plus individual NIH ODS fact sheets for each vitamin and mineral, linked on the nutrient pages. Links are checked automatically at every release.

💬 Ask