Methodology

This page explains exactly how we gather, verify, and present nutrition data on hit30g. We believe in full transparency. If you want to check our work or understand our calculations, everything you need is here.

Data Sources

Primary Source: USDA FoodData Central

Our primary data source is the USDA FoodData Central (FDC) database. FDC is maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and represents the most comprehensive, peer-reviewed source of food composition data available in North America.

We specifically reference these FDC data types:

• SR Legacy: Standard Reference data, the foundation of USDA nutrient data since the 1980s, covering generic foods (e.g., “chicken breast, raw”)
• Foundation Foods: More detailed analytical data with enhanced metadata about sampling and analysis methods
• Survey (FNDDS): Foods as consumed, including mixed dishes and prepared foods

We avoid using “Branded Foods” data from FDC except when analyzing specific products, as this data comes from manufacturer-submitted labels and may not undergo the same verification as other data types.

Secondary Source: Canadian Nutrient File

For Canadian-specific foods and products, we cross-reference with the Canadian Nutrient File (CNF), maintained by Health Canada. The CNF uses similar analytical methods to the USDA and provides data for foods commonly consumed in Canada.

Product Label Verification

For specific branded products (especially fermented foods with probiotic claims), we verify information against current product labels and manufacturer specifications. This is particularly important for CFU counts and strain information, which aren't covered by government nutrient databases.

Scoring Methodology

We calculate several derived metrics to help you compare foods efficiently. Here are the exact formulas:

Protein Density Score

This metric helps identify foods that deliver the most protein relative to their caloric cost. It's particularly useful for those managing calorie intake while prioritizing protein goals.

Examples:

• Chicken breast (cooked): ~30g protein, ~165 calories → Score: 18.2
• Greek yogurt (nonfat): ~17g protein, ~100 calories → Score: 17.0
• Almonds: ~6g protein, ~164 calories → Score: 3.7

Fiber Density Score

This helps identify fiber-rich foods that won't break your calorie budget. Useful for reaching fiber goals while maintaining overall balance.

Calorie Cost

This is the inverse perspective on protein efficiency. A calorie cost of 5 means you spend 5 calories for every gram of protein. This metric is intuitive for meal planning. You can quickly calculate caloric impact.

Badge Eligibility

Foods earn badges based on these thresholds:

Probiotic Verification

Probiotic claims require more careful verification than standard nutrient data. We apply the following criteria:

What Qualifies as Probiotic

• Live cultures required: Foods must contain live, viable microorganisms at the time of consumption. Pasteurized products that kill beneficial bacteria don't qualify, even if they were fermented.
• Traditional fermentation counts: Foods with documented traditional fermentation processes (e.g., unpasteurized sauerkraut, live-culture yogurt) qualify based on their inherent properties.
• Label verification: For commercial products, we look for statements like “contains live active cultures” or specific strain listings.

Strain Documentation

When available, we document:

• Specific strains: e.g., Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis
• CFU counts: Colony-forming units, when provided by manufacturers
• Viability notes: Information about storage requirements or consumption timing that affects probiotic viability

Important Limitations

CFU counts can vary significantly based on storage conditions, time since manufacture, and other factors. The numbers we report reflect manufacturer claims at time of production; actual viable counts at consumption may differ. We note this limitation on relevant food profiles.

Serving Size Standards

Serving sizes significantly impact how nutrition data appears. We follow these conventions:

• USDA Reference Amounts: When available, we use FDA Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed (RACCs) as our serving sizes.
• Common household measures: We express servings in practical terms (cups, tablespoons, pieces) rather than just gram weights.
• Per 100g standardization: Every food profile includes per-100g data for standardized comparison regardless of serving size.

Update Schedule

We maintain data accuracy through regular review cycles:

• Quarterly reviews: Every three months, we check for updates to USDA FDC and CNF databases and revise affected entries.
• Annual audits: Once yearly, we conduct comprehensive reviews of all food profiles to verify continued accuracy.
• Responsive corrections: When users report errors, we investigate and correct within 72 hours when warranted.

Each food profile displays a “Last Verified” date indicating when we last confirmed the data against our sources.

Reporting Errors

We take accuracy seriously. If you believe you've found an error in our data, please contact us at hello@hit30g.com with:

• The food profile URL or name
• The specific value you believe is incorrect
• Your source for the correct value (USDA link, product label photo, etc.)

We review all submissions and respond within 72 hours. Verified corrections are published immediately with acknowledgment in our changelog.

Calculations in Practice

Here's a worked example showing how we process a food entry:

Technical Implementation

For those interested in the technical details: our scoring functions are implemented in TypeScript and execute at build time. This means:

• All calculations are reproducible and version-controlled
• Scores are computed consistently across all foods
• Rounding is standardized (one decimal place for density scores, whole numbers for calorie costs)

We may open-source our calculation utilities in the future for full transparency and community verification.