Micronutrient monitoring

I've seen this suggestion before but I don't believe the features around micronutrients are taken seriously enough.  It looks like the data for micros is there but the UI is really insufficient for helping people stay on track.

The problem: If I enable tracking of micronutrients it sets "goals" for them. The trouble is that I have to go to each individual micro and manually check every single one to see how well I'm doing, potentially every day or every meal.  It's an extremely active process to get the relevant information about where I may be deficient at any given time.

Compare that to macros, where it shows a circular status of each macro in the daily log immediately.  It's very clear if I'm on track for my macros.  And this is the page I also add new foods so I see it all the time.  The information is very passively presented to me.

The solution: Make it possible for users to see all micronutrient deficiencies in a single view.  This could be implemented in many ways.

1. Circular view of micros for the 3-4 most deficient micros, similar to macros.

2. List view of all micros, with both a percent and amount for the deficiency (red) or surplus (green).

3. Short sentence describing the 2 most deficient micros, like "You have consumed only 33% of required potassium and 65% of required magnesium over the last two days!" With links to more details.

4. Combination of any the above!

I do like some features of goal setting/viewing (which includes micronutrients):

1. I can set the time period over which to view the amount consumed in a chart.  This is great because some days I may be over and some days under and that's OK.

2. I can see the top contributors for a single micronutrient during the time period, which lets me know what I may want more of.

I realize that on a diet like keto, it's hard to balance all the macros and micros (and micros have been hard for me even when not on keto).  It may be discouraging for some users to see this level of micro monitoring turned on by default.  And to be honest I'm not sure the USDA recommended micro goals are correct for a keto diet (electrolytes like salt should be higher on kept in my experience).  So there are additional features that would make things immensely easier for people:

1. Don't turn on micro "easy" tracking by default, to avoid overwhelming beginners.

2. Let the user search for recipies or even basic foods that are high in the selected micronutrient but that still contain the right proportion of their macro settings.  for example, what high-fat low-carb foods are high in potassium?  Google is pretty hard to find these answers because it's based on text and other SEO factors, but with the level of detail in Carb Manager's database this is a relatively simple search.

3. Inform the user of whether micro amounts may be different than for different diets/lifestyles.  For example does a marathon runner need the same amount of potassium as an inactive office worker?  Don't have to state it as fact but perhaps link to reputable sources of information.  The idea here is to help users customize their micro goal amounts to suit their lifestyle, which may not be the same as the USDA average person's lifestyle.

On a personal note I purchased premium Carb Manager, love the recipes and a lot of the features, but I think management of micros plays a big role in overcoming some hurdles for myself.  Based on what I've seen, I'm sure the dev and UXD can do this so much better, and the diehard users will love it and spread the word!

Thanks for reading.

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  • Thanks for the excellent feedback! We'll make sure the Product Team sees this.
    As for enabling the micronutrient DRI goals, once you turn them off, you can then set your own custom goals if the DRI are not relevant.
    I'm sure you've used the In-Depth tool on the Daily Log page, but that is also a good way to view the nutritional summary of your whole day throughout the day.

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  • Carb Manager Thanks for passing it along!

     

    Actually I didn't see the In-depth link until you mentioned it, that's better than what I was doing. Thanks!  Though I'm still interested in improvements, that's a good place to start for sure.

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  • Carb Manager

    Yes, thank your for passing along the In-Depth link - I hadn’t seen that either.  

    Is there any way to see in depth for Saturated Fat (and other sub categories of macros)

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  • For those looking for more detailed macro and micronutrient data, here's a short video (https://carbmanager.d.pr/l7JoxY) highlighting the Foods option under the Goals > Insights section.

    Another option for viewing specific macronutrients, energy, or micronutrient data is found under Goals > Progress and is highlighted in this short video (https://carbmanager.d.pr/r7kMpS).

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