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Methodology · Transparent by design

Evidence over opinion.

Every food verified against USDA data. Every recommendation grounded in peer-reviewed research. Every macro target recalculated from your real progress. This is how Calibr8 stays accurate.

Article research basis
1,316Papers Analyzed
4,705Foods in Database
100%Peer-Reviewed Sources
Food data sourcing

Every food, cross-referenced with USDA FoodData Central

Our database contains 4,700+ foods with 14 nutrient fields per food — macronutrients, minerals, and vitamins. Every value is cross-referenced with USDA FoodData Central, the gold standard in food composition analysis.

Automated 6-level validation scripts check every entry for calorie anomalies, missing values, and macronutrient inconsistencies. Each food passes manual review before it goes live. When USDA updates, we update.

Research curation

1,316 peer-reviewed papers, curated by hand

Calibr8 ingests 1,316 peer-reviewed studies through an automated pipeline pulling from PubMed, Semantic Scholar, and OpenAlex. AI analysis scores quality and relevance, but never publishes on its own.

Scimago journal rankings (Q1 > Q2 > Q3 > Q4) sharpen the quality score — papers from top-tier journals carry more weight. The final selection of what lands on Calibr8 is always reviewed manually by a qualified nutritionist.

Adaptive system

Your macros recalculate every week from your real data

Initial macros come from established sports science — Mifflin-St Jeor for basal metabolic rate, combined with individual activity and goal multipliers. Loss and gain rates are bounded by evidence-based floors and ceilings.

Every week the system recalculates your targets from real progress — weight changes, plan adherence, check-in feedback. Tissue-specific TDEE correction (Hall 2008) keeps long-term cuts and builds accurate. Static plans drift. Calibr8 doesn't.

Founder · Reviewer

Reviewed by a practicing nutrition coach

HM

Hristiyan Marinov

Nutrition coach & Calibr8 founder

Science-trained nutritionist focused on evidence-based practice. Created Calibr8 to make accurate, adaptive nutrition coaching accessible to everyone — not just the ones who can afford a full-time coach.

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Frequently asked

Questions about our methodology

How is food data verified?
Every food in the database is cross-referenced with USDA FoodData Central and undergoes manual verification across 14 nutrient fields. Automated 6-level validation scripts catch anomalies before a food goes live.
Where do research-backed recommendations come from?
Recommendations are grounded in 1,316 peer-reviewed studies curated from PubMed, Semantic Scholar, and OpenAlex. AI analysis scores papers, but final selection is always manual by a qualified nutritionist.
How often is data updated?
The food database is refreshed weekly. The research pipeline pulls new publications Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Nutrition formulas are reviewed whenever a new meta-analysis shifts the evidence.
How do you protect against bias?
Final research selection is manual and documented with source citations. Journal quality is weighted via Scimago rankings (Q1 outranks Q4), and Calibr8 prefers meta-analyses and systematic reviews over single studies.
Apply the science

The research, turned into your weekly plan

Personalized macros from a 1,316-paper evidence base and a 4,700+-food USDA-verified database. Adapts every week from your real progress.

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Platform Features

Everything You Need

From a 4,700+ food database to weekly AI coaching, Calibr8 turns research into a plan you can act on.