Methods and sources
Cauli's nutrition numbers come from food data, not from an AI's guess. Every ingredient is measured against USDA FoodData Central, or the label for a branded product, and each meal's calories, protein, carbs and fat are computed from the actual quantities. Your daily target starts from a standard formula, and every day is planned to land within 5% of it.
Where the nutrition data comes from
- Generic ingredients (chicken thighs, rice, broccoli, olive oil) use USDA FoodData Central: the Foundation Foods and SR Legacy data sets, kept in Cauli's own database.
- Branded products (a protein bar, a frozen meal you saved) use that product's label data. A branded product Cauli names is a real product with real label nutrition, never an invented one.
- A food with no generic USDA record uses one representative branded record, marked internally for review.
- Recipes you bring in from a link or a screenshot are matched to the same data, and the review screen shows the computed macros per portion before you save.
A language model helps Cauli compose dishes that fit your week. It never supplies a number. Calories and macros are calculated in code from grams of each food, after the dish is written.
We also checked how close a general model gets on its own. In November 2026, three current models wrote a 2,200-calorie day three times each, and we recomputed every ingredient with this same code: all nine were within 1% of their stated calories. The result and its limits are on why Cauli is different from an AI assistant.
How your daily target is set
Cauli starts from the Mifflin-St Jeor estimate of resting energy, multiplies it by an activity factor, then applies your goal.
| Goal | Calories start from | Protein per kg |
|---|---|---|
| Lose fat | A deficit for about 0.5 kg (1 lb) a week, never more than 0.75% of body weight a week | 2.0 g |
| Build muscle | A surplus of about 250 kcal a day | 1.8 g |
| Recomp | A deficit of about 10% | 2.0 g |
| Maintain | Your estimated maintenance | 1.6 g |
- Activity factor: 1.2, 1.4 or 1.6 for the three activity answers, plus 0.05 for each training day in the week.
- Protein is set per kilogram of the lower of your current weight and your goal weight, so a large weight-loss goal doesn't inflate it.
- Your own numbers: anyone 18 or over can enter their own calories and protein instead.
- 16 and 17: Cauli plans to eat well at the current weight only, with no deficit, surplus or self-entered targets.
How each day is held to target
- Calories come first. Every planned day lands within 5% of your daily calories.
- Protein comes close behind. Inside that band Cauli pushes protein as high as it can. A day counts as on target at 90% of your protein or more, with no upper limit.
- No weekly averaging. The same target every day. A light Monday is never paid back with a heavy Friday.
- Carbs and fat are shown, not targeted. The day only needs a sensible split.
- Honest numbers. If protein still lands short on a day, Cauli shows the real figure instead of bending the meals out of shape.
Allergies
Allergies are checked in code by allergy family, so listing crustacean shellfish covers shrimp, crab and lobster. A product whose label says "may contain" or "made in a shared facility" counts as containing. A recipe with an allergen is never saved as written; Cauli offers a version without it. Labels and recipes change, so always read the label of what you buy.
The grocery cost estimate
Cauli shows the week's grocery cost as a range of about ±15%, based on your budget setting and your stores. It doesn't show per-item prices and isn't a quote.
What we don't claim
- Cauli is a planning tool, not medical advice, and doesn't diagnose or treat any condition.
- It isn't designed for pregnancy, kidney disease, diabetes management or eating disorders. Anyone in those groups should plan with a clinician.
- We describe what food contains, never what it will do to your body. We make no weight-loss or muscle-gain promises.
- Every number is a close estimate. Cooking, brands and portions vary.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central. Public domain.
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1990;51(2):241–247.
None of the organisations named here has reviewed or endorsed Cauli.
Change log
- 2026-10-07: page published.
- 2026-11-02: added the result of our test of three general AI models' calorie numbers.
Found an error? Email caleb@cwfrontierinnovations.com.
Questions people ask
Does an AI model calculate Cauli's calories?
No. A model helps compose the dishes, but every number you see is computed in code from food data: USDA FoodData Central for ingredients and the label for branded products, multiplied out by the actual quantities in the recipe.
Why does Cauli hold every day to the target instead of the week?
Because you eat one day at a time. A week that averages out can still hide a 1,200-calorie Tuesday and a 3,000-calorie Saturday. Cauli plans each day to land within 5% of your calories with protein close behind.
Can I set my own calories and protein?
Yes, if you're 18 or over. Enter your own numbers and Cauli plans every day to them instead of its estimate.
How accurate is the estimate in practice?
The food data is exact per gram, but real cooking varies: a chicken breast isn't always 170 g and oil soaks in differently. Treat every number as a close estimate. That's why Cauli asks for one weigh-in a week and, if your trend is off pace, proposes new targets for you to confirm.
