# How nutrition and allergen estimates work

Phork It! estimates each recipe's calories and nutrients from its ingredients. Here's how to read them, set daily goals, and why allergens are only estimates.

Each recipe gets an estimated nutrition card: calories, protein, carbs, fat, fiber, sugar, sodium and more. It's worked out from the ingredients and their amounts, so it's a helpful guide, not a lab measurement.

## Read the nutrition card

- The calories per serving show under the recipe's title, like "≈ 450 kcal/serving". For a recipe with options, you'll see the range across them.
- Scroll down past the steps to **Nutrition** for the full card. Tap **Show more** for less common fats, minerals and vitamins.
- A line under the numbers says where they come from, and which ingredients had guessed amounts or weren't counted.
- When some amounts are vague, you'll see a range, like "≈ 560–700 kcal".

A recipe with no serving count (like a sauce) shows nutrition for the whole recipe.

## Compare with your own daily goals

**1. Open Settings, then Nutrition**

By default, percentages compare with standard daily values.

**2. Turn on Use my daily goals**

Enter your own targets for energy, protein, carbs, fat, fiber and sodium, or tap **Calculate my targets** for an estimate from your age, height, weight, activity and goal.

**3. Tap Save**

Recipes now show percentages of your goals. Your goals are private to you.

> **Note:**

The calculator is a rough starting point for adults, not medical advice. Phork It! doesn't track what you eat; it only shows an estimate per recipe.

## Allergies and diets

You can save the foods you avoid in **Settings** › **About you** › **Allergies & intolerances**, and your diet under **Diet**.

> **Always check labels**

Allergen information in Phork It! is estimated from ingredient names and can be wrong either way. It can't know brands, hidden ingredients or cross-contamination. Phork It! never says a recipe is free of an allergen. If you have an allergy, always check the ingredient labels.

On a shared recipe's web page, likely allergens show as "Contains milk, gluten and soy". The app doesn't highlight allergens on recipes yet.

## No nutrition for a recipe?

Phork It! needs to work out most of a recipe's weight to estimate it. If too many ingredients have no amount, the card doesn't show. Adding amounts with **Edit** usually brings it back; weights work best.

- [How to change servings and units on a recipe](https://phorkit.com/help/en/cooking/servings-and-units)
- [How to change your units, appearance and profile](https://phorkit.com/help/en/account/settings)

Source: https://phorkit.com/help/en/cooking/nutrition-and-allergens (updated 2026-11-03)