Informative translation, adapted for consumers in EU/EEA countries other than Poland. The legally binding version is the Polish one: original in Polish
Methodology for calculating kcal and macronutrients
Version 1.0 of 24 October 2026 — in force from 24 October 2026.
This document explains in plain terms where the figures for kcal, carbohydrates (C), protein (P) and fat (F) that you see next to every dish in Dietabis come from, and why we treat them as approximate values.
1. Where we get ingredient values from
For each ingredient (e.g. “30% cream”, “low‑fat quark”, “egg”), we keep our own table of nutritional values per 100 g of the product: kcal, carbohydrates, protein and fat. For each ingredient we also record the source of that value (e.g. the USDA FDC database or the label of a specific manufacturer) — for any one ingredient we always use a single, specified source, so that the figures are consistent across dishes.
2. How we calculate a portion of the base recipe
The base recipe is the recipe available on the Cookidoo® service to which a given dish refers. We do not take nutritional values from that service — we calculate the calorie value of one portion ourselves, from our own “per 100 g” ingredient table, and divide it by the number of portions the base recipe makes.
3. “Pot” and “plate”
We split our adjustments to a recipe into two steps, which you also see on the dish card:
- The “in the pot” step — changes made to the whole recipe before we divide it into portions (e.g. replacing one ingredient with another, leaving out an ingredient, adding an ingredient to the whole dish). We calculate the effect of such a change on your single portion by dividing the difference in kcal/C/P/F by the number of portions in the base recipe.
- The “on the plate” step — extras that we add only to your single portion (e.g. bread, toppings), which are not cooked together with the whole dish or which differ between kcal levels.
The result on the dish card is: base recipe portion (our calculation) → “in the pot” changes (converted to your portion) → “on the plate” extras → final total.
4. Fixed weights for ingredients counted “by the piece”
Some ingredients appear in recipes as pieces rather than in grams — for these we use fixed, averaged weights. For example (the values below are examples; the full table is part of the app’s data and may be adjusted):
- egg M = 56 g
- egg L = 63 g
- slice of rye bread = 35 g
- garlic clove = 5 g
- medium onion = 110 g
- medium banana = 120 g
5. Cross‑check: energy from macronutrients
As an additional check on the correctness of the calculations, we verify that the stated calorie value roughly matches the sum of the energy from the individual macronutrients, counting 4 kcal per gram of protein, 4 kcal per gram of carbohydrates and 9 kcal per gram of fat. Small differences (up to a few per cent) are natural and result from rounding in the ingredient tables.
6. Rounding rule
Internally, we calculate everything to an accuracy of 0.1 kcal and 0.1 g. On screen, however, we show whole numbers (because they are easier to read), so we use the largest remainder method: we calculate precisely and round at the end so that the visible figures always add up to the visible result — in other words, the kcal/C/P/F tiles shown for the individual adjustments will always add up to the value shown for the whole meal.
7. Worked example: Cream of tomato soup with quark
- The base recipe for the dish “Cream of tomato soup with quark” (“Krem pomidorowy z twarogiem”) makes 4 portions. One portion of this recipe, according to our calculation, before any adjustments: 173 kcal.
- “In the pot” changes (calculated first for the whole recipe, then divided by 4 portions):
- 100 g of 30% cream replaced with 100 g of 2% Greek yoghurt: −220 kcal for the whole recipe, i.e. −55 kcal per portion (220 ÷ 4),
- leaving out 1 teaspoon of sugar: −20 kcal for the whole recipe, i.e. −5 kcal per portion (20 ÷ 4),
- adding 400 g of low‑fat quark to the whole pot: +396 kcal for the whole recipe, i.e. +99 kcal per portion (396 ÷ 4).
- “On the plate” extras (for your portion only):
- 2 slices of rye bread (70 g): +158 kcal,
- 15 g of pumpkin seeds: +84 kcal.
- Final result for your portion: 454 kcal · C 47 g · P 34 g · F 14 g.
Cross‑check (point 5): 4 × 47 (C) + 4 × 34 (P) + 9 × 14 (F) = 450 kcal, i.e. a difference of a few kcal compared with 454 kcal — within our checking tolerance.
8. Why the values are approximate
Our figures come from careful calculation, not a laboratory measurement of the specific meal you prepare. The actual energy value may differ slightly for several reasons: different manufacturers of the same ingredient (e.g. “2% Greek yoghurt”) have a slightly different composition, the size of a portion prepared at home (e.g. the weight of an egg, the thickness of a slice of bread) differs from our fixed weights, and the method of preparation (e.g. cooking time, evaporation of water) also has a small effect on the final result. That is why we treat our values as a reliable approximation, useful for planning your diet, rather than as a precise measurement to the gram.