Calories answer how much. The meal quality score answers how good. It sits next to each meal you log, and the average of your meals becomes your daily score on the Today screen.
What the score looks at
Kality scores each meal on six things:
- Protein density. Protein per 100 kcal. Full marks at 5 g per 100 kcal, which means about a fifth of the meal’s calories come from protein.
- Fat quality. How much of the fat is unsaturated and omega-3 rather than saturated.
- Vitamin and mineral density. How much the meal gives you towards your daily micronutrient targets for the calories it costs.
- Sodium–potassium balance. Salty, processed meals lean one way; vegetables, beans and fruit lean the other.
- Carb quality. Fiber and whole foods versus refined starch and sugar.
- Fermented foods. A bonus for yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, sourdough and the like.
The plate decides the weighting
Judging a green salad on its protein would be unfair, and so would judging a steak on its fiber. So Kality first works out what kind of plate it’s looking at, protein-forward, plant-forward, fat-forward or balanced, and weights the six factors to match. A good meal of any kind can score well.
What pulls a score down
- Sodium: up to 10% off for very salty meals.
- Saturated fat: a penalty when it dominates the fat.
- Sugar: high-sugar meals are multiplied by 0.82.
- Alcohol: drinks with alcohol lose up to 28%.
- Candy-like foods are capped at 38, however they’re dressed up.
…and what protects it
Complete plates, with protein, vegetables and a quality carb, can’t score below the mid-70s. Meals with three different plants can’t score below 60, or 65 with four or more. Plain water, black coffee and other drinks under 40 kcal without alcohol aren’t scored at all, so they never drag your day down.
Your daily score and meal medals
Your daily score is the plain average of that day’s scored meals and drinks, shown as Meal quality · Daily average. It uses the same four bands as the Longevity Score:
- 80+Great
- 60–79Good
- 40–59Fair
- <40Poor
Meals that do one thing especially well earn medals, up to three per meal. A factor scoring 65 or more earns a medal; 85 or more earns the top tier. Meals scoring under 40 don’t earn medals, whatever they do well.
How to raise your score without starting over
- Add, don’t just subtract. A side of vegetables or beans often lifts a meal more than cutting something out.
- Swap the fat, not the flavor. Olive oil instead of butter, nuts instead of chips.
- Protein at breakfast. It’s the meal most likely to run light.
- Ask Kal to compare. Say “Compare the pasta and the curry” before you order.
Kality gives general nutrition information, not medical advice. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or have a history of disordered eating, talk to a qualified health professional before changing how you eat.
