Nutrition Score: Fueling Your Body with Intention

What is Sonar’s Nutrition Score?

Sonar’s Nutrition Score is a comprehensive assessment of the quality and balance of your nutrition, and whether you’re meeting your daily calorie and macronutrient needs. By focusing on your Nutrition Score, you can make smarter decisions to fuel your body, optimize performance, and support long-term health.

Sonar tracks your daily nutrition on a scale from 0–100%, with higher scores indicating better overall nutrition as seen below:

Here’s what these ranges mean in practical terms:

Good (80-100%): A good score means your daily nutrition is well-balanced and aligned with your body’s energy and macronutrient needs. You’re likely consuming the right proportions of protein, carbs, and fats while staying within healthy calorie limits. Consistently hitting this range can enhance energy, recovery, and overall performance.

Fair (60-79%): A fair score indicates that your nutrition is adequate but has room for improvement. You may be slightly off in your calorie intake or macronutrient balance. This range is a good opportunity to make small adjustments, like eating more nutrient-dense foods or fine-tuning your portions.

Poor (0-59%): A poor score reflects significant imbalances or deficiencies in your daily nutrition. You may be consuming too many or too few calories, missing key macronutrient targets, or relying on overly processed foods. If you’re consistently seeing lower scores, you’re likely compromising your energy levels and increasing your risk of long-term health issues, making it essential to identify and address the underlying issue promptly.

Trends over time matter more than a single day’s score. A consistent decline in your Nutrition Score may indicate a need to reassess your habits, such as portion sizes, food choices, or eating patterns, to get back on track.

How is your Nutrition Score calculated?

Sonar’s Nutrition algorithm evaluates your calorie and macronutrient intake in relation to key factors such as your birth sex, weight, height, activity level, and established benchmarks. Achieving a balanced intake of energy and nutrients is essential for fueling your body, optimizing performance, and maintaining overall health. Your Nutrition Score is shaped by many components, including:

- Calories Consumed: Calories form the foundation of your Nutrition Score. Sonar calculates your recommended intake based on your basal metabolic rate (BMR), daily activity level, and physiology. Both under-eating and overeating can negatively impact your score.

- Protein: Protein is vital for muscle repair, recovery, and numerous bodily functions. Sonar tracks whether your intake falls within the optimal range, typically 10–35% of total calories. Falling short or exceeding this range affects your score.

- Carbohydrates: Carbs power your body, while fiber plays a key role in improving your digestion. Sonar evaluates your intake to ensure you’re meeting your body’s carbohydrate needs and consuming at least 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories.

- Fat: Fat plays a crucial role in energy storage, hormone regulation, and nutrient absorption. Sonar evaluates your intake to ensure it falls within the optimal range of 20–35% of your total daily calories.

How to improve your nutrition

Improving your nutrition is easier than you might think — it starts with small, intentional changes that can have a big impact over time. Here are some practical tips to get started:

• Plan ahead: preparing meals or snacks in advance can help you make healthier choices and stay on track with your calorie and macronutrient targets.

• Prioritize whole foods: focus on nutrient-dense options like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats, while minimizing your intake of processed and sugary foods.

• Balance your plate: aim for a balance of protein, carbs, and fats in each meal. Visualize your plate divided into sections — half for vegetables, a quarter for lean protein, and a quarter for whole grains or starchy carbs.

• Stay hydrated: drinking enough water supports digestion, energy levels, and overall health. Aim for at least 8 cups of water daily, adjusting based on activity levels.

• Track your intake: use Sonar to log your meals and identify areas for improvement. Even small tweaks, like reducing portion sizes or adding a serving of vegetables, can lead to meaningful progress over time.

Common nutrition pitfalls to avoid

Identifying the habits that may be holding back your Nutrition Score is key to making lasting improvements in your diet and overall health:

• Excessive reliance on processed foods: highly processed options often lack essential nutrients and are high in added sugars, sodium, and unhealthy fats.

• Inconsistent eating patterns: erratic meal timing can disrupt your metabolism and make it harder to maintain balance.

• Overeating or undereating: consistently consuming too many or too few calories can impact your energy, recovery, and overall health.

• Neglecting variety: a lack of diversity in your diet can lead to nutrient gaps and make healthy eating feel monotonous.

• Overindulging in treats: while occasional indulgences are fine, frequent overconsumption of calorie-dense snacks or desserts can derail your nutrition goals.

Balancing data with self-awareness

Sonar’s Nutrition Score is a powerful tool for understanding and improving your nutrition, but it’s only part of the picture. Achieving a perfect score every day isn’t necessary — what matters more is identifying opportunities for improvement and striving for balance over time. Listen to your body, trust your instincts, and balance the data with your own experience. By using Sonar’s Nutrition Score as a guide, you can develop healthier habits, fuel your body effectively, and create a sustainable routine that supports your short-term goals and long-term health.