What energy_intake measures
energy_intake is the total kilocalories logged as consumed during the local day.
| Field | energy_intake |
|---|---|
| Unit | Kilocalories |
| Reported | Daily total, on days with at least one log |
| Window | Midnight to midnight, profile local time |
| Wearable required | No |
| API | GET /api/v1/profile/biomarker/{externalId}?categories=nutrition&types=energy_intake plus a date range |
| Webhook | BiomarkerCreatedIntegrationEvent. Entries update in place, upsert on id. |
Data sources
Nutrition is logged, not sensed. Every nutrition biomarker depends on the user, or your app, writing food entries to the platform health store.
| Platform | Record | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| iOS, HealthKit | dietaryEnergyConsumed | Written by MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, Lose It, Yazio, MacroFactor, Lifesum and similar, and by manual entry |
| Android, Health Connect | NutritionRecord energy field | Same apps, plus Samsung Health |
| Direct integrations | None | |
| Phone only | Manual entry, or entries your own app writes |
Coverage is a small fraction of profiles, and drops further on days a logger skips lunch.
How Sahha calculates energy_intake
- Pick one source for the day, for this nutrient. Sources are compared by their daily total of the nutrient, and the highest wins. The choice is made separately for every nutrient, so the same day can have energy from one app and water from another.
- Sum the winning source’s entries with an end time inside the local day.
Absence means nothing was logged that day.
Interpreting the value
Logged intake is a floor, not a measurement. Users under-log, skip days, and estimate portions, and the under-reporting is systematic rather than random [1]. A day of 1,200 kcal from a user who logged breakfast only is not a 1,200 kcal day.
Logging consistency is the first thing to check. The number of days with a value in the last two weeks tells you whether the totals mean anything.
Intake and burned energy are different instruments. Energy burned is a device or model estimate of the whole day; intake is whatever the user typed. Their difference reflects logging behaviour more than physiology.
Related scores and insights
Energy intake is not a score factor and has no trend or comparison insight. The nutrition and supplement archetype recommendation guides show how Sahha’s archetypes can drive nutrition features without relying on logged intake.
Use cases
A balance view with honest framing. Show intake and total burned side by side with the count of logged days. If you must show a difference, show it as a range that widens on days with fewer logs.
GET /api/v1/profile/biomarker/{externalId}?categories=nutrition&types=energy_intake&startDateTime=2026-08-20&endDateTime=2026-09-03A logging streak. Days with a value is the streak. It is the behaviour worth rewarding, since every other nutrition feature depends on it.
Smart defaults from activity, not intake. For users who do not log, build nutrition features from activity and archetypes instead. The nutrition recommendations by archetype guide shows the pattern.
Limitations
- Logged only. No logging app, no data.
- Per-nutrient source selection means the winning app can differ between energy and its macronutrients on the same day.
- Under-logging is systematic, not random noise.
- Absence is not zero.
Related guides
- Macronutrients for the protein, carbohydrate, and fat that make up the energy
- Energy burned for the other side of the balance
- Water intake and caffeine intake for the other logged intakes with their own uses
- Data dictionary in the developer docs
References
- Subar AF, Freedman LS, Tooze JA, et al. Addressing current criticism regarding the value of self-report dietary data. Journal of Nutrition. 2015;145(12):2639-2645. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.115.219634