FortiorNutrition
Micronutrients: tracking vitamins and minerals in the foods you log
Fortior records 26 vitamins and minerals for the foods you log, in milligrams and micrograms, wherever a label or food database reports them. Anything a source does not report stays blank rather than being counted as zero.
What micronutrients are
Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals in food. The body uses them in small amounts, so they are measured in milligrams (mg) and micrograms (mcg) rather than the grams used for protein, carbohydrate and fat. One milligram is 1,000 micrograms.
Labels and databases follow a few conventions. Vitamin A is usually given in mcg of retinol activity equivalents (RAE), folate in mcg of dietary folate equivalents (DFE), and vitamin E in mg of alpha-tocopherol equivalents. Some older labels use international units (IU), which convert differently for each vitamin and form.
Track micronutrients: which vitamins and minerals Fortior records
Fortior can store 26 vitamins and minerals for each food or meal you log. Sodium and caffeine are tracked separately, in mg, alongside fiber.
| Group | Recorded in mg | Recorded in mcg |
|---|---|---|
| Minerals | Potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, copper, manganese, chloride | Iodine, selenium, chromium, molybdenum |
| Vitamins | Vitamin C, vitamin E, thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), vitamin B6, pantothenic acid (B5) | Vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin K, folate (B9), vitamin B12, biotin (B7) |
Where the numbers come from
Fortior does not work vitamins and minerals out from your macros. It records what a source reports:
- Food databases. Search and barcode results can include vitamins and minerals when the source lists them. Results come from USDA FoodData Central, from fatsecret, and, for barcodes with no other match, from Open Food Facts, a community database. Fortior shows the credit the source requires.
- Nutrition label scans. The label is read on your phone. Fortior matches names such as Vitamin D, Calcium or Iron to amounts in mg, mcg or g, and shows how many it found under Vitamins and minerals. You can correct any value before saving. Fortior converts IU only for vitamin D, where 1 mcg equals 40 IU whatever the form. For other vitamins shown only in IU it leaves the value blank and tells you why.
- Your own entries. When you enter nutrition manually or create your own food, a Vitamins and minerals section lets you fill in whichever values you know. Saved meals and recipes carry them too.
Values scale with the serving. Change the number of servings and each vitamin and mineral scales with it, so the amounts always match what you are about to log.
Blank means not reported, not zero
Many foods list only some micronutrients. When a source does not list one, Fortior leaves it blank. It never turns a blank into zero, and a vitamin or mineral that nothing reported simply does not appear in the list. The serving screen says so: "Any this food doesn't list are left blank."
A day's total adds only the values that were reported, and it shows how many logged items contributed, such as "From 2 logged items". Here is an illustrative example with made-up numbers:
| Logged item | Calcium reported |
|---|---|
| Oatmeal | 150 mg |
| Yogurt | 200 mg |
| A food whose label lists no calcium | Not reported |
| Day total shown | 350 mg, from 2 logged items |
The third food may well contain some calcium. The total only reflects what the data reported, so read it as "the reported amount", not as everything you ate.
Reading micronutrient totals sensibly
- Look at patterns, not single days. Item-level data is patchy, so a week of logging tells you more than one meal.
- Expect gaps. Many labels list only a few vitamins and minerals, while entries for single ingredients often list more. A food with few values is not necessarily a food with few nutrients.
- Supplements are separate. Supplements you log appear in their own Supplements section and are not added to these food totals. See water and supplements.
What Fortior does not do with them
Fortior shows amounts. It does not set vitamin or mineral targets, show a percent of a reference value, or tell you that a number is too low or too high. Needs differ from person to person, and food labels and databases are themselves averages. A registered dietitian or doctor is the right person to interpret what your numbers mean for you.
With the AI connector, you can also ask an AI tool for the micronutrients in the foods you logged, or export them all.
In the app: on the Nutrition tab, open Details, then More nutrition details, then Vitamins and minerals for the day's totals. For one food, open its serving screen or meal and look for Vitamins and minerals.
Nutrition information here is educational and based on the food you log. It is not medical advice, and Fortior does not diagnose conditions or prescribe medical diets.