Within 10% of the USDA for 111 of 115 foods.

How we tested

• Each food is written the way a person would say it, with its weight: "150 g grilled shrimp", "250 g mac and cheese".
• It goes through the same lookup the app uses.
• The answer is compared with USDA FoodData Central's figure for that food at that weight.
• 60 foods were used to tune the matching. 55 were held back and never used to tune anything, so they show how it does on foods it has not seen.

Results

Test	Foods	Within 10% before	Within 10% now	Average error before	Average error now
Tuned on	60	40	58	82.6%	1.3%
Held back	55	37	53	20.3%	1.0%
All	115	77	111

"Before" is the same test run on the morning of 9 October 2026, when an AI model estimated each food's calories. "Now" is the live app later that day.

What changed

Life OS used to ask an AI model to guess what a food contains. Now the model only reads what you said, and every food is looked up in USDA FoodData Central: 13,602 foods and dishes as people eat them. The rest is multiplication. When you don't say how much, Life OS uses the USDA's own typical serving for that food.

Where it is still off

• Scrambled eggs: the USDA's two tables disagree (149 or 185 calories per 100 g). Life OS uses the survey figure, which assumes cooking fat.
• Apple: the USDA's survey table lists 61 calories per 100 g, its older reference table 52.
• Salmon: Life OS picks wild coho (184 calories per 100 g cooked); most salmon eaten is farmed Atlantic (206).
• Green tea: 2 calories against 1.7, a rounding difference.

Not covered yet

Supplements, Israeli and Middle Eastern dishes, and two foods said as one ("cereal with milk") are not in the table yet. For those, Life OS still estimates, and says so with a lower confidence.

Every food

All 115 foods, largest difference first

Food, as typed	USDA calories	Life OS calories	Difference
120 g scrambled eggs	179	222	+24.2%
182 g apple	95	111	+17.3%
240 g green tea	2	2	-16.7%
100 g cooked salmon	206	184	-10.7%
150 g baked sweet potato	135	123	-8.9%
200 g california roll	188	200	+6.4%
130 g orange	61	65	+6.4%
250 g oatmeal made with water	160	170	+6.3%
14 g butter	100	104	+3.6%
30 g almonds	174	179	+3.1%
60 g hummus	146	142	-2.6%
60 g salsa	20	20	-2%
30 g cream cheese	105	103	-1.9%
28 g cheddar cheese	113	115	+1.9%
14 g olive oil	124	126	+1.8%
100 g cooked lentils	116	114	-1.7%
100 g low fat cottage cheese	81	82	+1.2%
250 g tomato soup	48	48	+1.1%
28 g mozzarella	84	83	-0.9%
100 g cooked white rice	130	129	-0.8%
330 g coconut water	59	59	-0.7%
28 g white bread	74	75	+0.7%
90 g egg roll	245	243	-0.7%
150 g blueberries	86	86	+0.6%
30 g feta	80	80	+0.6%
50 g hard boiled egg	78	78	+0.6%
100 g cooked pasta	158	157	-0.6%
178 g pear	101	101	-0.5%
10 g rice cake	39	39	-0.5%
30 g cheerios	112	112	+0.4%
250 g orange juice	113	113	+0.4%
150 g red wine	128	128	+0.4%
150 g grapes	125	125	+0.4%
150 g steamed cod	131	131	+0.4%
245 g skim milk	83	83	-0.4%
150 g baked potato with skin	140	140	+0.4%
330 g cola	139	139	+0.3%
30 g potato chips	160	160	+0.3%
40 g rolled oats	152	152	+0.3%
170 g plain nonfat greek yogurt	100	100	-0.3%
21 g honey	64	64	+0.3%
28 g dark chocolate 70%	167	167	-0.3%
250 g chocolate milk	163	163	+0.3%
60 g croissant	244	244	+0.2%
355 g beer	153	153	+0.2%
28 g cashews	161	161	+0.2%
46 g fried egg	90	90	-0.2%
32 g peanut butter	191	191	-0.2%
250 g new england clam chowder	233	233	+0.2%
40 g granola bar	188	188	-0.2%
40 g trail mix	182	182	+0.2%
28 g beef jerky	115	115	+0.2%
150 g french fries	338	338	+0.1%
250 g burrito	548	548	+0.1%
250 g chicken fried rice	433	433	+0.1%
360 g latte	155	155	+0.1%
40 g chocolate chip cookie	197	197	+0.1%
250 g mac and cheese	558	558	+0.1%
28 g walnuts	183	183	-0.1%
70 g doughnut	298	298	-0.1%
30 g medjool dates	83	83	-0.1%
244 g whole milk	149	149	+0.1%
120 g tiramisu	424	424	+0.1%
200 g cheeseburger	592	592	0%
300 g lasagna with meat	417	417	0%
500 g chicken ramen	630	630	0%
300 g chicken curry	321	321	0%
150 g pancakes	423	423	0%
100 g bagel	264	264	0%
350 g fruit smoothie	231	231	0%
130 g vanilla ice cream	269	269	0%
60 g pita bread	165	165	0%
200 g grilled cheese sandwich	686	686	0%
100 g peanut butter and jelly sandwich	361	361	0%
400 g chicken noodle soup	212	212	0%
200 g mashed potatoes	228	228	0%
300 g watermelon	90	90	0%
165 g mango	99	99	0%
100 g grilled shrimp	110	110	0%
100 g chicken nuggets	307	307	0%
150 g quesadilla	474	474	0%
240 g unsweetened almond milk	36	36	0%
500 g energy drink	215	215	0%
150 g cooked couscous	168	168	0%
250 g kombucha	40	40	0%
100 g cheesecake	399	399	0%
125 g apple pie	370	370	0%
250 g gyro	460	460	0%
100 g grilled chicken breast	151	151	0%
118 g banana	105	105	0%
100 g roasted chicken breast	165	165	0%
100 g avocado	160	160	0%
100 g raw broccoli	34	34	0%
100 g cooked 85% lean ground beef	250	250	0%
100 g firm tofu	144	144	0%
150 g strawberries	48	48	0%
100 g raw carrots	41	41	0%
100 g cooked black beans	132	132	0%
100 g cooked quinoa	120	120	0%
100 g canned tuna in water	86	86	0%
300 g pad thai	462	462	0%
500 g beef pho	385	385	0%
250 g miso soup	60	60	0%
250 g hot chocolate	180	180	0%
150 g cooked edamame	210	210	0%
60 g guacamole	93	93	0%
300 g beef stew	321	321	0%
100 g samosa	310	310	0%
60 g brownie	243	243	0%
120 g soft pretzel	414	414	0%
200 g ham sandwich	374	374	0%
250 g club sandwich	555	555	0%
200 g greek salad	96	96	0%
100 g coleslaw	117	117	0%
300 g pepperoni pizza	846	846	0%

Source: USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, the FNDDS survey foods and Foundation Foods). Measured 2026-10-09.