How Deficiency Detection Works
How M0VE monitors your micronutrient intake over 7 days and flags consistent shortfalls.
M0VE monitors your micronutrient intake over a rolling 7-day window and flags nutrients that are consistently below your personalised target. This is not a single-day snapshot. One low day does not trigger an alert. The system is designed to surface patterns, not noise.
Detection Criteria
An alert is raised for a nutrient when all of the following conditions are met:
| Condition | Threshold | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum logged days | 4 of the last 7 days must have food entries | Prevents false alerts from under-logging |
| Average intake | Below 70% of your personalised target | A meaningful gap, not a minor shortfall |
| Days below threshold | At least 3 of the logged days below target | Pattern, not a one-off |
| Data completeness | At least one logged day shows a non-zero value | Filters out nutrients absent from your food database |
If any condition is not met, no alert is shown for that nutrient.
Severity Levels
All deficiency alerts are labelled Low. Severity thresholds are used internally to sort alerts (most severe first) but the label shown to users is intentionally simple.
| Severity | Intake as % of target |
|---|---|
| Mild | 50–70% of target |
| Moderate | 30–50% of target |
| Severe | Below 30% of target |
Eligible Nutrients
Not all tracked nutrients are eligible for deficiency detection. Macronutrients, sugars, fats, fibre, caffeine, and alcohol are excluded. These are tracked separately through your macro targets.
Eligible nutrients:
Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Vitamin B12, Folate, Potassium, Omega-3, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Selenium, Copper, Manganese, Phosphorus, Pantothenic Acid.
Alert Priority
When multiple nutrients are flagged, they are sorted in the following order:
Severity (severe → moderate → mild)
Percentage of target (lowest first within the same severity band)
High-Risk Demographic Flags
Some alerts include a note that a nutrient is particularly important for your profile, for example iron for females under 50 or vitamin D for athletes over 51. These flags are drawn from WHO population risk data and are intended to add context, not alarm. See [Micronutrient RDA Targets](/docs/micronutrient-rdas) for the full risk table.
Push Notifications
If deficiencies are detected after logging a meal, M0VE can send a push notification to prompt you to review your intake. Notifications are throttled to a maximum of once every 7 days to avoid becoming intrusive.
Data Window
Deficiency detection uses data from the current date backwards. Entries older than 7 days are not included. If you have not logged food for 4 or more days in the past week, no alerts will be shown regardless of historical intake.
Limitations
Figures are estimates based on logged food. See [Micronutrient RDA Targets](/docs/micronutrient-rdas) for a full list of limitations.
Supplements are not tracked. If you take micronutrient supplements, your actual intake is higher than reported.
Deficiency alerts are guidance only and not a clinical diagnosis. Speak to your GP or a registered dietitian if you have concerns about your nutrient status.