Nutrition sources and calculation methods
This page explains the core references behind our nutrition tools. Individual articles and restaurant guides include their own sources, which provide the context for specific claims and menu figures.
In this guide
Restaurant data and rankings
Each restaurant guide links to the chain’s official nutrition information. Figures describe the named standard build, not every possible substitution. Location, portioning and menu changes can affect your order.
The meal finder searches our tracked selection, not every item a restaurant sells. Calorie and nutrient limits exclude orders that do not meet them. Priorities change the order of the remaining results; they are not a personal health score.
Complete macros means known calories, protein, carbs and fat. Fiber and sodium are checked separately when you filter them. You can explicitly include items with missing macros, but any active nutrient limit still requires that nutrient to be known. Unknown values are never treated as zero.
Choose the country where you are ordering. Canadian and U.S. records have separate portions and official sources. Open an order’s details for its serving and source history; a comparison’s writing date does not mean its restaurant values were rechecked that day.
A high-protein match is not automatically a low-calorie or low-sodium meal. Read the complete numbers and the trade-offs on each result, and check the restaurant’s allergen information before ordering.
Find the source behind a claim. References below are grouped by topic. Individual articles explain which findings they use and where the evidence is limited. If a link moves, search the publisher’s site for the listed title.
Protein
- Protein — The Nutrition Source
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/what-should-you-eat/protein - International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise
Jäger et al., Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017 (PMC)
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5477153 - Dietary Reference Intakes — Reference Tables (protein RDA)
National Academies of Sciences, via NCBI Bookshelf
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK208874 - Kwashiorkor: Definition, Symptoms, Causes & Diagnosis
Cleveland Clinic
Read the Cleveland Clinic article - Protein Foods Group
MyPlate, U.S. Department of Agriculture
myplate.gov/eat-healthy/protein-foods
Fat
- Fats and Cholesterol — The Nutrition Source
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol - Types of Fat
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source
nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/.../types-of-fat - Omega-3 Fatty Acids — Health Professional Fact Sheet
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional - Rethinking the AMDR for the 21st Century (Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges)
National Academies, via NCBI Bookshelf
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK610333 - What Do You Know About Fat-Soluble Vitamins?
Cleveland Clinic
health.clevelandclinic.org/fat-soluble-vitamins - Low-fat diets and testosterone in men: systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies
Whittaker & Wu, Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2021
sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960076021000716 (abstract publicly viewable; full text may require institutional access)
Carbohydrates
- Carbohydrates — The Nutrition Source
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/carbohydrates - International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Nutrient Timing
Kerksick et al., Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017 (PMC)
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5596471 - Sugar for the brain: the role of glucose in physiological and pathological brain function
Mergenthaler et al., Trends in Neurosciences, via PMC
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3900881 - Rethinking the AMDR for the 21st Century (Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges)
National Academies, via NCBI Bookshelf
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK610333 - Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet
Mayo Clinic
mayoclinic.org/.../fiber/art-20043983 - Ketosis: Definition, Benefits & Side Effects
Cleveland Clinic
Read the Cleveland Clinic article
Calculator formulas
- A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals (Mifflin-St Jeor equation)
Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1990
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2305711 - Applications of the Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy (Physical Activity Level multipliers)
National Academies, via NCBI Bookshelf
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK591020
How sources become articles
A citation supports a claim; it does not imply endorsement or authorship by the source. Read the complete editorial and source methodology, including evidence hierarchy and medical boundaries. Material factual changes appear in the public corrections log.
Coverage and source history
Our selection includes restaurant-published values and reproducible sums of named components. A source retrieval or review date does not change a document’s publication date. Original per-nutrient checks remain identifiable when an item is later rechecked.
The U.S. finder coverage report records known and missing values. The separate Canadian source history describes A&W, Harvey’s and Tim Hortons coverage, editions and withheld values. Neither is a full-menu or local-availability audit.
CAVA’s earlier accessible document does not establish current local menu availability. Earlier Starbucks checks used official indexed text when the live page did not expose a nutrition table. These access limits remain attached to the affected records.
October 4 restaurant-source expansion
380 additional recorded orders from 10 U.S. chains were transcribed from inspected official sources. That October 4 U.S. snapshot contained 463 entries across 25 chains. Current menu coverage is reported separately. A single taco or slider remains one named portion, not a full combo meal.
Exact fiber is unavailable in ten added orders, including published less-than amounts. These stay unknown. Two Raising Cane’s builds are explicit sums of individual portions, not the restaurant’s named combos. Conflicting QDOBA fat rows and a Taco John’s fiber row were excluded.
Printed source editions and retrieval dates are different. Culver’s uses a July 2025 official document; unestablished publication dates stay blank. These are U.S. records, with no inferred allergen safety, prices or local menu availability. Inspect each restaurant’s portions and source notes.
Restaurant logos & item images
Logos identify independent restaurant brands. GetMacros is not affiliated with or endorsed by these restaurants. Trademarks remain with their owners.
These text and geometric logo files are sourced from Wikimedia Commons, whose individual file pages record their copyright status. Original colors and proportions are preserved.
- McDonald's logo source
- Subway logo source
- Domino’s logo source
- Tim Hortons logo source
- Burger King logo source
- Five Guys logo source
- Shake Shack logo source
- Pizza Hut logo source
- KFC logo source
- Dunkin’ logo source
- Chick-fil-A logo source
Food illustrations are labeled. An official item-page link opens the restaurant’s own presentation; it does not transfer ownership or reuse rights to its photographs.