SmarTasty
Count calories with a photo
Our made from scratch score shows how much of a recipe comes from basic ingredients and how little from ready-made food – by NOVA group, weighted by grams.
NOVA sorts food into four groups by how much it has been processed: unprocessed foods, culinary ingredients such as oil and salt, processed foods such as bread and cheese, and ultra-processed foods – industrial products made largely from extracted ingredients and additives, such as processed meat, ready meals and many sweets.
Our score – shown on each recipe as “Made from scratch” – applies NOVA to every ingredient and averages the groups by weight. Cooked at home from basic ingredients, almost every recipe ends up near the top. For recipes at 9.5 or more, see clean eating recipes.
| Group | Counts as |
|---|---|
| NOVA groups | |
| NOVA 1 – unprocessed – veg, fruit, meat, fish, eggs, pasta, rice, flour, plain yoghurt | 10 |
| NOVA 2 – culinary ingredients – oil, butter, salt, sugar, honey, cream | 6 |
| NOVA 3 – processed – bread, cheese, tofu, plant drinks, pesto | 3 |
| NOVA 4 – ultra-processed – processed meat, ready meals, sweeteners, additives | 0 |
| Limit | |
| Ultra-processed ingredient – a notable amount: 6 at most, a small amount: 8 at most | Cap |
The average by weight gives 0 to 10. Counts 15% towards the Health Score.
Clean eating recipes: From 9.5.
The score is the average of the groups, weighted by the weight of each ingredient. Water doesn’t count, stock counts for 50 g at most.
Flour and sugar count as basic ingredients here – whether it’s white flour or lots of sugar counts under “Few fast carbs”. Almost everything cooked or baked from scratch therefore scores high – and the category threshold is high too.
The score follows fixed rules, the same for every recipe. It doesn’t replace medical or dietary advice.
A system from the University of São Paulo that sorts food into four groups by processing – from unprocessed to ultra-processed.
Industrial products made mostly from extracted or modified ingredients, often with additives you wouldn’t use at home: processed meat, ready meals, packet soups, many breakfast cereals, sweets and soft drinks. Protein powder counts too.