Not getting enough Vitamin A? It could be triggering your headaches. Consuming too much sodium? That might explain your bloating. TCT's Symptom-Nutrient Correlations feature helps you discover if nutrient imbalances are behind your discomfort.
How It Works
When you log a symptom, TCT does two things:
Step 1: Checks research (from sources like the NIH) to find which nutrients are linked to that symptom
Step 2: Compares those nutrients to what you've actually eaten over the past week
If your intake of a linked nutrient is too low or too high, TCT flags it so you know where to focus.
Example:
You log "Headache" → TCT finds that Vitamin B5 and Zinc are connected to headaches → It checks your past week's food → Your B5 is low → TCT highlights it as a possible cause
Reading the Color Codes
Your Dashboard shows nutrient boxes under each symptom, color-coded for quick understanding:
Orange box = Your intake is outside the recommended range (too low or too high)
This nutrient might be contributing to your symptom.
Green box = You're in the optimal recommended range for all nutrients linked to this symptom
Your nutrition looks good for this particular issue.
Grey box = no consumption of that nutrient to provide an average consumption value
No results? Either you haven't logged enough food data yet, or there's no research connecting nutrients to that specific symptom.
Which Symptoms Work with This Feature
This analysis only works for common symptoms from TCT's symptom library—the pre-loaded options you can select when logging.
Why? These symptoms have scientific research linking them to specific nutrients. Custom symptoms you create yourself don't have this research backing, so they won't show nutrient correlations.
Custom symptoms are still valuable for finding food triggers. This feature just focuses on nutrient-based insights.
Going Deeper with Detailed Analysis
Click the arrow on any symptom box to open the full Symptom-Nutrient Correlation page.
Here you can:
- Change the time period (analyze 7 days, 14 days, or longer)
- See detailed graphs of your nutrient intake over time
- Read explanations of how each nutrient affects that symptom
- Get a list of foods rich in the flagged nutrients
Use this when: You want to understand the science behind the connection or need food suggestions to fix an imbalance.
Your Nutrients Section (Daily View)
Want to see today's nutrient intake instead of the past week's average?
Head to the "Your Nutrients" section on your Dashboard. It shows real-time values for everything you've logged today—perfect for making meal decisions throughout the day.
Use this when: You're planning dinner and want to see if you've already hit your magnesium target, for example.
Making It Accurate
This feature depends on consistent meal logging. Since it analyzes your past week's average intake, missing days create gaps that can throw off the results.
Best practices:
- Log every meal when possible, especially around symptom days
- Include snacks and drinks—they add up nutritionally
- Use the barcode scanner or search for branded foods (better nutrient data); use the label reader to log foods not in our database.
- Check your nutrient results weekly to spot trends
Important Notes
This is insight, not diagnosis. TCT shows patterns based on research and your data, but it's not medical advice. Always discuss major diet changes or persistent symptoms with your healthcare provider.
Correlation isn't always causation. A flagged nutrient is a smart place to investigate, but other factors (stress, sleep, medications) can also cause symptoms; always consult your healthcare provider
Bottom Line: Symptom-Nutrient Correlations turns research into personalized guidance. Instead of guessing which supplements to take or foods to eat more of, you'll have data pointing you in the right direction.