Frequently asked questions

Timiya scores your meals based on what your body absorbs, not just what is on the plate. You log a meal — ugali, sukuma wiki, beans, and chai — and instead of a calorie count, you see a bioavailability-aware nutrient breakdown: how much iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin A, folate, and 34 other nutritional elements your body actually received from that specific combination, prepared that specific way, eaten with that specific beverage. The gap between consumed and absorbed is often 50-80% for key minerals. Timiya makes that gap visible and gives you one actionable nudge per meal to close it — a preparation change, a timing adjustment, or a low-cost addition — without changing your budget or your family's food preferences.

Timiya tracks every nutrition data type available through Apple Health, covering the full spectrum of human nutritional needs. These include: macronutrients (energy, protein, total fat, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar), fatty acids (saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat), minerals (calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, manganese, selenium, copper, chromium, iodine, molybdenum), vitamins (A, B1/thiamin, B2/riboflavin, B3/niacin, B5/pantothenic acid, B6, B7/biotin, B9/folate, B12, C, D, E, K), and other essential nutrients (choline, water, caffeine, dietary cholesterol). For each element, Timiya calculates both the consumed amount and the estimated absorbed amount based on the specific meal composition, preparation methods, and interaction effects.

Bioavailability is the fraction of a nutrient your body actually absorbs and uses. It is not fixed — it changes with every meal depending on what else is on the plate, how the food was prepared, and when you eat it. Non-heme iron from plant sources has an absorption rate of 2-20%, compared to 15-35% for heme iron from animal sources. A plate of beans might contain 6 mg of iron, but your body may absorb only 0.3 mg if the beans were unsoaked and eaten with chai. Soak the beans overnight (removing 30-50% of phytates), add a tomato (vitamin C doubles iron absorption), and move the chai to one hour later — the same plate now delivers 1.5-2.0 mg of absorbed iron. That is a 5-7x difference from the same ingredients. Every nutrition app that ignores bioavailability is showing you a number that has almost no relationship to what your body actually received.

A nudge is a single, specific, actionable change tied to your actual meal — not a generic health tip. Generic advice says "eat more iron-rich foods." A Timiya nudge says "squeeze half a lemon over your lentils — the 25 mg of vitamin C will increase your iron absorption from 0.4 mg to 1.2 mg, costing KES 5." Each nudge is: (1) specific to your plate, not a category of food, (2) budget-neutral or nearly free, (3) family-compatible — the change applies to the whole pot, not a separate meal for one person, (4) based on a single mechanism — vitamin C enhancing iron, fat enabling vitamin A absorption, timing separating inhibitors from minerals. One change per meal. No overwhelm. The compound effect of one small change per meal, three meals a day, over months, is a transformed nutritional profile.

Timiya's food database is built from multiple sources: the Kenya Food Composition Tables (2018), the FAO/INFOODS food composition database for biodiversity, USDA FoodData Central for nutrients not covered in Kenyan tables, and peer-reviewed research on Kenyan food preparation methods and their effects on nutrient content and bioavailability. Bioavailability algorithms are based on published models from the WHO, FAO, and peer-reviewed nutrition science — including iron absorption models accounting for phytate:iron ratios, polyphenol inhibition, MFP (meat/fish/poultry) factor, and vitamin C enhancement. The database launches with 200+ urban Kenyan meals and grows from there. Every food entry includes preparation-specific nutrient values: boiled sukuma wiki has different vitamin C and folate content than stir-fried sukuma wiki.

Your meal data belongs to you. Timiya never shares individual-level data with anyone — not insurers, not employers, not researchers, not advertisers. For B2B products (employer wellness, insurer risk reduction), Timiya provides only aggregated, anonymised dietary trend data at population level — never individual meal logs, scores, or nutrient profiles. You can export or delete your data at any time.

Timiya is not a diet app — it does not promote calorie restriction, fasting, keto, or any named diet. It is not a medical device — it does not diagnose conditions or replace clinical advice. It is not a calorie counter — calories are the least useful metric for understanding nutritional quality. It is not a recipe app — it works with the food you already eat. And it is not a Western nutrition app reskinned for Kenya — the food database, the bioavailability algorithms, the nudge logic, the cost data, and the cultural context are built for Kenyan meals from the ground up.

Phytates (phytic acid) are the primary storage form of phosphorus in seeds, grains, and legumes. They bind strongly to iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium in the gut, forming insoluble complexes that pass through unabsorbed. At a phytate:iron molar ratio above 6:1, iron absorption drops below 5%. Unsoaked red kidney beans have a phytate:iron ratio of approximately 14:1 — nearly triple the threshold. Preparation methods that reduce phytates: soaking beans overnight and discarding the water removes 30-50% of phytates. Sprouting reduces them by 50-75%. Fermentation (as in traditional uji) reduces them by 60-80%. Pressure cooking reduces them by 30-40%. These are not marginal improvements — they can double or triple your mineral absorption from the same ingredients.

Tea contains polyphenolic compounds — primarily tannins and catechins — that form insoluble complexes with non-heme iron in the gut. Studies in Gut, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition consistently show 60-70% reduction in iron absorption when tea is consumed with a meal. The effect is dose-dependent: stronger tea blocks more iron. Black tea (Kenyan CTC tea) has higher tannin content than green tea. The critical variable is timing: consuming chai with a meal reduces iron absorption by 60-70%, but consuming it 60 minutes after a meal has minimal effect — the iron has already been absorbed. For a population where 26% of women of reproductive age are anaemic, moving chai from mealtime to one hour after is one of the highest-impact zero-cost interventions available.

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) enhances non-heme iron absorption through two mechanisms: it reduces ferric iron (Fe³⁺) to ferrous iron (Fe²⁺), which is more soluble and absorbable, and it chelates iron into a soluble complex that resists the inhibitory effects of phytates and polyphenols. The enhancement is dose-dependent: 25 mg of vitamin C roughly doubles iron absorption; 50 mg triples it. A single tomato provides 15-25 mg. A guava provides approximately 230 mg — the most potent iron enhancer in the Kenyan fruit market. Half a lemon squeezed over bean stew provides 15-20 mg. The vitamin C must be consumed in the same meal as the iron source to have this effect. Heat destroys vitamin C, so raw additions (kachumbari, fresh lemon, raw guava) are more effective than cooked ones.

Vitamins A, D, E, and K require dietary fat for absorption because they dissolve in fat, not water. They are incorporated into micelles — tiny fat droplets formed during digestion — which are then absorbed through the intestinal wall. Without adequate fat in the meal, these vitamins pass through the gut largely unabsorbed. Studies show that adding as little as 3-5 g of fat (one tablespoon of cooking oil) to a meal of boiled leafy greens increases beta-carotene (vitamin A precursor) absorption by 5-7x. Boiled sukuma wiki without oil delivers almost no usable vitamin A despite containing abundant beta-carotene. The same serving cooked in a tablespoon of oil delivers meaningful vitamin A. This is why Timiya flags oil-free preparation of vitamin A-rich vegetables as a critical absorption gap.

MFP (meat, fish, poultry) factor is a well-documented but poorly understood phenomenon: the presence of animal tissue in a meal enhances non-heme iron absorption from plant foods eaten at the same time by 2-4x. The mechanism involves specific peptides released during digestion of animal protein that keep non-heme iron in a soluble, absorbable form. This means that a small piece of omena alongside ugali and beans does not just contribute its own iron — it also increases absorption of the plant iron from the beans. For budget-constrained households, a small amount of animal protein (even 30g of omena or one egg) can dramatically improve the iron yield from an otherwise plant-based meal. Timiya detects MFP-eligible combinations and factors this enhancement into the absorption calculation.

Fermentation activates phytase enzymes produced by microorganisms (primarily lactobacillus bacteria and yeasts), which break down 60-80% of phytates over 24-72 hours. This dramatically increases the bioavailability of iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium from the fermented food. Fermentation also synthesises B vitamins (particularly B12 in some fermentations), generates probiotics that support gut health and mineral absorption, produces organic acids that further enhance mineral solubility, and partially pre-digests proteins and carbohydrates, improving digestibility. Traditional Kenyan fermentations — esitoi (Luhya fermented millet porridge), mursik (Kalenjin fermented milk), and fermented uji — are sophisticated bioavailability engineering developed over generations. Quick-cook unfermented versions of these foods deliver measurably less nutrition.

Total protein grams are misleading without accounting for digestibility and amino acid completeness. Timiya uses DIAAS (Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score), the FAO-recommended metric that accounts for ileal digestibility of individual amino acids. Eggs score 113-114% (the reference protein); beef and omena score 90-100%; soybeans score 90-100%; kidney beans score only 50-65% (limited in methionine and cysteine); maize (ugali) scores 40-50% (severely lysine-deficient). This means 10g of protein from beans delivers the equivalent of 5-6.5g of egg-quality protein. The githeri principle is key: maize lacks lysine, beans lack methionine — combined in githeri at roughly 60:40 dry weight, the effective PDCAAS rises to 0.75-0.85, approaching meat quality. Timiya recognises complementary amino acid combinations in the same meal and scores them accordingly.

Calcium inhibits both heme and non-heme iron absorption by 30-50% when consumed in the same meal at doses above 300 mg. This makes it unique among iron inhibitors — phytates and tannins only affect non-heme iron. A glass of mala (250-300 mg calcium) consumed with an iron-rich meal can reduce iron absorption by a third. This does not mean avoiding calcium — both minerals are essential. The solution is timing: consume calcium-rich foods (mala, milk, yoghurt) between meals or with meals that are not your primary iron sources. Timiya tracks the calcium-iron overlap in each meal and nudges you to separate them when both nutrients are below target.

Iron is the nutrient with the largest gap between consumed and absorbed in the typical Kenyan diet. The WHO estimates that 26% of Kenyan women of reproductive age are anaemic, with iron deficiency as the leading cause. A typical dinner of ugali + beans + sukuma wiki + chai contains approximately 12-15 mg of iron on the plate but delivers only ~0.3 mg absorbed — because chai tannins block 60-70%, bean phytates push the ratio above 10:1, and any milk in the chai adds calcium inhibition. At 0.3 mg absorbed per meal across 3 meals, a woman absorbing ~0.9 mg/day against a need of ~8 mg/day will deplete her iron stores within months. Symptoms include fatigue, difficulty concentrating, hair loss, and reduced exercise tolerance. Timiya tracks both consumed and absorbed iron and shows you exactly which interactions are costing you.

Zinc is a cofactor in over 300 enzyme reactions, essential for immune function, wound healing, DNA synthesis, and taste/smell perception. Phytates are the primary inhibitor — the same compounds that block iron also block zinc, though through a different binding mechanism. A phytate:zinc molar ratio above 15:1 is considered high-inhibition. Unsoaked beans can have ratios of 20-30:1. Soaking, sprouting, and fermentation reduce phytates and improve zinc absorption. Animal sources (meat, eggs, omena) provide zinc in a more bioavailable form. Zinc deficiency stunts growth in children (WHO/UNICEF recommend zinc supplementation as part of childhood diarrhoea treatment because zinc deficiency damages intestinal epithelium). In adults, symptoms include frequent infections, slow wound healing, and loss of appetite. Timiya tracks zinc absorption alongside its phytate interactions.

Typical Kenyan calcium intake is 300-500 mg/day — well below the 1,000 mg RDA. The main sources are chai with milk (~150 mg per cup, but the tea tannins complicate matters), mala (~250-300 mg per cup, 30-35% bioavailable), and omena eaten with bones (~420-770 mg per serving at 25-35% bioavailability from hydroxyapatite). Kenya's historical shift from finger millet ugali (344 mg calcium per 100g flour) to maize ugali (28 mg per 100g) was a 12x calcium downgrade that went unannounced. Spinach (mchicha) is widely believed to be calcium-rich, but its 750-970 mg of oxalates per 100g bind nearly all the calcium, leaving only ~5% absorbed. Sukuma wiki, with only 20-60 mg oxalate per 100g, delivers ~40-50% absorption — nearly 10x more usable calcium from a similar serving.

Timiya tracks sodium against the WHO chronic disease risk reduction limit of less than 2,300 mg/day (ideally less than 2,000 mg). High sodium is the single deadliest dietary risk factor globally, causing an estimated 3 million deaths per year, primarily through hypertension leading to cardiovascular disease and stroke. In Kenya, 24% of adults have hypertension and 54.5% have pre-hypertension. Hidden sodium sources are the main problem: a single Royco or Mchuzi mix bouillon cube delivers 1,000-1,500 mg of sodium — approaching or exceeding the entire day's limit from one seasoning cube in one dish. Instant noodles (Indomie) deliver 1,200-1,800 mg per pack. Smokies and sausages add 600-800 mg per serving. Timiya flags when a meal's sodium content exceeds safe thresholds and, over time, tracks your sodium trajectory.

Yes. Despite Kenya's equatorial latitude, studies in East African urban populations have found vitamin D insufficiency (25(OH)D below 50 nmol/L) in 10-40% of adults. Melanin reduces UVB-mediated vitamin D synthesis by 50-90% compared to light skin. A dark-skinned person at the equator may need 3-6x more sun exposure than a light-skinned person to produce the same amount. Office-based urban lifestyles with limited midday sun exposure compound the problem. Without adequate vitamin D, only 10-15% of dietary calcium is passively absorbed versus 30-40% with adequate vitamin D — making vitamin D deficiency a hidden driver of the already-low calcium status. Few Kenyan foods contain significant vitamin D: egg yolks provide 1.1 mcg (44 IU), canned sardines 1.2 mcg per 2 sardines. Timiya tracks vitamin D and flags when inadequate vitamin D may be undermining calcium absorption.

Yes. Timiya tracks dietary sugar against the WHO recommendation of less than 25 g/day for additional health benefits (less than 50 g/day as a strong recommendation). Urban Kenyans may consume 50-100 g/day of added sugars from beverages alone — 2-4x the WHO limit. Sweetened chai at 2-3 teaspoons of sugar per cup across 3-5 cups per day can deliver 25-75 g from chai alone. A single 500 ml Coca-Cola or Fanta contains ~53g of sugar. Timiya also tracks dietary cholesterol, though the evidence shows it has a more modest effect on blood cholesterol than saturated fat does for most people. One egg contains 186 mg; beef liver 330 mg per 3 oz. Timiya displays cholesterol in context: for most users, the saturated fat from deep-fried mandazi, ghee in pilau, or coconut oil is a bigger cardiovascular risk than the cholesterol in their eggs.

Timiya tracks dietary fiber against the adequate intake of 25 g/day for women and 38 g/day for men. The nutrition transition has cut fiber intake from 30-50 g/day on traditional diets to under 15 g/day on modern urban diets as whole grains (finger millet, sorghum) are replaced by refined maize flour, white rice, and white bread. This collapse in fiber intake has direct consequences: colorectal cancer is now the 2nd most common male cancer in Kenya, and fiber deficiency is a primary driver. Fiber also slows glucose absorption (reducing diabetes risk), lowers LDL cholesterol (reducing cardiovascular risk), and feeds beneficial gut bacteria. The best Kenyan fiber sources are legumes: a cup of cooked lentils provides 15.6 g, black beans 15.0 g, and green peas ~9 g. Whole avocado provides 10 g. Traditional foods like githeri and whole-grain uji are fiber-rich; instant noodles and white bread are not.

These trace elements are tracked but rarely surface as concerns in varied Kenyan diets. Selenium (RDA 55 mcg/day) supports thyroid function and antioxidant defence; sources include meat, fish, and eggs. Copper (RDA 900 mcg/day) is essential for iron metabolism and collagen formation; beef liver is exceptionally rich (~4,000 mcg per ounce), and lentils provide ~497 mcg per cup. Manganese supports bone formation and is abundant in sweet potatoes, brown rice, and legumes. Chromium enhances insulin action, though its essentiality is debated. Timiya tracks all of these and applies the same ranked-by-status dashboard logic: if your selenium is at 130% of target and stable, it recedes visually. If copper drops below 50% of target, it rises to the top in red. The system shows everything but makes what matters loudest.

Choline is classified as an essential nutrient — your body cannot make enough of it. It is a precursor to acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter critical for memory and muscle control), a component of cell membranes, and a methyl donor for DNA methylation. Only ~10% of the population meets the adequate intake of 425-550 mg/day. In controlled studies, 77% of men and 80% of postmenopausal women developed fatty liver on choline-deficient diets. The richest source by far is egg yolk: one large egg provides 147 mg. Beef liver provides 356 mg per 3 oz. Beans, soybeans, and chicken also contribute. Choline is particularly important during pregnancy for foetal brain development. Timiya tracks it because it is both critically important and chronically under-consumed — most people have never heard of it, yet deficiency has serious consequences for liver health, cognitive function, and cardiovascular risk.

Omena (dagaa/silver cyprinid from Lake Victoria). Dried omena contains approximately 55g protein per 100g, making it among the highest protein-density foods available. Because you eat the entire fish — bones, head, organs — a single 30g serving provides more calcium (~420-770 mg) than a full glass of milk (~300 mg per 250 ml). Bone calcium (hydroxyapatite) absorbs at 25-35%, comparable to dairy calcium. Omena also delivers omega-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA), heme iron, zinc, and vitamin B12. At KES 300-500 per kg dried, it is one of the cheapest complete protein sources in the country. The main nutritional risk: deep-frying destroys 30-50% of the omega-3 fatty acids. Stir-frying for 3-4 minutes preserves 70-80% — same fish, same pan, different health outcome.

Githeri is one of Kenya's most nutritionally complete single dishes, and it is also one of the cheapest (KES 70-100 per plate at a kibanda). The principle: maize is severely deficient in lysine (PDCAAS 0.35-0.45), and beans are deficient in methionine and cysteine (PDCAAS 0.55-0.65). Combined at roughly 60:40 dry weight, the complementary amino acids raise the effective protein quality to PDCAAS 0.75-0.85 — approaching meat levels. Add the fiber from beans (15g per cup), the folate, the iron (though bioavailability depends on preparation), and the potassium, and githeri outperforms most alternatives at its price point. The Kamba variation — muthokoi, where the maize hull is pounded off before cooking — is even better: removing the hull strips 40-60% of phytates, roughly doubling mineral absorption from the same two ingredients.

The nutrition transition has sidelined several traditionally consumed foods that are nutritionally superior to their modern replacements. Finger millet (wimbi) ugali has 344 mg calcium per 100g flour versus 28 mg for maize flour — a 12x calcium downgrade. It is also higher in iron, protein, and methionine. Fermented uji (esitoi) in the Luhya tradition reduces phytates by 60-80%, generates B vitamins, and provides probiotics; it has been replaced by quick-cook unfermented maize uji. Indigenous vegetables — terere (amaranth leaves), saga/chinsaga (spider plant), mrenda (jute mallow), managu (African nightshade), pumpkin leaves — are richer in iron, calcium, and vitamin A than the cabbage and sukuma wiki that dominate urban plates. Mursik (Kalenjin fermented milk in a charcoal-lined gourd) is Kenya's most significant traditional probiotic food. Njahi (lablab beans from Meru) are higher in protein, iron, and folate than common kidney beans.

Each region has nutritional strengths and gaps. Luo/Lake region cuisine is the most micronutrient-rich when traditional: regular omena provides calcium, omega-3, and heme iron, and indigenous vegetables like osuga, apoth, and saga add iron, vitamin A, and calcium. Coastal/Swahili cuisine is accidentally bioavailability-optimised: coconut fat enhances fat-soluble vitamins, fish provides heme iron and MFP factor, tamarind provides organic acids for iron, and turmeric delivers curcumin. Kalenjin/Rift Valley cuisine features mursik (probiotic fermented milk) and historically had among the highest calcium intakes of any Kenyan group. Kikuyu/Central Kenya cuisine's mukimo (irio) is a nutritional engineering marvel: potatoes contribute vitamin C that enhances iron from pumpkin leaves and maize, peas complete the amino acid profile. Kamba/Eastern cuisine is the most legume-diverse, with muthokoi, isyo, and pumpkin-based musokoi providing vitamin A. Somali cuisine features camel milk (3x the vitamin C of cow's milk), bone-broth maraq, and fermented anjero.

Ugali + omena + sukuma wiki (~KES 100-150): delivers heme iron, calcium from fish bones, omega-3, vitamin A (from sukuma in oil), complete protein, and the MFP factor enhances non-heme iron from the ugali. Four synergies in one plate. Githeri with soaked beans + sukuma in oil + lemon (~KES 80): complementary amino acids approaching complete protein, iron with vitamin C enhancement, vitamin A from greens cooked in fat, fiber from beans. Rice + ndengu + kachumbari (~KES 100-130): mung beans have lower phytates and higher digestibility than kidney beans, kachumbari provides raw vitamin C doubling iron absorption. Fermented millet uji + banana (~KES 30-50): 344 mg calcium per 100g from millet flour, 60-75% phytate reduction from fermentation, probiotics, B vitamins. Eggs + chapati + sukuma wiki (~KES 80-100): complete protein (DIAAS 113%), lysine-fortified carbohydrate from fortified wheat flour, vitamin A from greens, iron from both egg and flour fortification.

Kenyan food availability is deeply seasonal, creating predictable nutritional valleys that most people do not notice. Mango season (December-April) floods the market with cheap mangoes (KES 5-10 each) delivering 60 mg vitamin C and 100-170 mcg RAE vitamin A per fruit. When mango season ends, users who relied on them see a sharp drop in both nutrients. Avocado season (March-September) provides cheap monounsaturated fat, folate, potassium, and fiber at KES 10-20 each. Outside season, prices triple. Rainy seasons change market availability: winged termites (nzau) appear only during November and April rains and are extraordinarily nutrient-dense (35-40% protein, high iron, zinc). Omena prices spike predictably in January-February. Timiya, with a year of data, can anticipate these gaps: "Mango season ends in 3 weeks — last year your vitamin A dropped 42%. Orange-fleshed sweet potato twice a week would prevent the drop."

Cabbage substitutes for sukuma wiki on plates across Kenya but delivers dramatically less nutrition. Per serving, sukuma wiki provides 250-420 mcg RAE of vitamin A (as beta-carotene); cabbage delivers near-zero. Sukuma wiki provides 30-50 mg of vitamin C (briefly cooked); cabbage provides less, especially when overcooked to mush. Sukuma wiki has ~179 mg of calcium with ~40-50% bioavailability due to low oxalates (20-60 mg/100g); cabbage has less calcium and comparable bioavailability. Sukuma wiki provides ~1.2 mg of iron per cup with the vitamin C to enhance its own absorption; cabbage contributes minimal iron. The market price is similar — sukuma wiki at KES 10-30 per bunch, cabbage at comparable prices. Swapping cabbage for sukuma wiki is a zero-cost nutritional upgrade that Timiya flags every time it appears on a plate.

Street food and fast food meals vary dramatically. Chips + chicken + soda (KES 350-600) delivers complete protein from chicken plus heme iron and B12, but the chips are deep-fried in omega-6-dominant oil, the soda contributes 38-40 g of sugar and zero micronutrients, and there are no vegetables, fiber, or vitamin A on the plate. Kibanda ugali + sukuma + beans (KES 80-120) is nutritionally superior despite being cheaper: complementary amino acids, vitamin A from greens cooked in oil, fiber from beans — but needs kachumbari for vitamin C to unlock iron absorption. Smokies + kachumbari (KES 30-50) has high sodium (800-1,200 mg per serving), nitrates, and low protein quality — adding a boiled egg (KES 15-20) would add 6g complete protein, 1 mcg B12, and 150 mg choline. Instant noodles + egg — the dominant student meal — delivers 1,200-1,800 mg sodium from the flavour sachet with virtually zero vitamins A or C; tearing a handful of sukuma wiki into the pot (KES 2-3) adds vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, and fiber.

Timiya tracks 11 categories of long-term intelligence that become available as you log meals over weeks, months, and years. These are: (1) cause-and-effect confirmation of nudge effectiveness, (2) deficiency trajectories projecting where your nutrients are heading, (3) seasonal and cyclical patterns tied to food availability and cultural calendars, (4) dietary drift detection of gradual invisible changes, (5) preparation method impact quantified against your own data, (6) food combination fingerprint mapping your personal enhancer/inhibitor effects, (7) cost-per-nutrient optimisation showing which foods deliver the most absorbed nutrition per shilling, (8) life-stage transition recalibration when your body's needs change, (9) nudge adoption tracking to understand what changes actually stick for you, (10) meal timing patterns revealing when you eat and how it affects absorption, and (11) per-nutrient deep-dive profiles synthesising all data for each of the 39 tracked elements. No other nutrition app can offer these insights because none tracks absorption.

A deficiency trajectory projects where your nutrient levels are heading based on your current patterns — not just flagging today's shortfall, but predicting the timeline to clinical risk or recovery. After 2-4 weeks of data, basic trajectories become visible. By 2+ months, they are reliable enough for projections. For example: "Your iron absorption has averaged 2.1 mg/day over the past month against a target of 8.1 mg. At this rate, your iron stores will deplete within 3-4 months. Women with this pattern are at high risk for iron-deficiency anaemia." Or the positive version: "Your folate absorption has improved from 180 mcg/day to 310 mcg/day over the past 6 weeks. At this rate, you'll reach your 400 mcg target by mid-October." Trajectories show "improving," "stable," or "declining" as ambient status in the daily view. Critical trajectories trigger proactive alerts with specific, actionable recommendations.

Drift is how healthy diets quietly become unhealthy — and the reverse. Nobody wakes up one morning and stops eating vegetables. They eat slightly fewer this week, slightly fewer next week, and three months later they have halved their leafy green intake without noticing. Daily scoring cannot catch drift because each day looks approximately like the day before. Timiya maintains rolling 4-week and 12-week averages for each food category and nutrient. When the short-term average diverges from the long-term baseline by more than ~20%, a drift notification surfaces. Examples: "Your leafy green intake has dropped 34% over the past 8 weeks — from 5 meals per week in July to 3.3 in August. This is affecting your vitamin A, folate, and calcium absorption." Or: "Your chai timing has been drifting back toward meals. Six weeks ago, 70% of your chai was between meals. This week, only 40%. Your iron absorption has declined accordingly."

After one full seasonal cycle (3-4 months for produce, 12 months for annual patterns), Timiya begins detecting recurring nutritional patterns tied to food availability, cultural calendars, and personal routines. In the second cycle, it becomes predictive. Kenya's food calendar creates predictable nutrition valleys: vitamin A and C drop when mango season (December-April) ends; MUFA, folate, and potassium decline when avocado season (March-September) ends; omega-3 dips when omena prices spike in January-February. Cultural calendars add another layer: Ramadan changes meal timing and composition for Muslim users (compressed eating windows may push chai closer to meals, reducing iron absorption by 35%); Lent affects food choices for Christian users; December holidays shift everyone toward higher sodium, higher calorie, more processed eating. After a year, Timiya can send preemptive suggestions: "Mango season ends in 3 weeks — last year your vitamin A dropped 42%. Orange-fleshed sweet potato twice a week would prevent the drop."

Your food combination fingerprint is a personal map of which food pairings consistently enhance or inhibit nutrient absorption for you specifically, built from your actual meal data over time. Population-level science says chai reduces iron absorption by 60-70%, but the actual impact depends on how strong your chai is, how much milk you add, how large your iron portions are, and what else is in your meal. Over 2-4 months for common pairings (foods eaten multiple times per week), Timiya builds a ranked list of your personal enhancers and inhibitors. You might see: "Your personal iron enhancer ranking: (1) Lemon with lentils: +175% iron absorption. (2) Tomato in stews: +120%. (3) Sukuma wiki with ugali when cooked in oil: +60%." And: "Your personal iron inhibitor ranking: (1) Chai within 30 minutes of a meal: -65%. (2) Unsoaked beans: -48%." This fingerprint becomes the basis for increasingly personalised recommendations.

Every nudge is tracked as a hypothesis with a target nutrient and expected mechanism. When you start soaking beans, the system silently compares your zinc and iron absorption from soaked versus unsoaked bean meals. After enough paired data points (minimum ~10 meals), it reports the result: "You started soaking beans 6 weeks ago. Across 18 bean meals since then, your absorbed zinc averaged 4.2 mg/meal — up from 2.1 mg/meal before. That's a 100% improvement." The inverse is equally important: "You switched oil types based on a wellness recommendation. Your vitamin A absorption hasn't changed — the bottleneck for your vitamin A isn't the oil type, it's the amount." This transforms Timiya from an advice-giver into a personal nutrition experiment platform. Over time, confirmed cause-and-effect relationships build trust: the system proved itself right, or honestly admitted when a suggestion didn't move the needle.

For each of the 39 tracked nutrients, the deep-dive provides a complete picture: (a) A consumed-vs-absorbed trend chart — two lines showing what was on the plate versus what your body took up. The gap between them is the absorption gap Timiya exists to reveal. A narrowing gap means preparation changes are working; a widening gap means something new is inhibiting absorption. (b) Current status versus target — "Your absorbed iron today is 2.1 mg against a target of 8.1 mg (26%). Improving — up from 18% four weeks ago." (c) Your top sources ranked by absorbed amounts — often surprising, because the food you eat most frequently may deliver more weekly nutrition than the food with the highest per-serving content. (d) Deficiency consequences and sufficiency benefits. (e) A personalised path to adequacy based on foods you already eat and changes that fit your demonstrated preferences, ranked by impact and likelihood of adoption.

When a user reports a life-stage change — pregnancy, lactation, menopause, significant changes in physical activity, aging milestones — Timiya immediately recalibrates all nutrient targets. During pregnancy, iron requirements increase from 8 mg/day to 27 mg/day (more than 3x), folate from 400 mcg to 600 mcg, and calcium needs increase. A diet that was adequate before conception may be critically deficient during pregnancy. The system flags specific consequences: beef liver exceeds daily vitamin A and B12 needs in a single serving, but excess preformed retinol in pregnancy can cause birth defects — limit liver to once a week and get additional vitamin A from orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, where the beta-carotene form is self-regulated by the body. The tone shifts during transitions: more direct, more specific about consequences, more explicit about the connection between food and health outcomes.

Timiya combines local market price data with absorption-adjusted nutrient values to identify which foods deliver the most absorbed nutrition per shilling. Budget is the number one reported barrier to better nutrition in Kenya, but it is often a perception barrier rather than reality. The analysis frequently surprises users: omena delivers more omega-3 per shilling than salmon by a factor of 8x; sukuma wiki delivers more absorbable calcium per shilling than spinach by 10x; eggs provide complete protein, choline, B12, vitamin A, and iron for a fraction of beef's cost per nutrient. Over 1-3 months of data, the system can show: "Your most nutrient-efficient meal this month was githeri with soaked beans, sukuma cooked in oil, and lemon — total cost ~KES 80, delivering meaningful amounts of iron, zinc, calcium, folate, vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber, and protein."

Seven preparation and timing changes cost KES 0 and deliver measurable improvements. (1) Move chai to one hour after meals instead of with meals — iron absorption triples. (2) Ask for kachumbari instead of cabbage at the kibanda — same price, 15-25 mg vitamin C that doubles iron absorption. (3) Drink mala between meals instead of with ugali and beans — eliminates the 30-50% iron absorption penalty from calcium competition. (4) Stir-fry omena for 3-4 minutes instead of deep-frying — preserves 30% more omega-3 fatty acids. (5) Ferment uji for 48 hours before cooking — cuts phytates by 60-75%, doubling iron and zinc absorption. (6) Soak beans overnight and discard the water — removes 30-50% of phytates. (7) Steam greens instead of boiling them — retains 50% more folate. These changes require no new ingredients, no extra money, and no recipe overhaul.

KES 3: One tablespoon of cooking oil on boiled sukuma wiki — vitamin A absorption jumps 5-7x. KES 5: One tomato added to plain ugali — iron absorption rises from 2% to 5%. KES 5: Half a lemon squeezed over bean stew — doubles iron absorption from ~3% to ~6-8%. KES 5-10: One guava with morning bread and chai — triples iron absorption from fortified flour (guava delivers ~230 mg vitamin C, the most potent iron enhancer in the Kenyan fruit market). KES 5-10: A handful of sukuma wiki torn into Indomie noodles in the last 2 minutes — adds vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, and fiber. KES 10: A teaspoon of butter or Blue Band on boiled sweet potato — vitamin A delivery increases 5-7x, from ~50 mcg to ~270 mcg RAE. KES 15-20: A fried egg on spaghetti or Indomie — protein quality of the entire meal nearly doubles from PDCAAS 0.45 to 0.80.

Using nutrient-dense affordable foods, a nutritionally balanced daily diet costs less than most people assume. A typical day could include: fermented millet uji for breakfast (~KES 30), githeri with soaked beans + sukuma in oil + lemon for lunch (~KES 80), and rice + ndengu + kachumbari for dinner (~KES 100-130), with a banana (KES 10) and a handful of groundnuts (KES 20) as snacks, plus mala between meals (~KES 30). Total: approximately KES 270-300. This provides complementary amino acids, calcium (from millet, mala), iron (from beans with vitamin C enhancement), vitamin A (from greens in oil), folate (from beans and greens), fiber (from beans, millet), B12 (from mala and fortified flour), and adequate energy. By comparison, a day of instant noodles + bread + chai + smokies costs roughly KES 200-250 but delivers far less usable nutrition, excessive sodium, and near-zero vegetable intake.

Cabbage to sukuma wiki: Same or cheaper price, 250-420 mcg more vitamin A per serving, more calcium, more iron, more folate. Soda to mala: Similar price (~KES 60-80 for 500 ml), replaces zero-nutrient sugar water with 250-300 mg calcium, 6g protein, probiotics, and B12. Unsoaked beans to soaked beans: Free — 30-50% phytate reduction means 30-50% more iron, zinc, and calcium absorbed. Regular uji to fermented uji: Free (just time) — fermentation doubles mineral absorption. Sunflower oil only to sunflower-canola blend or adding omena: Small cost increase, but shifts omega-6:omega-3 ratio toward the 4:1 target from the typical 15-20:1. White bread to whole wheat chapati: Similar price, more fiber, zinc, and magnesium. Smokies/sausages to eggs or omena: Cheaper, more protein, less sodium, less saturated fat, plus omega-3 from omena.

At a monthly food budget of KES 10,000-18,000, the strategy is maximising nutrient density per shilling with three principles. First, prioritise the nutrient-dense affordable staples: omena (KES 300-500/kg dried, delivers protein, calcium, omega-3, iron, B12), eggs (KES 350-480 per tray of 30, one of the most affordable complete proteins), sukuma wiki (KES 10-30/bunch, the highest vitamin A value among affordable greens), beans and ndengu (KES 150-250/kg, complementary protein with ugali), mala (KES 60-80/500ml, calcium, probiotics, B12), and orange-fleshed sweet potato (KES 60-100/kg, one serving meets daily vitamin A needs with a teaspoon of fat). Second, use the free preparation upgrades: soak beans overnight, ferment uji, move chai to between meals, always cook greens in a small amount of oil. Third, plan around seasonal availability: buy avocados when they are KES 10-20 each (March-September) rather than KES 50-80 out of season; stock dried omena in November before January-February price spikes.

Pregnancy dramatically increases requirements for several nutrients. Iron needs jump from 8 mg/day to 27 mg/day — more than a 3x increase — to support expanded blood volume and foetal development. A single cup of chai at mealtime blocks 60-70% of plant iron absorption, equivalent to throwing away two-thirds of an iron supplement. Folate needs increase from 400 mcg to 600 mcg DFE; folate from boiled vegetables drops 40-70% into the cooking water, so steaming or brief sautéing (which retains 60-85%) becomes critical. Calcium needs increase to 1,200 mg, especially relevant in Kenya where typical intake is only 300-500 mg/day. Vitamin A is essential but carries a specific pregnancy risk: preformed retinol (from liver) above ~3,000 mcg can cause birth defects — limit liver to once a week. Beta-carotene from orange-fleshed sweet potato is safe at any intake level. Traditional kienyeji chicken broth given to new mothers is bone broth rich in collagen, gelatin, calcium, and magnesium.

Children and adolescents have unique nutritional vulnerabilities. Iron-deficiency anaemia affects 26-36% of Kenyan children under 5, impairing cognitive development and immune function. Zinc deficiency stunts growth — WHO/UNICEF recommend zinc supplementation as part of childhood diarrhoea treatment because zinc deficiency damages intestinal epithelium and impairs immune response. Calcium needs are high during growth periods, making finger millet uji (344 mg calcium per 100g versus 28 mg from maize) particularly valuable. Iodine is critical for brain development — severe deficiency causes cretinism and reduces population IQ by 12-13 points. Student eating patterns are especially concerning: heavy reliance on instant noodles (1,200-1,800 mg sodium per pack), bread + chai as a complete meal, virtually no vegetables or fruit, and tea with every meal compounding the iron absorption problem. Students have 15.6x higher odds of an unhealthy diet despite high awareness of risks.

After age 50, several changes occur. Calcium absorption efficiency declines even with adequate vitamin D — maintaining the same intake means absorbing less, requiring either increased consumption or more bioavailable sources. Vitamin B12 absorption declines because stomach acid production decreases with age — up to 30% of adults over 50 have atrophic gastritis reducing B12 absorption. Vitamin D requirements increase from 15 mcg to 20 mcg (800 IU) per day at age 71, and melanin-related synthesis challenges compound with age. Protein needs may increase to 1.0-1.2 g/kg/day (up from 0.8 g/kg) to prevent sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss). Potassium becomes more important for blood pressure regulation — the sodium:potassium ratio matters more than either alone. Timiya recalibrates targets at age milestones and alerts when absorption data diverges from expected patterns consistent with age-related changes.

Higher physical activity increases requirements for several nutrients. Iron is consumed faster during exercise (both through increased red blood cell production and foot-strike haemolysis in runners), making iron deficiency the most common nutritional deficiency among endurance athletes. B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6, B12) are coenzymes in energy metabolism pathways that are upregulated during exercise. Magnesium is a cofactor in 300+ enzyme reactions including ATP production — deficiency causes muscle cramps, fatigue, and arrhythmias. Protein needs increase to 1.2-1.6 g/kg/day for active individuals, with leucine being the key trigger for muscle protein synthesis. Notably, beans have a protein digestibility score (DIAAS) of only 50-65% compared to eggs at 113% — your post-workout protein is not equal just because the grams match. Omena has a DIAAS comparable to beef (90-100%), plus calcium, omega-3, and heme iron — it is the most underrated training food in Kenya.

26% of Kenyan women of reproductive age are anaemic, with iron deficiency as the leading cause. The typical ugali + beans + chai dinner delivers only ~0.3 mg of absorbed iron per meal — far below the 1.5-2.0 mg needed daily to maintain iron balance. This invisible deficit drives the fatigue, weakness, difficulty concentrating, hair loss, and restless legs that many women experience without connecting them to diet. Folate is critical before and during early pregnancy for neural tube defect prevention, but the habit of boiling greens and discarding the water destroys 50-70% of folate. Calcium intake at 300-500 mg/day against a 1,000 mg RDA increases preeclampsia risk in pregnancy. Choline needs are highest during pregnancy (450 mg/day) for foetal brain development, but most women get far less — eggs (147 mg per egg) are the most accessible source. Iron supplements taken with morning coffee lose 40-60% effectiveness; taking them with a piece of orange on an empty stomach maximises absorption.

Poor diet is the single largest risk factor for NCD death globally — bigger than tobacco. The Lancet's Global Burden of Disease analysis estimated 11 million deaths per year attributable to dietary risks, accounting for roughly 1 in 5 deaths worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa, dietary risks cause 20.5% of all NCD deaths. In Kenya specifically: 24% of adults have hypertension, driven substantially by sodium intake and low fruit/vegetable consumption. 54.5% of adults have pre-hypertension. Up to 2 million Kenyans have undetected diabetes or pre-diabetes, with diet as a primary modifiable risk factor. 45% of women aged 20-49 are overweight or obese (53% in urban areas), driven by calorie-dense processed foods replacing nutrient-dense traditional foods. For every KES 1 invested in NCD prevention in Kenya, KES 1.23 is returned in productivity benefits.

High sodium is the single deadliest dietary risk globally, causing an estimated 3 million deaths per year, primarily through hypertension leading to stroke and heart disease. In Kenya, 24% of adults have hypertension and 54.5% have pre-hypertension — meaning more than half of Kenyan adults have blood pressure above normal. The sodium-potassium ratio may matter more than absolute sodium intake: high sodium plus low potassium (from insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption) is strongly associated with hypertension. Kenya's biggest hidden sodium sources: Royco/Mchuzi mix cubes (1,000-1,500 mg per cube — nearly a full day's limit from one seasoning cube), instant noodles (1,200-1,800 mg per pack), smokies and sausages (600-800 mg per serving), and added salt (23.2% of adults add salt before or during eating). The gap between awareness and action is enormous: 87.7% of Kenyans know salt is a health risk, but only 56% do anything about it.

Type 2 diabetes is driven by insulin resistance, which develops from chronic high blood glucose spikes. The primary dietary drivers are refined carbohydrates with high glycaemic index and sugar-sweetened beverages. Ugali from refined maize flour has a glycaemic index above 80 — consumed 1-2 times daily by most Kenyans. A 500 ml soda contains ~53g of sugar. 79% of adolescents and adults in Nairobi slums consume sugar-sweetened beverages, and 25% of adolescent calories come from ultra-processed food. Kenya has an estimated 813,300 diagnosed diabetics (3.1%) and up to 2 million undetected. Fiber slows glucose absorption — the decline from 30-50 g/day on traditional diets to under 15 g/day on modern urban diets accelerates blood sugar spikes. Green bananas (ndizi mbichi) have higher resistant starch than ripe ones, producing a slower blood sugar rise — a meaningful daily choice for diabetes risk management.

Cardiovascular disease causes roughly 88% of all diet-related NCD deaths. The three deadliest dietary factors each cause 2-3 million deaths per year: high sodium intake (drives hypertension), low whole grain intake (raises diabetes and CVD risk), and low fruit intake (reduces antioxidant protection). In Kenya, a Nakuru population survey found 50% had hypertension, 21% had high cholesterol, 13% had obesity, and 7% had diabetes — all diet-sensitive conditions. Saturated fat from coconut oil (11.2 g per tablespoon), ghee (7.9 g per tablespoon), and deep-frying raises LDL cholesterol. The omega-6:omega-3 ratio at 15-20:1 (target: 4:1 or lower) promotes inflammation. Potassium — abundant in avocado (975 mg per whole fruit), sweet potato (542 mg), and bananas (422 mg) — counterbalances sodium for blood pressure regulation, but only 6% of Kenyan adults eat the WHO-recommended 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day.

Iron-deficiency anaemia develops through a specific cascade. First, absorbed iron falls below what the body needs daily (1.5-2.0 mg for menstruating women). The body depletes its stored reserves (ferritin). Once stores are low, haemoglobin production falls, and blood can no longer carry adequate oxygen to tissues. The typical Kenyan dinner of ugali + beans + sukuma wiki + chai delivers ~12-15 mg of iron on the plate but only ~0.3 mg absorbed — because chai tannins block 60-70%, bean phytates push the ratio above 10:1, and milk calcium adds a further 30-50% inhibition. At 0.3 mg absorbed per meal across 3 meals, a woman absorbing ~0.9 mg/day against a need of ~8 mg/day will deplete her iron stores within months. Symptoms progress from fatigue and difficulty concentrating to pale skin, brittle spoon-shaped nails (koilonychia), hair loss, and reduced exercise tolerance. Moving chai to one hour after meals triples iron absorption — modest per meal, but the difference between progressive deficiency and a slowed decline.

Yes — these are the conditions where dietary intervention has the highest leverage because they are still reversible. For pre-hypertension (which affects 54.5% of Kenyan adults), reducing sodium to below 2,000 mg/day while increasing potassium (from avocados, bananas, sweet potatoes, beans, leafy greens) can reduce blood pressure by 5-10 mmHg — enough to move many people from pre-hypertensive back to normal. For pre-diabetes, improving carbohydrate quality (replacing refined maize with whole grains, reducing sugar-sweetened beverages) slows glucose spikes. Fiber from legumes slows carbohydrate absorption. An integrated digital health intervention in Kenya (M-TIBA + AfyaPap) improved diabetes control from 57% to 74%. The key insight from the research: information alone fails (91% know sugar is bad, 6% eat enough fruit and vegetables). What works is personalised, budget-aware, household-compatible guidance delivered at the moment of cooking or eating — exactly what Timiya provides.

The nutrition transition is the shift from traditional nutrient-dense diets to calorie-dense, nutrient-poor processed foods — the defining nutritional phenomenon for urban Kenya and the primary engine of the NCD epidemic. The paradox: 45% of Kenyan women aged 20-49 are overweight or obese while simultaneously deficient in iron, zinc, calcium, and vitamins. They are getting too many calories and not enough nutrients. What changes: whole grains (finger millet, sorghum with 344 mg calcium/100g) are replaced by refined maize flour (28 mg calcium/100g). Home-cooked beans are replaced by processed proteins with high sodium and nitrates. Traditional vegetables (10-15 indigenous varieties) are replaced by 3-4 vegetables. Water and mala are replaced by sodas and sweetened tea. Seasonal fruits are replaced by confectionery and biscuits. Traditional fats are replaced by omega-6-dominant sunflower oil (shifting the ratio from ~4:1 to 15-20:1). The metric that matters is nutrient density per calorie per shilling: how many essential nutrients does each KES spent on food actually deliver to your body?

Many traditional preparations turn out to be sophisticated bioavailability engineering. Soaking beans overnight was attributed to softening, but the soak activates phytase enzymes that break down 30-50% of phytates — the compounds that lock away iron and zinc. Fermenting uji for days (esitoi in Luhya tradition) reduces phytates by 60-80% while generating B vitamins and probiotics. Mashing peas, potatoes, and pumpkin leaves together in Kikuyu mukimo puts vitamin C (from potatoes) directly alongside iron (from pumpkin leaves) in the same bite — exactly what nutrition science prescribes for maximising iron absorption. Kalenjin mursik fermented in a charcoal-lined gourd is a probiotic food with lactobacillus cultures that enhance mineral absorption. Eating omena whole, bones and all, provides more calcium than a glass of milk. Coastal cooking with coconut milk, tamarind, and turmeric is a bioavailability masterclass: coconut fat unlocks fat-soluble vitamins, tamarind provides organic acids enhancing iron, and turmeric delivers curcumin that needs fat to absorb.

The converged urban diet — ugali + sukuma wiki + beans with chai — is nutritionally narrower than any single ethnic cuisine's traditional diet. Traditional diets used 10-15 indigenous vegetables where urban diets use 3-4. They used millet and sorghum (higher in calcium, iron, and protein) where urban diets use maize exclusively. They used fermented preparations (esitoi, mursik, fermented uji) that reduced antinutrients and enhanced mineral absorption where urban diets use quick-cook unfermented versions. They consumed omena, blood-milk mixtures, and diverse legume stews where urban diets rely on processed meats and limited legume variety. The standard Nairobi plate is deficient in calcium, omega-3, vitamin B12, and zinc, with poor iron bioavailability from phytates and tannins. Timiya recognises ethnic food identity — when you log omena, it may suggest osuga or apoth from the Luo pattern; when you log mursik, it notes the probiotic benefit from the Kalenjin tradition — and promotes traditional foods as upgrades over the converged urban diet.