Will Zero-Sugar Drinks Be Counted by GoBe U?

It's a common and understandable question: if a drink has no sugar or calories, will GoBe still count it? The answer is nuanced, and understanding why can help you interpret your GoBe readings.

How GoBe Interprets "Zero-Calorie" Drinks

While zero-calorie or zero-sugar drinks don't provide energy in the traditional sense, they often contain ingredients that can affect your body in ways GoBe's algorithms detect. These drinks typically include osmotically active substances like sucralose, sucrose, or even phosphoric acid (found in many colas).

Here's why this matters to GoBe:

GoBe estimates your calorie intake by interpreting the blood glucose curve. Osmotically active substances, even without providing direct calories, can influence this curve. For instance, some artificial sweeteners can trigger an insulin response or affect gut hormones, which might lead to changes in blood glucose levels that GoBe's sensitive sensors pick up.

Because GoBe's technology relies on these physiological changes to estimate energy intake, it will naturally report calorie intake after you've consumed such drinks, even if they are technically calorie-free.

Impact on GoBe's Accuracy

In essence, consuming zero-calorie or zero-sugar drinks can diminish the overall accuracy of your GoBe's energy intake readings. This is because the device is picking up on metabolic signals that mimic calorie absorption, even when no nutritional calories have been consumed.

If you regularly consume these types of beverages, be aware that your reported calorie intake might be higher than what you'd calculate based purely on food labels.

If you have any further questions about how GoBe tracks your intake or specific types of beverages, please don't hesitate to reach out!