Nutritional Scales

Carb-Counting Scales: the best available in Canada

If you’re looking for a tool to add to your carb-counting, fat-evaluating, protein-monitoring tool box, then look no further than this side-by-side comparison of a sampling of nutritional scales currently available in Canada. Here we share which features to consider, and the trick to knowing if the scale will tell you the carbs. PLUS we highlight those features that reduce the hassle of meal-time with the diabetes dragon for individuals with type 1 diabetes and their families (like us!)... how easy is it to clean? how easily can you see the display with a plate on it? how many foods in the database? can you add your own custom codes? what type of batteries?

It’s the end of an era.

After over eight years, our beloved Salter 1450 nutritional scale is on the fritz. It freezes up, stubbornly refusing any button entry until we pull out the batteries, let it rest a few seconds and then boot it back up. Any carb-counting, card-carrying D-parent knows the significance of this event, when something is ticking along beautifully, as so rarely happens in diabetes, and then the stupid diabetes dragon sticks out its foot and trips you.

Knowing the Salter days are numbered, I set out to replace it, only to find out that the 1450 is no longer available. (Yikes!) So what are our current options in terms of nutritional scales available in Canada? Here’s what we need to think about in the search for the best nutritional scale for those carb-counting and living with the diabetes dragon…

What Features Should I Look for in a Carb-Counting Scale?

The first thing you need to do is make sure it’s a “nutritional” scale. If it’s called a “kitchen scale”, a “food scale” or simply a “digital scale” it will only tell you total weight, not nutrient content. Nutritional scales go further, specifying the amount of nutrients (that is, carbohydrates, fat and protein) in a given portion of food. If you want a scale to help with carb counting, you need one that tells you these nutrient values – that is, you need a nutritional scale.

For managing diabetes, you want it to display (at a minimum) Carbohydrate content (even better if it subtracts the fibre from the carbs to give you the Available Carbs – also known as Net Carbs), Protein content, and Fat content (the latter two are important if you want to reduce blood sugar spikes by bolusing for protein and/or fat). Most nutritional scales will also display things like cholesterol, sodium, and calories; many also give the “sugar” content, which is less relevant for managing diabetes, as you need to know the total carb content, including but not limited to that supplied by sugar.

A few scales will also display the Glycemic Index value for a given food, which is very helpful in understanding the different blood glucose results that come from foods that digest at different rates, or if you use an extended bolus to adjust insulin action to match those slower-digesting foods. (Though currently I am unable to locate a scale that provides glycemic index values – past models that did so no longer seem to be available (such as the Biggest Loser Digital Nutritional Scale 3840 by Taylor, and the NutraTrack Pro by Mackie Scientific).

One of the reasons that I am rocked by the demise of our Salter 1450 is that it doesn’t use numerical codes to identify the food I want to weigh; I simply start entering the letters of the food name and then scroll down to the correct food, no code books to flip through, no numbers to memorize. This isn’t important to everyone; I know several D-Families who are perfectly happy with their numeric-code scales. But it’s key for me… I have enough numbers swimming around in my head, enough charts taped to the inside of my kitchen cabinets, enough one-more-steps to get me to the top of the Calgary Tower! If you feel the same way, then you’ll want to focus your search on scales that don’t require numeric codes. But I’m warning you, the pickings are slim.

In terms of the food database, how many different foods and variations of a given food does it contain? For example, is there a different entry for apples with skin versus without skin? Is there only general entry for “squash”, sending you to your hard-copy Calorie King book to find out how many carbs are in the spaghetti squash you’re eating tonight, versus the butternut squash you had last week? Further, can you enter your own custom codes / custom foods, for the mixed recipes and baking that your family eats regularly? This could save a lot of manual re-calculation every time you make that jambalaya or Grandma’s banana bread. (I have to admit, I never used this existing feature on our current scale… imagine the hours I could have saved myself! I may have won a Nobel prize in physics by now with all that time to study. Or maybe not.)

Can you see the display with a plate on the scale, or does the plate block your view? In our house when we use our smaller portable scale there’s plenty of peeking under and plate-shifting and swearing. Avoid this frustration with a display that is far enough away from the weighing surface to still see it while you are weighing your / your child’s food.

Tip from the Trenches

If you have a small, flat scale the display may sometimes be hidden by larger plates. You can make the display screen easier to see by placing some sort of pedestal on the platform under your plate - an upside-down bowl can work well to elevate your food, creating space so you can see the display easily. Just make sure to zero the weight of the pedestal before weighing your food! ~Michelle

What size and number of batteries does it use? (AAA tend to be more expensive than AA. Specialty batteries may not be easily available.) Can you attach a plug-in adapter to it (so you can bypass batteries when you’re at home)? Does it have an auto-off feature to save power and so extend battery life?
Some logistical considerations: How easy is it to clean? Does it have a removable plate, and if so, is it dishwasher-safe? Are the buttons flush and touch-sensitive, or raised with spaces around them for food and liquid to get in?

Does it have a tare feature? That is, can you zero the food that you already have on the scale, and then add another food to the same dish? If so, can you total all these foods at the end to get a carb count for the whole meal?

What is the maximum weight capacity of the scale? Some will error out at 2000g (around 5 lbs), while others will measure up to 5000g (~11lbs) of food in a single transaction. This becomes important for measuring the final yield of mixed recipes. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to weigh a casserole in separate batches because the total yield exceeded my scale’s 3kg weight limit. That’s one thing I’d rather not have to hassle about.

What is the price of the scale? Is that in Canadian dollars or American? (Right now, unfortunately, it makes a significant difference!) If you’re buying it online, is shipping included?

Nutrition Scale Comparison Chart

With these considerations in mind, here’s a sampling of some of the best nutritional scales currently available in Canada* and the features that make them winners (or not!) Bold text indicates the “best in class” for that feature, in my opinion. The following comparison chart includes:

- - - - Perfect Portions Digital Nutrition Food Scale
      - EatSmart Digital Nutrition Scale
      - NutraTrack Mini Nutrition Scale by Mackie Scientific
      - Kitrics Nutrition Label Scale
      - Wasserstein Digital Nutrition Scale
      - Smart Diet Scale
      - Escali SmartConnect Kitchen Scale with Bluetooth

(* unless otherwise noted that it is available outside of, but able to be shipped to, Canada)

Note that in the world of kitchen scales, identical scales may be available under more than one brand name, especially in different markets (Canada vs USA vs UK, for example). These brand names also change fairly often as new companies license them for distribution. The pictures are provided here so that you can research the scale you're interested in, even if it goes by a different name than the one listed on this page.

Perfect Portions

Eat Smart

Mackie Mini Nutra-Track

Kitric

Smart Diet Scale

Escali

	Perfect Portions (also known as Greater Goods Nourish Scale in other markets)	EatSmart	NutraTrack Mini by Mackie Scientific	Kitrics Nutrition Label Scale	Wasserstein Digital Nutrition Scale	Smart Diet Scale	Escali SmartConnect Kitchen Scale with Bluetooth SC115KS

Dimensions (L x W x H)	23.5 x 15.5 x 2.5 cm	22.9 x 19 x 4.4 cm	24.8 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm	25.9 x 18.0 x 6.6 cm (10.2x7.1x2.6 in.)	21.3 x 17 x 3 cm	26.7 x 22.4 x 2.8 cm (10.5x8.8x1.1 in.)	25.4 x 15.2 x 2 cm (10 x 6 x 1 in.)
Max. Weight Capacity	4.5 kg (10 lbs)	5 kg (11 lbs)	5 kg (11 lbs)	2 kg (4 ½ lbs)	(no details found)	5 kg (11 lbs)	5 kg (11 lbs)
Carb, Fibre, Protein, Fat? (You want at least these 4 in a nutritional scale)	Yes + Saturated fat + RDA for each based on a 2000 calorie diet	Yes + Total Fats; Saturated Fats. Displays Total Carbs & Fibre separately, not Net Carbs, (need to subtract the fibre manually)	Yes	Yes + RDA for each nutrient	Yes	Yes + Saturated Fat, Trans Fat, Sugar	Yes But it appears that only Total Carbs, not Net Carbs, are displayed (so will have to subtract the fibre manually)
Other Nutrients	Sodium; Cholesterol; Calories; Calories from fat; Sugars All nutrient values displayed in a single view (you don’t have to scroll).	Sodium; Cholesterol; Calories. Potassium; Magnesium; Calcium; Vitamin K. Displays 3 nutrient values at a time, so you scroll through 4 screens to see all the info.	Sodium; Cholesterol; Calories. All nutrient values displayed in a single view (you don’t have to scroll)	Sodium; Cholesterol; Calories; Sugars. All 8 nutrient values displayed in a single view (you don’t have to scroll)	Sodium; Cholesterol; Calories. All nutrient values displayed in a single view (you don’t have to scroll)	Sodium; Cholesterol; Calories. Vit A; Vit C; Iron; Calcium.	35 nutrients including: Sodium; Cholesterol; Calories; many vitamins and minerals, incl: Potassium; Magnesium; Calcium; Vitamin K.
Cumulative Nutrient Total (whole meal)?	Yes	Yes	Yes	(no details found)	(no details found)	Yes	(no details found)
Numeric Code entry? Or letters of the food name? Or other?	4-digit food code	3-digit food code	Number codes are printed on the tempered glass weighing surface, so you don’t need a code book	Number code	Number code	Enter the food name on your phone or tablet (both Android and iOS) – scale communicates wirelessly with your smart device using Bluetooth)	Send measurements wirelessly with Bluetooth from the SmartConnect kitchen scale to the Escali SmartConnect app on your mobile device for detailed nutrition analysis, and to create a food journal.
Database Size	1999	999	999 internal food codes, plus access to 6500-item online database	1999	999	Preinstalled: 550,000 food items, 100,000 restaurant items, 220,000 grocery items with UPC code	8000 (via app)
Custom Entries?	99	99	999	99	0	0	0
Display Visible with a Plate on the Scale	Only with a small dish	Yes: platform is raised above the display	Only with a small dish – display and weighing surface are on the same level	Yes: platform is raised above the display	Not easily (small scale, only ~6x8”)	Yes – displayed on your phone or tablet, separate from the scale	Yes – displayed on your phone or tablet, separate from the scale
Easy to Clean?	Smooth tempered glass top is completely flat, with integrated touch sensitive buttons	Glass top is removeable for washing	Smooth, flat, tempered glass surface is easy to wipe	Metal Plate is removeable for washing	Smooth, flat, tempered glass surface is easy to wipe	Smooth, flat, tempered glass surface is easy to wipe	Smooth, flat, glass surface with integrated touch sensitive controls is easy to wipe
Units of Measurement	Metric (grams) or Imperial (pounds, ounces)	grams, pounds, ounces	grams, milliliters, ounces, pounds/ounces, fluid ounces	grams, ounces	grams, ounces	grams, ounces	grams, pounds, ounces
Accuracy	Within 1g (0.1 oz)	Within 1g (0.1 oz)	Within 1g (0.1 oz)	Within 1g (0.1 oz)	Within 1g (0.1 oz)	Within 1g (0.1 oz)	Within 1g (0.1 oz)
Batteries	2 AA	4 AAA	3 AAA	2 AA	2 AA	4 AA	3 AAA
Approximate Price	~CA $50	~CA $70	~CA $60 – 100 depending on source	~CA $70	From USA: ~US $20 Available on Amazon.ca for ~CA$30	~CA $110 (though I've seen it on sale for as low as ca$25)	~CA $90
Warranty	5 years	2 years	5 years “bumper to bumper”	1 year	1 year	1 year	Lifetime ltd
Other points to note:	Display looks just like the Nutritional Facts panel we’re already familiar with	White backlit display; Memory mode saves up to 99 entries for daily or weekly tracking	24/7 support Their website says: “Proudly designed in the rainy Pacific Northwest by aging fitness fanatics”. That’s good enough for me!	Display looks just like the Nutritional Facts panel we’re already familiar with	Small, easily portable	Can weigh 4 different things at the same time in 4 quadrants; 6 user profiles; Reviews of the previous version of the app were negative, and without the app, the scale only measures weight; I find the scale finicky to work with, the 4 quadrants are more of a hassle than they're worth.	Reviews of the app are mixed, many are critical, and without the app, the scale only gives total weight.

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Waltzing the Dragon

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