Want to know what vitamins you need to take and have them injected into chocolate truffles? There’s an app for that.
Fitness app Lifesum mined the data of 100,000 New York City users to figure out what nutrients — and personal traits — we’re most deficient in. (Surprise, surprise: “calmness” is among them.)
From there, the app partnered with Swedish-inspired coffee chain Fika to create chocolate truffles infused with the vitamins New Yorkers need most: calcium for strength, vitamin E for glowing skin, zinc to support our immune systems and potassium to chill out.
According to Frida Harju Westman, Lifesum’s resident nutritionist, nutritional needs vary wildly by city.
Angelenos, for example, “are typically quite active, so magnesium would help locals unwind at the end of the day,” says Westman. Accordingly, their chocolates have more ingredients like almonds, which are rich in magnesium and tryptophan.
As for New Yorkers’ lineup of chocolates: Our dose of purportedly calm-inducing potassium comes rolled into a concoction of dates, cashew nuts, vanilla, lime and dark chocolate. It has a chewy, nutty profile similar to an Almond Joy (admittedly a highly divisive candy).
Although one could argue that riding the subway every day is our own special immunity boost, the Cleanse and Reboot chocolate delivers a hit of zinc in a tongue-singing spicy-chili and cinnamon-dusted truffle, filled with pumpkin, cayenne pepper and low-fat yogurt.
The Raw Radiance vitamin E chocolate, for glowy skin, is arguably the best-tasting of the bunch. The cashew, coconut, salt and quinoa concoction has a subtle crunch — true New York grit.
Finally, there’s the “Calcium Colada” chocolate, for strength. And it does take strength to get past its earthy, matcha-dusted exterior.
When you’re ready to swallow the bitter pill of our app-driven reality, these data-driven chocolates are available at Fika cafes and online ($10 for a box of four).