How to Improve the Accuracy of Your Meal Logs

Our goal is to make sure your meal logs are interpreted as accurately as possible so we can provide you and your care team with reliable nutrition insights. This article explains how you can take clearer photos and add helpful details that improve how our system understands your meals.

1. Help Us Identify What You Ate

Clear descriptions help us correctly recognize and classify your food. When logging a meal, please consider adding a short note.

• Mention the brand and product name for packaged foods.
  Example: "Kirkland Greek Yogurt (plain, 2%)" instead of just "yogurt".
• Include preparation details where helpful:
  grilled, baked, fried, no sauce, extra sauce, gluten-free, low sugar, whole wheat, etc.
• List the main components for mixed dishes:
  Example: "Pasta with tomato sauce, ground beef, and parmesan".

2. Help Us Estimate How Much You Ate

Portion size has a big impact on nutrient calculations. Even an approximate amount is very helpful.

• Use simple measurements like:
  • 1 cup, ½ cup, 1 tablespoon, 2 tablespoons
  • 1 slice, 1 piece, 1 bowl
  • 2 oz, 150 g (if you know the weight)
• Compare to everyday objects when you are unsure:
  • "Piece the size of a deck of cards"
  • "About the size of my fist"
  • "Half a plate" or "Quarter plate"
• Don’t worry about being perfect. An estimate is much better than no portion information at all.

3. Help Us Read Labels and Recipes Clearly

When you upload photos of nutrition labels or recipes, we use both computer vision and human review to read the text. Clear photos make this much more accurate.

• Use 2× zoom for sharper text.
  Many phone cameras are sharper toward the center of the image and slightly softer at the edges. Zooming to around 2× makes labels and text clearer across the entire photo, which helps both our system and your care team read them.
• Let the camera focus before you tap the shutter.
  Hold your phone still for an extra second to give it time to focus.
• Capture the full label when possible:
  • Ingredients list
  • Nutrition facts
  • Serving size and number of servings per container

4. Help the System Recognize Foods in Your Photos

We use advanced image analysis to recognize foods and estimate portion sizes. A few simple habits can significantly improve accuracy.

Use Good Lighting

• Choose bright, even light. Natural daylight is ideal when available.
• Avoid strong backlighting (e.g., a bright window behind your plate).
• If indoors at night, try to:
  • Turn on overhead lights
  • Move closer to a light source
  • Avoid very dark or shadowy areas

Use a Helpful Camera Angle

• Take the photo at about a 45° angle when possible.
  This angle gives a good view of both the top and the sides of the food, which helps us estimate volume (how tall and dense the food is).
• Overhead photos (straight from above) are acceptable, but angled photos are usually better for foods like meats, sandwiches, salads, and bowls of pasta.

5. Extra Tips That Make a Big Difference

These steps are optional, but they can further improve the quality of your logs.

• Keep the background simple.
  A clear table or placemat makes it easier to separate the food from the background.
• Take a photo before you start eating.
  Partially eaten meals can be harder to assess accurately.
• Include common items for scale.
  A fork, spoon, or standard-sized cup in the photo gives a useful size reference.
• Use more than one photo if needed.
  For complex meals or large plates, multiple clear photos are better than one unclear one.
• When logging from memory, still add details.
  Even if you forgot to take a photo, notes about what you ate and approximate portions are still very useful.

If you follow these tips and still notice issues with how your meals are being interpreted, please leave feedback on the meal.