One of the hardest parts of nutrition is the sheer effort involved in tracking. It’s often tedious and hard to sustain past a couple of months. Is there an easier way?
What if you could calculate an approximate nutrition fact label using something as simple as a photo of your food? This is surprisingly accurate using modern AI models, particularly for macronutrient breakdowns (percentage of fat/carbs/protein) and micronutrients that are visible based on the ingredients (e.g., potassium or fiber).
Generate nutrition facts from a food photo
Snap a picture of your breakfast, lunch, or dinner and see not just calories, but a breakdown like:
- Protein, fat, and carbs (both as grams and percentage of total calories)
- Saturated fat (important for cholesterol & heart health)
- Fiber (good for digestion, satiety, glucose, and cholesterol)
- Sodium and potassium (essential for blood pressure)
- Sugar and glycemic index (helpful for blood sugar management)
How the AI nutrition calculator works
Underneath, the Empirical Health app uses a large vision-language models (the type used to “see” and understand images), databases, and heuristics around ingredient estimation.
The process involves multiple steps: first, the AI identifies the ingredients actually on the plate. If this is incorrect, you can edit hte results. Then, recognized ingredients are mapped to their standard nutrition facts. Then, the app then computes a nutrition label with “heart health highlights” like sodium, potassium, fiber, and saturated fat. Last, the app also generates
It’s not perfect science (AI can’t weigh your chicken breast). But it’s remarkably helpful for trends and learning nutrient density.
Multiple input options: photo, text, supplements
Most people start with food photos, but the app isn’t limited to pictures. You can:
- Snap a photo of a meal or packaged food.
- Type a description (“turkey sandwich with swiss, tomato, on rye”). This helps when you forget to take a picture.
- Log supplements such as psyilum fiber husk, fiber gummies, and so on.
Free apps for iPhone and Android
You can calculate nutrition facts for free using the Empirical Health app on iPhone or Android.
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