1. Find the food
Start with the search bar. Type the simplest name for the food, then add a brand or a store if you know it. If the package has a barcode, most apps can scan it, which is often the fastest match.
- Pick the entry that matches what you actually ate: cooked or raw, plain or flavoured.
- For a home-cooked meal, log the main parts one by one: the protein, the produce and the carb.
- Can’t find it? Choose the closest match and move on. A close entry beats a blank day.
2. Pick the portion
Every entry asks how much you had. Look at the serving options the app offers and choose the one that best describes your plate, such as a piece, a cup, a package or a weight if you use a scale.
- Use the same unit each time you log a food, so your days are easy to compare.
- A rough estimate still counts. You can get more exact later if you want to.
3. Save a meal you eat often
If you eat the same breakfast most mornings or rotate a few dinners, save them as a meal (some apps call it a recipe or a favourite). Next time it’s one tap instead of five searches.
- Name it the way you think of it, like “weekday yogurt bowl.”
- Use “copy from yesterday” or your recent foods list on repeat days.
4. Read your day at a glance
Most apps show a daily summary: your meals listed in order, totals for the day and a simple chart. Check it once, at the end of the day or the next morning, rather than after every bite.
- Look for patterns across a week, not a perfect single day.
- Notice which meals were easy to log. Those are good candidates to save.
- Missed a meal? Add your best guess or leave it. Tomorrow is a fresh log.