Apple's AI Can Now Count Your Calories With a Single Photo!

As the holiday season approaches, gatherings with friends and family become a time for enjoying delicious meals. From pies and cakes to casseroles and mashed potatoes, the festive spread is always tempting. This year, however, I wondered if there was a way to savor all the treats without overindulging.

Inspired by previous successes with Apple’s Visual Intelligence, I decided to enlist its help again. This time, the goal was to track the number of calories in the foods I enjoyed. By snapping images of my meals and snacks, I was pleasantly surprised by how accurately the AI could analyze and estimate calorie counts.

Using Apple's Visual Intelligence was easier than I anticipated. I took clear overhead pictures of my food, ensuring that portion sizes were visible. When the quantity wasn’t obvious, such as a scoop of ice cream, I provided descriptions like 'half a cup' or 'a large spoonful' to help Siri make accurate estimates.

To ensure the AI's reliability, I conducted a few tests with familiar snacks. I poured a snack-sized bag of Fritos into a bowl and compared the AI’s calorie count to the package’s nutrition information. The results were consistently accurate, boosting my confidence in using Visual Intelligence for daily calorie tracking.

While simple foods were easy to track, more complex meals like sandwiches required additional steps. Ingredients like sauces or cheese often weren’t visible in images, so I had to manually describe each component. Phrases like 'a little ketchup' or 'a handful of sprouts' helped Siri provide a more precise calorie count.

One of the standout features was Siri’s ability to remember and tally my daily calorie intake. By integrating with my calendar, I could monitor my calorie consumption over weeks or months. This ongoing tracking made it easier to stay aligned with my eating goals and maintain healthy habits.

Using Apple’s Visual Intelligence to track calories proved to be an empowering tool during the holiday season. It encouraged mindful eating without the feeling of restriction and helped me stay on top of my New Year’s resolutions. While not perfect, this AI-assisted approach seamlessly integrated into my routine, making healthy choices more manageable and enjoyable.