Carb counting from a photo: how it works and when to review

• You take a photo of your meal with your phone.
• The AI identifies the visible foods and the approximate portion of each.
• The app estimates the grams of carbs in each item and adds up the total.
• You check, edit or remove items, and only then save to your history.

A picture shows the surface of the plate. It doesn't show what's underneath or mixed in, or how the food was prepared.

• Sauces, sugar, flour and oil used in cooking.
• The real depth and volume of a portion.
• Homemade recipes and mixed dishes, where the ingredients blend together.
• Items partly covered by other foods or by packaging.

That's why the estimate can be wrong, and reviewing it is part of the process.

• Use good light, preferably natural light.
• Shoot from above, with the whole plate in the frame.
• Keep foods separate when you can.
• Include one meal per photo.
• Keep packaging, hands and cutlery out of the way of the food.

In PhotoCarbs, the result shows the total carbs up front, followed by the list of items. You can edit or remove any item. If the food has a label, it's worth checking the value on the packaging.

The two methods complement each other. Weighing food and checking tables or labels can be more precise when you're able to do it. A photo is faster and helps when you don't have a scale or the time, and PhotoCarbs doesn't require weighing. Either way, decisions about food and treatment are yours, together with your healthcare team.

Carbs front and center, meal history, favorites and a daily goal. If you like, you can also log blood glucose and, with FreeStyle Libre, import readings through your LibreLinkUp account.