Log a meal: say it, snap it, scan it or tap it

Say it, snap it, scan it or tap it. Use whatever is fastest in the moment, and check the numbers before anything is saved.

About 2 minutes iPhone

Step by step

Five ways to log

  1. 1

    Open the meal logger

    Tap the round + button above your tab bar, then Log a meal. On the Meals tab, Log food opens the same screen, and the + on a meal like Lunch logs straight to it.

    At the top, Breakfast · Today shows where the meal will go. It's set from the time of day. Tap it to change the meal or the day.

  2. 2

    Say it or type it

    Tap the mic and say what you ate, or type it: “chicken burrito bowl, extra rice, no sour cream.” Protocol estimates the calories, protein, carbs and fat for each part.

    Check the list. Pick a Portion if you ate more or less, or type a fix under Not quite right?, like “I only ate half”. Then tap Log meal.

  3. 3

    Snap your plate, a label or a menu

    Tap Photo. Choose Meal for your plate, Label for a nutrition panel or Menu for a restaurant menu item, and take the shot. Library picks a photo or screenshot you already have, like a delivery order.

    Add a few words if something is hidden, like the oil it was cooked in. You can add more than one photo to the same meal.

  4. 4

    Scan the barcode

    Tap Barcode and center it in the frame. The product card shows the numbers per serving, as printed on the package.

    Pick ½, 1×, 2× and so on, type a fraction like 8/3, or type grams if you weighed it. If the package doesn't say what a serving weighs, fill in 1 serving = __ g once and grams work from then on.

    Never seen that barcode? Protocol asks for a photo of the label, then remembers the product for the next scan.

  5. 5

    Tap a food you eat often

    Everything you log shows up under Quick add, in Recent, Meals and Foods. Tap + to log it again in one tap. The logger closes and it's in your day.

    Tap the sliders to change the amount first, or tap the name to check it before logging.

Good to know

Tips

Log from anywhere

Say “Log a meal in Protocol” or “Snap a meal in Protocol” to Siri, or add the Quick Log widget. Every Siri phrase · Add widgets.

Or just tell your coach

Pro members can say “Log my lunch: turkey sandwich and an apple” in Coach, and fix it later with “I forgot the avocado.” Ask your coach to log for you.

Prefer your own numbers?

Tap Enter macros manually at the bottom of the logger and type the calories, protein, carbs and fat yourself.

Save a food for next time

On a product or food, tap Save to my foods. Fixed a barcode's numbers? Fix this product for next time keeps your version.

Get a nudge at mealtimes

Meal reminders come at the times you pick, skip any meal you've already logged, and can open straight to the camera. Set up reminders.

Free and Pro

Free members get a few AI estimates a day for photos, voice and text. Barcode scans, saved foods and manual entry are always free. Pro makes AI logging unlimited.

On the web

Photo, text, label and menu logging work at stayonprotocol.com too. Voice and barcodes are iPhone only.

Use another nutrition app?

If it writes to Apple Health, Protocol can read your meals from there. Choose one place to log so nothing counts twice.

Still stuck?

Send us a message, screenshots welcome. We reply to every one, usually within a business day.

Contact support