Why logging American food takes so long
Database calorie apps ask you to find the right entry. For a takeout burger, a slice from the local pizzeria or a bowl you built yourself, that means scrolling through dozens of near-matches with different numbers, then guessing the serving in ounces or cups.
NutriPixel skips the search. You take one photo of the meal, and it comes back as a list of separate foods you can check and adjust.
How NutriPixel handles an American meal
- Every item on the plate is separate. A burger, fries and a shake come back as three entries, each with its own calories and macros, so you can change one without touching the others.
- Pieces are counted. Pizza slices, nuggets, tacos and wings are counted individually, including partial pieces. Ate half a sandwich? Log 0.5.
- Servings are servings. Pasta, salads, burrito bowls and other foods that aren't eaten in pieces are counted by the bowl or plate, with fractions for a smaller helping.
- Or just say it. No photo? Tap the mic and say what you ate, or type it in plain words, like
2 scrambled eggs, toast and a latte
orturkey sandwich and a bag of chips
. - Packaged food. Scan the barcode on chips, cereal, a protein bar or a soda to log the label values, including servings listed in ounces, and see a simple health rating. If a product isn't found, photograph the Nutrition Facts label instead. See the barcode calorie scanner.
Calories in popular US fast food
These are the numbers each chain publishes for its US menu. Extra sauce, cheese or a bigger size changes them. NutriPixel doesn't look up restaurant menus; it estimates each food from your photo or description, and you can adjust the portion before logging. Tap a food for sizes, sodium and what's in it, or see calories in US fast food.
| Food | Serving | Calories | What moves the number |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonald's Hamburger | 1 Hamburger | 250 kcal | Cheese, extra patties and sauces |
| McDonald's Big Mac | 1 Big Mac | 580 kcal | The sauce and cheese; it has two patties |
| Burger King Whopper | Whopper | 710 kcal | Mayo and cheese; the Jr. is about half |
| McDonald's French Fries | Medium fries | 320 kcal | Size: large is about 50% more than medium |
| Domino's Hand Tossed Cheese Pizza | 1 slice, medium (12 in) | 200 kcal | Crust, pizza size and how many slices |
| Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich | 1 Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich | 420 kcal | Breaded and fried; sauces add more |
| Chick-fil-A Nuggets | 8 count nuggets | 250 kcal | Count, and fried or grilled |
| Chipotle Burrito Bowl | Chicken bowl: white rice, black beans, chicken, tomato salsa, cheese | 655 kcal | Rice, cheese, sour cream and guacamole |
Source: each chain's published US nutrition; each food's page links to its source and says when we checked it. McDonald's, Big Mac, World Famous Fries, Domino's, Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, Burger King and Whopper are trademarks of their respective owners. NutriPixel is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
The hidden calories: sauces, dressings and drinks
The biggest source of error in American meals usually isn't the burger or the pizza. It's what goes with it: mayo and special sauces, salad dressing, butter on toast, cream and syrup in coffee, and the drink. A medium McDonald's fries adds 320 kcal to a 580 kcal Big Mac before the soda.
So when a meal was clearly rich, such as extra sauce, a loaded salad or a large shake, nudge the portion up a little before logging, and log the drink as its own item. Over a week, that habit matters more than any single estimate.
Protein without the guesswork
NutriPixel tracks protein against a target set from your body weight, and when a meal is short on it, the tip on that meal suggests a side that fits what you're eating, such as Greek yogurt, eggs, chicken or cottage cheese. See the macro tracker.
Calories in and calories out
Counting what you eat is half the picture. Connect Health Connect and NutriPixel sets your meals against your steps, workouts and active calories, so you can see whether today was actually a deficit. See the calorie deficit tracker.
What it doesn't do yet
NutriPixel is Android-only for now. It doesn't have a searchable database of named restaurant dishes; it estimates from your photo or your description instead. You can enter your height and weight in feet, inches and pounds when you set up, but weigh-ins are logged in kilograms for now.