AI can see your food- But can it count it?
THOUSAND PALMS, CALIF. (KESQ)- Recent research presented at the American Society for Nutrition meeting shows that popular photo-based AI food-tracking apps underestimate meal calories by 250 to 345 calories and miss about 30 grams of fat per meal, which amounts to roughly one-third of a meal's actual energy content.
Silvia Delgado, a registered dietitian with Kaiser Permanente, explained that caloric discrepancies can influence health outcomes. “The truth is this,” Delgado said. “You know, these apps, they might be off by 200 or 300 calories. It can make a difference.” However, Delgado noted that the margin of error should not deter people from logging their food, as tracking tools help users recognize eating habits and make healthier choices.
Valley resident Kain Ducusin uses the Cal AI application to monitor his daily intake. Ducusin noted that he has learned to double-check the application's automated entries to ensure accurate records.
“If I put in one egg, sometimes it shows up as two and it gives me double the protein, calories, everything,” Ducusin said. “So you just gotta go and like just fix that stuff.”
Delgado urged users to concentrate on overall nutritional balance. “I want people to really focus on the quality as well …the antioxidants, phytonutrients, the fiber, those things that are really going to help our overall health,” Delgado said.
For individuals managing chronic health conditions, dietary priorities can vary. Delgado noted that for someone with diabetes, tracking carbohydrates and their direct impact on blood sugar levels is often more critical than counting calories alone, adding that consulting a dietitian can help individuals determine which specific nutrients to monitor.
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