No photo? No problem. Quick Log lets you describe a meal out loud or type it, and the AI analyzes it just like a scan — perfect for meals you’ve already eaten or food that’s hard to photograph.
When to Use Quick Log
- You already finished the meal before remembering to log it
- You’re at a restaurant and don’t want to photograph your plate
- You’re logging yesterday’s dinner from memory
- It’s something simple — “coffee with cream” doesn’t need a photo shoot
It’s also the right tool for drinks with nutrients in them. Logging “a glass of orange juice” through Quick Log captures the potassium and the fluid, which plain water logging doesn’t — see Tracking Fluids.
Starting a Quick Log
From your diary, tap + Add in any meal section and choose Say or Type (“Describe your meal”). The screen shows which meal you’re logging to — for example, “to Breakfast.”
Logging by Voice
- Tap the big microphone button (Tap to speak).
- The first time, allow microphone access when asked.
- While it shows Listening…, describe your meal naturally: “Two scrambled eggs, a slice of toast with butter, and coffee.”
- Tap the button again to stop (Tap to stop).
Your words appear in the text box below, so you can fix anything the speech recognition misheard before continuing. If voice isn’t available on your device, just type instead.
Logging by Text
Prefer typing? Use the text box under “or type below.” The placeholder shows the idea: “2 eggs, toast with butter, coffee”. A plain, comma-separated list works great — no special format needed.
When you’re happy with the description, tap Continue. You’ll see Processing… for a few seconds while the AI identifies each food and estimates its nutrients.
How to Phrase It for Best Results
The more specific you are, the better the estimate. The app’s own tips:
| Tip | Instead of… | Say… |
|---|---|---|
| Be specific | ”chicken" | "grilled chicken” |
| Add portions | ”rice" | "2 cups of rice” |
| Describe prep | ”fried" | "steamed” |
A few example entries that work well:
- “Bowl of oatmeal with blueberries”
- “Grilled chicken salad, no tomatoes”
- “Leftover pizza, 2 slices”
- “Coffee with cream”
Tip: Mention brand names when you know them (“Campbell’s chicken noodle soup”) and anything that changes the numbers (“low-sodium,” “rinsed canned beans,” “no added salt”). The AI uses every detail you give it.
If the AI can’t find any food in your description, you’ll see No Food Detected — just go back and try a clearer description.
Reviewing Before You Log
After analysis you land on the Review screen. At the top, a “You said:” card shows your original words so you can compare them against what the AI understood.
The rest is the standard analysis: Kidney Score, meal totals against your daily limits, each identified food with its Safe / Moderate / Limit rating, Smart Swaps, and a tip — see Scanning a Meal for a full walkthrough. Before logging, take a quick pass through the foods:
- Remove anything the AI added that you didn’t eat
- Edit any food to fix the portion or nutrient values
- Use the ⋯ menu to Re-analyze with details if you forgot something, ask the AI a question with Ask About Meal, or Save to Favorites for one-tap logging next time
When it looks right, tap Add to Diary and choose the meal. Done — the nutrients land in your diary immediately.
The Daily Limit
Each Quick Log analysis counts toward the same free allowance as scanning: 5 AI analyses per day across photo, label, barcode, and voice/text combined. The badge at the top of the Quick Log screen shows how many you have left, and the count resets at midnight local time. KidneyPal Pro removes the limit — see Subscription & Billing.
A Word on Accuracy
Voice and text estimates depend entirely on your description — the AI can’t see the plate, so portion sizes are its best guess from what you tell it. Treat the numbers as good estimates, double-check anything that looks off with the Edit button, and keep following the targets your care team has set for you.
