What you need to share (to get good estimates)
For calorie and macro estimates, these are the useful inputs:
- Meal: what you ate
- Portions: cups, slices, “half”, palm-sized, etc.
- Details: brand, cooking method, sauces/oils, drinks
- Context (optional): “restaurant” vs “homemade”, and whether you ate half
Portion tips live here: ChatGPT portion estimation.
What not to share (data minimization)
None of these are required for food estimates and they increase risk if saved or leaked:
- Passwords, account recovery info, or any authentication codes
- Full name, home address, phone number
- Financial information
- Anything extremely sensitive that isn’t necessary for nutrition tracking
A “privacy-first” prompt template
Use a template that only includes food details.
Estimate calories and macros (protein, carbs, fat). Meal: [what I ate] Portions: [rough amounts] Details: [brand/recipe/cooking method, sauces, oils, drinks] Output: 1) Total calories + macros 2) Assumptions you made 3) The one detail I should clarify (food-related only)
How to evaluate a tool’s privacy posture
- Does it have a clear privacy policy that states what’s stored and why?
- Can you delete or export your data?
- Is the data used for anything besides providing the product?
For TrueCal specifically, the authoritative source is the privacy policy.