Log foods by scanning barcodes and snapping pictures

Scanning is free for all Carb Manager users. Basic and Premium users can log foods by scanning a UPC or EAN barcode from a food label when using the Carb Manager mobile app. Premium members can also log foods by snapping a picture of a food. Carb Manager searches for your food in our databases, and if Carb Manager can’t find your food, you can add it. If you have the Carb Manager Keto Diet Cookbook, you can also scan the QR codes in the cookbook. You can then log the cookbook recipe or copy it to My Foods like other recipes.

1. Select Add Item >  Scan Food.
2. One-time setup: If your mobile device prompts you to give Carb Manager access to your camera, select the option to allow access.
3. At the top of the screen, Scan is already selected so you can capture a barcode, or select Snap to take a picture of one or more foods.
4. Optional: Scan a barcode: Point the camera at the barcode and move the UPC or EAN barcode inside of the target on the screen. Carb Manager will automatically capture the barcode and try to locate the food’s nutrition information. Your device may not have a target on the screen.
   
   

   Do one of the following steps.

   • If Carb Manager did not find your food, try again. Glare and other factors can interfere with capturing a clear UPC or EAN barcode.
   • If Carb Manager did not find your food and you want to add it, select Add Food, then complete the steps in Create custom foods to enter details about the food and how to log the food.
   • If Carb Manager found your food, a screen opens with your food’s nutrition information. Go to step 6 in this article to log the food.
   • If Carb Manager found your food, you can edit the food's nutrient values, share the food with friends, or copy the food to your My Foods list. To do so, select  Options in the food's screen, then select Quick Edit Nutrients, Share Food, or Copy to My Foods.
     Note: For more information about editing nutrients, including how to reset changes you made, see View and edit nutrition information in foods, recipes, and meals.
5. Optional: Snap a picture: Point the camera at your food and select the Camera button to snap a picture. Carb Manager uses advanced image recognition technology to make intelligent predictions about the nutrients in the food in your image.
   
   

   Carb Manager typically lists a number of foods in the food search view. Go to step 6 in this article to log your food choices.

6. In the Servings section of the food’s detail screen, enter or select the number of Servings.
   Tip: To enter part of a whole serving, either enter a decimal in the Servings field, such as .5, or select a fraction from the list, such as 1/2. In the mobile app, if you only want to select whole and partial servings from a list instead of entering numbers, select Switch to Selector.
7. Optional: To see more options, select Show Advanced, then do any of the following steps.
   • Premium members: if you enabled meal goals, select % of Day or % of Meal to view the food's macros as a percentage of the goals for your day or meal. Carb Manager updates the chart near the top of the screen.
   • To log the food to a different meal, select a Meal. (Carb Manager automatically selects the meal that is closest to the current time of day.)
     Tip: If you’re a Premium member, you can change the time when a meal, snack, or supplement occurs. For details, see Set time ranges for meals, snacks, and supplements.
   • To automatically log the food to another day in addition to the current day, select an option from the Repeat list. For details, see Log recurring foods automatically.
   • To log the food to a different day instead of the current day, select a Date.
   • To change the time that will be logged with the food, which is only available if you turned on the setting to track meal times, enter a Time.
8. Select Add to add the food to the daily log.
9. Optional: If you are fasting and try to log food during a fasting window, select Continue Logging & Keep Fasting or Log food & break my fast now.
   Tip: To change the food's timestamp to a time within your eating window, select Cancel to return to the food's detail screen, select Show Advanced, and select a different Date or Time. Then, select Add to log the food.

The food and its nutrition information appear in the daily log.