Recently, I've been working on several drafts nonstop for half a month, and three meals a day were basically all takeout. My taste buds weren't deprived, but my body felt noticeably heavier. I wanted to keep an eye on my diet, but I really didn't have the energy to search for ingredients and calculate grams for every meal — the apps I downloaded before eventually ended up abandoned in a folder because they were too troublesome.
A few days ago, a friend sent me EtinAI, saying all I had to do was take a photo, perfect for a lazy person like me. I rolled my eyes at the time, thinking I've seen this kind of thing before — usually looks good on the surface but has ridiculously poor accuracy when you actually use it. But I gave it a try anyway, and over the past two weeks, it has become a routine before I eat. Today, I'll share my real experience with you, from the perspective of a die-hard takeout lover.
Two minutes in, I even made a little blunder
I downloaded it during my lunch break when I was slacking off. I expected it would take at least ten minutes to fill in info, set goals, go through the onboarding process, etc. But after logging in, it jumped straight to the shooting interface. I was stunned for two seconds: that's it?
I even made a fool of myself the first time. The takeout had just arrived, and I casually took a photo of the lid. After a while, no results came up, and I thought the app was stuck. Then I realized I had to take a picture of the food itself. I lifted the lid, aimed, and pressed the button. In less than three seconds, it gave me a complete nutritional breakdown, even indicating roughly how many grams of rice and how many pieces of potato were in the dish.
To be honest, I was a bit thrilled at that moment. Before, when logging a takeout meal, I'd have to search for 'braised chicken with rice calories,' then estimate the portions, do a bunch of math, and by the time I was done, the food was cold. Now, with a snap as I lift the lid, all the data is there. It's super friendly for people who are constantly busy.
I tested the accuracy on my three most-ordered takeout types
As a seasoned takeout lover, I deliberately picked the three meals I order most often to test whether it's truly practical.
The first was braised chicken with rice. This kind of dish, with sauce and oil and mixed ingredients, really tests recognition ability. The photo identified four categories: chicken, potatoes, green peppers, and rice. The total calories differed by less than 40 kcal from the reference values I had looked up. The only minor downside was that it couldn't distinguish between chicken thighs and chicken breast, but it's more than sufficient for everyday reference — still much better than my blind estimates.
The second was a light salad. This had the highest accuracy. Lettuce, chicken breast, eggs, cherry tomatoes, corn — every ingredient was clearly identified, and even the salad dressing was calculated separately. I specifically compared it with the nutrition label from the restaurant, and the error was very small. If you're eating light meals and want to check if you're getting enough protein, this is particularly handy.
The third was bubble tea. I didn't have high hopes for this one, since the liquid is inside a cup and it can't see through, right? But it recognized it as a milk tea category and provided a standard medium-cup calorie reference, with a note saying 'estimated value, for reference only.' I found this very honest — it doesn't boast about being able to measure everything, and its boundaries are clear.
I just wanted to snap a casual photo, but the data hit me
At first, I just wanted to take a quick photo while eating, without expecting any major changes. But when I reviewed a week's records over the weekend, I was really shocked by the data.
I always thought I was eating relatively healthy, but the stats showed I drank four cups of bubble tea in a week. That alone accounted for nearly a quarter of my daily calorie intake. My carbs were almost always over the limit, and my protein was often insufficient. Before, I ate based on feelings. Now, with the data in front of me, the next day when ordering takeout, I subconsciously added more meat and ordered one less cup of tea. No need for strict dieting — it gradually adjusts itself.
Plus, the records are automatically synced. I take photos on my phone, and I can view them on my tablet when I get home at night. No need for manual backups, and no worry about losing data if I switch phones. It's very friendly for someone as forgetful as me.
There are some downsides too, honestly
After two weeks, I also noticed a few things that aren't so smooth. Let me give you a heads-up.
First, it definitely can't recognize food that's still in packaging or under a lid. You have to lift the lid and take a picture of the food itself. Trying to be lazy and shoot through the box won't work. Second, for large shared dishes, like a big plate of grilled fish or a hotpot, the portion reference is tricky, so the error is larger than for single-person meals. Also, there's no voice input function. Sometimes my hands are greasy, and I want to add a note — it's not very convenient. I hope they add that in the future.
As for ads and pricing that everyone cares about, I haven't seen a single pop-up ad so far. The basic photo recognition, recording, and statistics are all free. The advanced features are buried deep, and I haven't even actively clicked on them. There's no pressure to upgrade to a membership — this is way better than many big-name apps.
A final heartfelt word
If you're like me — busy, eating lots of takeout, wanting to pay a bit of attention to your diet, but lacking the energy or need to be precise down to the gram — then EtinAI is really suitable for you. It's not a miracle tool, and it won't make you lose weight instantly, but it lowers the threshold for 'logging your diet' to almost zero. It's easy to do on a whim, so naturally you can stick with it.
But if you have strict dietary plans and need precise control over every gram of nutrition for professional reasons, then it's definitely not enough. You'd be better off with a food scale. It's just a handy little tool for ordinary people and lazy folks. No need to oversell it, but it genuinely solves a real, small hassle.
Anyway, the basic features are free, so just download it if you want to give it a try. If it's not good, you can delete it without losing anything.
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