Count calories from a photo of your food
On this page
How a photo becomes a logged meal
You photograph the plate and send it in the chat, with or without a caption. JISM identifies each item, including home-cooked and regional dishes, estimates how much of each is on the plate, and matches it against a food database. The reply lists every item with its portion and its calories and macros, then the total left for your day.
- Add a caption to make it sharper: "cooked in olive oil", "half of this", or a weight you measured.
- Correct in one message: "the rice was a full plate" or "no bread" updates the entry.
- Packaged food: a photo of the barcode or the nutrition label is read exactly instead of estimated.
- Several dishes: send more than one photo in a message and each is handled.
How accurate a photo estimate is
A photo is very good at telling what the food is and less good at telling how much of it there is, because depth, hidden oil and the size of the plate are hard to judge from a picture. That is why JISM shows the portions it assumed instead of hiding them: you know your meal, so you are the best judge of the one number a camera struggles with. The evidence on this is summarised in the article on how accurate a food photo calorie estimate is.
Where your photos go
Each photo is kept beside the meal it logged in your private web dashboard, so a week later you can see what you actually ate, not just a number. If you prefer typing, the same chat works as a calorie counter on WhatsApp by text or voice note, and it knows Arab dishes by name, as described on the Arabic calorie counter page. How your daily target is set is explained in the guide to daily calories.
JISM at a glance
| What it is | AI calorie tracker and personal nutrition and fitness coach |
|---|---|
| Where it runs | Inside WhatsApp: iPhone, Android and WhatsApp Web. No app to install |
| Languages | Arabic (Egyptian, Gulf, Levantine and more) and English; replies in any language you choose |
| How you log | Text, photo, barcode, nutrition label, voice note, or a food video link |
| What it tracks | Calories, protein, carbs, fat, water, workouts and weight |
| Price | 3-day free trial, no card. Then Standard or Pro, priced in your local currency: see plans |
| Billing | One-time payments. No automatic renewal |
| Who it is for | Anyone aged 16 or over |
Frequently asked questions
Can I get the calories of a meal from a photo?
Yes. Send the photo to JISM on WhatsApp and it replies with an estimate of the calories, protein, carbs and fat for each item it sees, plus the portions it assumed.
How accurate is a calorie estimate from a picture?
It identifies foods well and judges portions less well, so it is an estimate. Correcting the portion in one message, adding a caption, or photographing a barcode or nutrition label makes it more precise.
Does it recognise home-cooked Arab food?
Yes. It is built for the Arab world and recognises home-cooked and regional dishes as well as packaged and restaurant food.
Do I need to install an app?
No. Everything happens inside WhatsApp on iPhone, Android and WhatsApp Web. New users get a 3-day free trial with no card.