[Feature]: Tasker integration for faster logging and pulling nutritionalstats #391
Description
What feature would you like to see?
Hi there! Something I've been yearning for in a food logging app is the ability to more easily log food (eg preset/saved meals) through automation And it would also be additionally useful to be able to pull nutritional Info.
I'm proposing a FoodYou plugin for Tasker that can:
- Log food/meal presets with enumerated weight values within the plugins fields, then assign the logged meal/food/macro results to %variables within tasker
- Query FoodYous logs to pull calorie, carbs, fiber, protein and other nutrient logged values from a user defined date/day/time range.
I know this is not a small request. Here is some documentation on where one could start to bring this plugin to life.
What problem does this feature solve?
Really the possibilities are limitless. I find one of the biggest frictions in keeping up on a food diary is the manual searching/selecting/setting every single thing I eat. It could be actually possible to do this in literally one step with a created tasker action and foodyou integration. And not only might users create all sorts of useful tasker actions integrating FoodYou, but Tasker also has Taskernet to allow people to share it's additional usefulness with other people who are less savvy with automation.
Automated Food Logging is a sorely lacking feature in every food logging app. Food logging is already a challenging personal habit to stay on top of, And automation could make it far easier to make macro tracking a consistent aspect of our lives.
Additional context
Here's an example of the plugins utility to a user. Let's say I saved an apple as a saved/favorite/preset food. With Tasker integration I could put a button on my home screen and it instantly logs an Apple at a preset amount (eg 5oz).
Here's an example that is my north star: (preface I'm diabetic) I've split it into sections to make it clear what functionality belongs to the proposed FoodYou plugin does, as opposed to what Tasker is doing)
Tasker steps
- Use Auto Voice, "Log 8oz Apple, 2oz Almonds, and Fancy Omlette Meal"
- Tasker parses the text, and for each set it loops and passes the variables; Preset Name (Apple, Almonds, Fancy Omlette Meal) , Amount to log (8oz, 2oz, and the default 6oz for the Fancy Omlette Meal as defined within FoodYou)
FoodYou Tasker Plugin steps
- Inputs the variables in their respective Preset Name and Weight fields and logs each one alongside the current time. Then those fields are also assigned to tasker output %variables for usage elsewhere The output would be a Json object, within it contains nested object with the name, time, amount, and macros for each logged item.
- Then use the Plugin again to query my totals for net carbs and calories for that day.
Additional Tasker steps
- I use the Json objects to calculate the net carbs for those recently logged foods.
- Get a popup notification of how many net carbs I just logged and the value is copied to my clipboard
- I use that to input the amount in my insulin pump app.
- The values populate my self created home screen widget with the calories for the day, net carbs for the day
It is so laborious to search, input, calculate of that manually, for every single thing I eat everyday. It could literally be 2 steps with a proper automation configuration and integration. And you could do so much more beyond this.
If you need an reference of an (iOS) app that can do this, you can look at FoodNoms integration with Shortcuts. This is just reference from user experience and utility perspective.