Read the basis of the label
Check whether the number is given per 100 g, per 100 ml or per serving. A manufacturer’s serving may differ from the amount you eat, and a pack may contain several servings.
Illustrative arithmetic: if a label states 200 kcal per 100 g, a 150 g portion corresponds to 300 kcal. That is a calculation example, not a recommended portion or calorie target.
Choose the food that matches what you ate
In Mizen, read the full entry before adding it: food name, brand when relevant, and preparation state. A generic ingredient is not automatically the same as a branded product or a prepared dish.
Keep the weight and the entry consistent: a dry-rice entry needs the dry quantity, while a cooked-rice entry needs the cooked quantity. If the correct entry or quantity is missing, clarify it instead of choosing a convenient but misleading substitute.
- Check the exact product after scanning a barcode.
- Check the unit as well as the number.
- Review any estimated photo or text result before confirming.
Record the whole meal, without chasing perfection
Drinks, cooking oils, spreads and sauces are easy to miss when recording a meal. Including them makes a diary more representative of what you consumed.
Use the easiest appropriate route in Mizen: food search, a product barcode or the photo/text tools available to your account. Review the suggestion and portion before adding it. A photograph cannot reveal every ingredient or guarantee an exact quantity.
Keep a calculation separate from a health recommendation
A calorie value describes energy; it does not tell you everything about the food or whether a meal is right for your situation. Food labels also give nutrient information, and personal needs vary.
Treat the daily total as a record to understand, not a score to minimise. Missing nutritional information is not the same as zero. Check the source or product label when an entry seems incomplete, rather than assuming the app knows an absent value.
Use your diary to answer a practical question
Try a question such as: which lunches are easiest for me to prepare, or which food entries do I keep needing to correct? That gives the diary a purpose beyond a number.
In Mizen, review the day and your repeated meals before changing your routine. If an entry is wrong, correct it rather than compensating with a skipped meal. If tracking becomes stressful or obsessive, stop and ask a qualified professional for another approach.
Your questions, answered
Do I enter food before or after cooking?
Use the quantity that matches the selected entry. Dry, raw, cooked and drained are different descriptions. Do not enter a cooked weight against a dry-food entry or apply an assumed conversion.
Are photo-scan calories exact?
No. Review the recognised foods, ingredients and quantities. Hidden ingredients and uncertain portions can affect the result. A calculated total is only as useful as the underlying entry and quantity.
Do I need to weigh every meal forever?
No. Tracking should remain useful and manageable. Choose an approach appropriate to your situation; this guide does not require continuous weighing or prescribe a calorie goal.