- Garmin Connect’s latest feature lets you log your food and drink intake using your phone’s camera
- The information will be used for personalized fitness recommendations using AI
- The feature is only for Connect+ users
Anyone who takes a keen interest in their health and fitness knows that nutrition is a key piece of the puzzle, which is why the Garmin Connect app that runs on all the best Garmin smartwatches has just launched a way of measuring your food intake within the app itself.
According to an official press release (preceded by a leaked snippet of code discovered by Gadgets & Wareables), the latest Garmin Connect update will allow users to “track their calories and macros (proteins, fats and carbs) and receive Active Intelligence insights to help them achieve their nutrition goals”. This is designed to create a more “holistic” view of your overall health and fitness, adding nutrition data to your activity and recovery information to create one large wellness dataset.
Garmin will let you enter your meal info directly in the app, including the ability to scan barcodes and snap a quick picture of your food with your phone’s camera, MyFitnessPal-style. Garmin is using a new global database to search photos and barcodes, using AI-powered image recognition to log home-cooked, store-bought and restaurant meals.
However, there’s a catch: it’s only for users of the app’s Garmin Connect+ premium tier, which is bound to be a controversial decision given the tier’s negative reception after it was launched last year.
Once uploaded, Garmin’s Active Intelligence AI model will tprovide guidance and advice based on – or relating to – your food and liquid intake. THe press release was vague on this, but code snippets found by Gadgets & Wearables include “hot conditions can increase hydration needs, so stay on top of fluids and keep carbs steady” and “You’ll need a lot of carbs for this ride, so practice your fueling strategy well before race day.”
Gadgets & Wareables points out that the messages refer to ride durations, weather conditions and hydration targets, and that when these factors are combined with user data like sweat rate and acclimation, you might be able to get dynamic, personalized recommendations rather than simple one-size-fits-all targets.
You’ll get quick nutrition insights on your watch, and a full breakdown on Garmin Connect’s Performance tab. Some voice-enabled watches like the Garmin Venu 4 will be able to quickly log foods using voice commands, although it’s not clear how the feature will work yet.
There’s no indication of when this nutrition feature might make its debut, and Garmin hasn’t publicly stated a release date. We assume it’s rolling out now, and will update this article if we hear differently.
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alexblake.techradar@gmail.com (Alex Blake)
