How Apeli works

1. 1

   See what is on the plate

   An AI vision model (Google Gemini) lists every food and drink it can see, how it is prepared (for example “broccoli, steamed”), and estimates the weight in grams by counting pieces or measuring how much of the plate each food covers.

2. 2

   Find real database entries

   Each food is matched by meaning, not just spelling, against our food catalog. This returns a shortlist of the closest entries from national food composition databases.

3. 3

   Pick the best match

   A second AI step chooses the right entry, serving and quantity from that shortlist. It can only pick from real entries, never invent a new food.

4. 4

   Calculate the nutrients

   Calories, macros, vitamins and minerals are computed from the database values for that portion. The AI never writes nutrient numbers itself.

Then you stay in control. A few checks asks about things a photo can’t show, like cooking oil, sauce or sweetener, and you can change any food or portion before saving. You can also log meals by hand without a photo.

Every food in Apeli comes from one of four public food composition databases, published by national food safety and nutrition agencies. Together they cover what people eat in North America and Europe.

During onboarding you enter your sex, date of birth, height, weight, how often you train and your main goal. Apeli then calculates:

• Resting energy with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation: 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age, then +5 for men or −161 for women.
• Daily energy by multiplying resting energy by an activity factor based on how often you train (table below).
• Your goal: −10% for weight loss, +10% for muscle gain, unchanged for maintaining, strength, endurance or eating better. Your day counts as on track within ±20% of the target.
• Macros: 50% of energy from carbohydrates (range 40–60%), 20% from protein (15–25%) and 30% from fat (25–35%), with at most a third of fat as saturated fat, and 25–30 g of fibre.
• Vitamins and minerals: standard daily reference intakes by sex, for example iron 8 mg for men and 18 mg for women, vitamin D 15 µg and calcium 1,000 mg, each with a safe upper limit where one exists.

You can change any target later in the app.

Every three days, Apeli summarises what you logged: meals and nutrients against your targets, weight trend, sleep and your goal. An AI model (Google Gemini) turns that summary into a short plan, a few concrete actions and meal ideas for the next days.

The coach only makes suggestions. It never changes your targets or makes decisions for you, and you can ignore anything it proposes. The more consistently you log, the more specific the plan becomes.

• A photo can’t show everything. Hidden oil, butter, sauces, fillings and the depth of a bowl are the most common sources of error, which is why Apeli asks follow-up checks and lets you edit portions.
• Database values are averages. A real apple, recipe or restaurant dish can differ from the reference entry.
• Targets come from population formulas. Your real needs depend on your body, health and activity, and can differ from the estimate.

Apeli is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It is not designed for diagnosing or treating any condition. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have or have had an eating disorder, or have diabetes, kidney disease or another medical condition, talk to a doctor or dietitian before changing how you eat. Apeli is for people aged 16 and over. See our terms of use.

Your meals, photos, weight and sleep are stored in the EU and visible to your account only. Meal photos are used to train recognition only if you switch that option on, and you can delete your account and all data in the app at any time. The details are in our privacy policy.

Questions about the method? Write to info@apeli.app.