Protein Counter and Tracker 12+

If you're at risk of protein deficiency because you're on a plant-based, dairy-free or weight-loss diet, if you're over 40 and wish to increase protein intake to prevent age-related muscle wasting (sarcopenia), or to support a LCHF, Dukan, keto, paleo, or Atkins diet, use this personal protein diary and calculator app to achieve your fitness and nutrition goals. Supplements & high-protein processed foods are not the answer — they are associated with unhealthy higher-than-RDA protein levels and do not provide the thousands of polyphenols & other natural chemicals found in whole food that are needed for optimal health & to prevent disease. The effects of not eating enough protein include muscle wasting & weakness, osteoporosis, impaired growth & development, poor wound healing, susceptibility to infections & illnesses, depression & anxiety, brittle hair, dry skin, weak nails, feelings of hunger & a predisposition to being overweight or obese.

Set your daily protein intake based on guidance provided in the app & your preferences for weights of food (g or oz) and display of protein content in foods & beverages (ie, g or %target/serving, g/100g or g/1oz, or %target/100g or %target/1oz).

Record food & beverage consumption using the barcode scanner, dictation, search or by favoriting foods & using the serving sizes provided (which can be changed at any time). Tap the notepad to add notes.

Monitor daily & long-term progress, export data to share with healthcare providers, synchronize data with other First Line Medical Communications Ltd nutrient counter apps, & share data with Apple's HealthKit.

Add your own foods & recipes & change serving sizes to personalise the app's 400-item database for you.

All food & beverage popups indicate whether the item is a plant, good prebiotic, probiotic or ultra-processed (UPF) to inform a healthy diet & whether they are high or low FODMAP per serving where data are available to support people with IBS.

The app provides nutritional information for many healthy foods & supports a healthy gut microbiome diet using color-coded type & icons as follows:

1. All high-protein foods (ie, contain more than 15g of protein per serving) appear in blue type. Tap on the food name to find out more about the food including the serving size. A green leaf icon indicates that the food is a plant and can be included as one of the 30 different types of plant per week recommended by experts for a healthy gut microbiome; a red warning triangle icon indicates that the food is ultra-processed (see below); a gold microbe icon indicates that the food is a probiotic.

2. Plants that can be included as one of the 30 different types of plant per week for a healthy gut microbiome and contain less than 15g of protein per serving are in green type (with a green leaf icon used to indicate a plant in the food popup). The most prebiotic of these plants are in a darker green type.

3. Fermented foods that contain beneficial live microbes to become part of the gut microbiome (probiotics) and contain less than 15g of protein per serving are in gold type with a gold microbe icon in the food popup.

4. Foods that are likely to UPFs — ie, contain ingredients not found in a home kitchen (eg, preservatives, flavorings, and emulsifiers) and contain less than 15g of protein per serving are in red type with a red warning triangle in the food popup. UPFs are often high-calorie, low-fiber, high-saturated fat, high-sugar, high-sodium, low-nutrient foods linked to obesity and chronic inflammation (due to their adverse effect on the gut microbiome), which is a key feature of type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, many cancers, depression, dementia and Parkinson's disease.

5. Foods in black type contain less than 15g of protein per serving and are neither UPF, plant, prebiotic nor probiotic and are healthy when consumed in moderation as part of a healthy diet.