Food Library
The food search modal is where you add foods to a meal. It pulls from six different sources — knowing which one you’re looking at makes the experience faster.
The six food sources
| Source | What it is | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Cached foods | Foods previously imported into your workspace, including any custom foods you’ve created | Default search; fastest results |
| FatSecret | A third-party food database with branded foods and nutritional data | When the food isn’t in your cache yet — import it from here |
| Favorites | Foods you’ve starred | Frequently-used staples |
| Recents | Foods you’ve added recently | Re-adding what you just used |
| Suggested | Heuristic suggestions based on context | Quick-pick alternatives |
| Autocomplete | Inline name suggestions while you type | Speeds up typing the right query |
Each source has its own panel in the search modal. Cached results show first; FatSecret results show beside or below, depending on your viewport.
Searching
Search is category-scoped — when you open the modal from a meal, you pick a macro category (Protein, Carbohydrate, or Fat) and the results filter to foods that fit that role. This is how the search keeps “chicken breast” out of your carb searches.
While you type, autocomplete suggestions appear under the search box. Click one to run the search instantly, or finish typing and submit.
Importing from FatSecret
FatSecret results have an Add button on each card. Clicking it imports the food into your cache and adds it to the meal in one step. The next time you search for that food, it’ll show up in the cached results — no second import needed.
FatSecret results are paginated. The pagination controls at the bottom of the FatSecret panel let you walk through pages without losing your search query.
Adding a food to a meal
When you select a food (from any source), a serving panel opens:
- Pick a serving size from the food’s available servings
- Set the quantity (e.g., 1.5 servings)
- A live macro preview shows the calories and macros that will be added
Click Add to add the food to the meal.
Direct-add mode
In some contexts, the modal is configured for direct-add — clicking a food adds it immediately at quantity 1 of the default serving, skipping the serving panel. This is faster for bulk-adding but gives you less control over portion sizes.
Favorites
Star a food (from any source) to save it to Favorites. Favorites are workspace-scoped and visible to you across all meal plans. Use them for the foods you reach for in every plan.
Barcode scanning
The search modal supports barcode scanning when invoked from a context that provides a scan handler (typically the mobile app). Scan a product barcode to look it up in FatSecret — if it matches, you can import and add in one tap.
Mobile vs desktop
- Desktop: the search modal opens as a centered overlay
- Mobile: it opens as a bottom drawer that can be dragged to expand
Functionality is the same in both; the layout adapts.