Garmin Adds Food and Nutrition Logging to Connect+: Worth It?
Garmin has announced the addition of food and nutrition logging to Garmin Connect+, their paid platform. This feature replaces the functionality once provided by MyFitnessPal, which allowed users to log food and sync data with Garmin Connect. The new feature is accessible within the Garmin Connect app and some smartwatches via Nutrition widgets.
The existing MyFitnessPal integration remains functional, offering a basic free option. However, to access food scanning, users need to subscribe to the premium tier for $80/year. Garmin's Connect+ subscription costs $69/year and includes a free golden star for the profile picture, making it a more cost-effective option.
Let's explore the food logging process and its integration with calorie burn data from Garmin devices.
Initial Setup:
- Ensure Garmin Connect+ is enabled on your account.
- Navigate to More > Health Stats > Nutrition in the app, or add a widget to the 'At a Glance' section on the home screen.
- Discontinue MyFitnessPal integration to avoid data conflicts.
- Set your goals and confirm your stats, including weight if using a Garmin Index scale.
- Adjust details as needed, such as weight loss goals.
Daily Logging:
- Garmin devices will sync calorie burn data while you log food and nutrition.
- Access food logging via the smartwatch or the Garmin Connect smartphone app.
- The app displays live Calories & Macros with options for 1-day, 7-day, 4-week, or 1-year views.
- A daily timeline is divided into Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, with customizable hour segments.
- Tweak these windows in the settings if desired.
- Change the country for food scanning, especially when traveling outside your home country.
Food Scanning and Adding:
- Tap the meal section (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) to add food.
- Choose from recently logged foods, favorites, custom foods, custom meals, or scan a barcode.
- Scanning a barcode is fast and accurate, allowing you to select serving size by weight or portion.
- Manually add products by taking a photo or using a nutrition label.
Example: Adding Breakfast Items
- Added breakfast items, a post-run recovery drink, and an upcoming lunch.
- The app accounts for completed workouts in calorie calculations, with an option to enable this in settings.
Nutrition App on Garmin Watch:
- The Nutrition app on the Garmin watch displays duplicate data and allows logging pre-defined foods.
Summary Data:
- View summary data for date ranges at the top of the app.
Conclusion:
Garmin's new food and nutrition logging feature offers convenience and accuracy, making it a compelling addition to Connect+. While not free, it's competitive with MyFitnessPal and provides a compelling reason to subscribe to Connect+.
