Tags & Ingredients¶

Tags and ingredients help Intestigator analyze your data and find patterns. They're how the app knows that "latte," "cheese pizza," and "ice cream" all contain dairy.

What Are Tags?¶

Tags are categories that describe what's in your food or drink. You select which tags apply to each entry you log.

Tags include: - Added Sugars - Alcohol - Artificial Sweeteners - Caffeine - Carbonated Drinks - Cruciferous Veggies - Dairy/Lactose - Eggs - FODMAPs - Gluten - High-Fat - Histamine-Rich - Insoluble Fiber - Legumes/Beans - Nightshades - Nuts/Seeds - Red/Processed Meats - Shellfish - Soy - Spicy - Other (catch-all)

See the Tag Reference for what each tag means and why it matters.

How Tagging Works¶

When you log a meal, drink, supplement, or medication:

1. Select tags that apply to what you're logging
2. The app shows your past entries as suggestions—tap one to reuse it
3. When you select a past entry, its tags and ingredients are preselected for you
4. Adjust if needed (your oat milk latte today doesn't need the Dairy tag)

Example: The first time you log "Cappuccino," you select Caffeine and Dairy. Next time, "Cappuccino" appears as a suggestion. Tap it, and those tags are already selected—just save.

Selecting Tags¶

When adding or editing an entry: - Tap tags to select ones that apply - Tap again to deselect - Selected tags appear highlighted

Only selected tags are used in your insights.

What Are Ingredients?¶

Ingredients are specific items you add manually. While tags are broad categories (like "dairy"), ingredients are specific (like "mozzarella" or "cream cheese").

When to use ingredients: - You suspect a specific food, not just a category - You want finer detail than tags provide - You're tracking something tags don't cover

Most users stick with tags. Ingredients are there if you need more precision.

How Tags Power Insights¶

When Intestigator looks for patterns, it groups your entries by tags: - "You logged dairy 8 times this month" - "Bloating followed 5 of those 8 dairy entries" - "Typical delay: about 2 hours"

Without tags, Intestigator would only see individual entries ("cappuccino," "pizza," "ice cream") and couldn't connect them.

How Ingredients Power Insights¶

Ingredients let you dig deeper than tags. If dairy correlates with symptoms, ingredients help you find which dairy: - "You logged mozzarella 4 times—bloating followed 3" - "You logged cream cheese 3 times—no symptoms"

This precision helps identify specific triggers. Maybe it's soft cheeses, not all dairy. Maybe it's one brand of protein bar, not all protein bars.

Tips for Better Tagging¶

• Be accurate — Only select tags that actually apply
• Check preselected tags — When reusing a past entry, verify the tags still fit
• Update when needed — You can edit entries later to fix tags

Next: Learn about Insights Overview.