Too fiddly, over after two weeks
Many trackers cost too much time at every meal. Motivation lasts a week or two, then the app sits unused and the tracking fizzles out.
The 8 Protocol
Food tracking that fits into your longevity protocol.
Calories, macros and fasting times logged in seconds, every figure with its source. Not blind calorie counting, but values you can actually place.
- Figures based on research · every calculation with its source (evidence label)
- Track intermittent fasting · record your window, automatically or by handPlus
- Goal modes for calories and macros · Standard and Longevity free, manual withPlus
- No clutter · simple and quick enough for every day
And private: no account, no cloud of our own, no ads. Your profile and diary are not sent to any server of The 8 Protocol; only your search term goes to the food database.
Free to download. The 8 Protocol+ is optional.
Works with Apple Health: weight, body metrics and activity, when you allow it.
For iPhone Longevity food diary
The problem
Why food tracking so often fails.
Longevity gets left out
Standard apps mostly calculate for quick weight loss. Protein needs, muscle maintenance and fasting, the things you care about, barely show up.
Figures without a source
Many apps give you a number but not what it rests on. You trust a black box and never notice when it is off.
Ads and data hunger
Often a mandatory email, a cloud and advertising. Your nutrition data becomes the business model instead of staying with you.
The solution
How The 8 Protocol solves it.
Simple and quick
Scan a barcode or pick up foods you logged recently. Fast enough to actually keep going.
Goal modes with a longevity view
Standard, Longevity or manual. In Longevity mode, protein, muscle maintenance and recovery are at the center, not just the quick weight-loss arithmetic.
Figures based on research
Calculations and longevity notes carry an evidence label with a source. You see what a figure rests on.
Private, and exportable any time
No account, no cloud of our own, no ads. Your profile and diary do not go to any server of The 8 Protocol, and the export hands your logged data back to you as CSV and JSON, free of charge.
A look inside
Every area, clear and quick.
Your longevity building blocks
What is in it, and what it rests on.
Every building block shows the same three things: what it does, why it counts from a longevity perspective, and which source it draws on. "Longevity" is the subject matter here, not a medical promise. Blocks marked "Plus" belong to the optional subscription The 8 Protocol+.
Food tracking
Log calories, macros and protein
What it does
Foods by search or barcode, portions in grams, millilitres or pieces. Calories and macronutrients at a glance, every calculation with an evidence label.
Why it counts
Professional bodies associate adequate protein intake with maintaining muscle mass.
Evidence
Protein at the upper end of the ISSN range, with a focus on maintaining muscle with age.
Professional body / position paper ISSN 2017, PROT-AGE 2013, ESPEN 2014Profile & goals
Three goal modes, protein across the day
PlusWhat it does
Standard, Longevity or manual. Goals from transparent formulas or from your own figures.
Why it counts
Longevity mode brings the distribution of protein across the day into view, not only the daily total.
Evidence
Spread protein across 3 to 4 meals, roughly 0.25 to 0.4 g per kg per meal.
Moderate evidence Schoenfeld & Aragon 2018, Morton 2018Intermittent fasting
Record your fasting window
PlusWhat it does
Log fasting times, set an automatic window with fixed hours, with reminders and a history.
Why it counts
Time-restricted eating is a widespread approach in the longevity field.
Evidence
The 8 Protocol explicitly labels fasting approaches as context and opinion, not as scientific evidence.
Biohacker opinion Bryan Johnson, David SinclairSleep
Hours slept as context
PlusWhat it does
Last night’s time asleep from the Apple Health app, shown next to your food and training. The 8 Protocol does not assess it.
Why it counts
Sleep is among the factors discussed around recovery and metabolism.
Evidence
Reference for adults: 7 to 9 hours per night (7 to 8 from age 65), as a general research figure, independent of your data.
Professional body / position paper NSF 2015 (Hirshkowitz)Fiber
Fiber for the day and the weekly average
What it does
The day shows the fiber total from every entry that carries a value, from the database or added by you. If some entries have none, the daily total says so instead of counting the gap as zero; you can add it when editing an entry, in the quick entry and for your own ingredients. The daily total is free, the weekly and monthly average belongs to The 8 Protocol+.
Why it counts
Fiber is invisible in many diaries, even though professional bodies give it a reference value of its own. The 8 Protocol shows your figure and the reference side by side and does not judge it.
Evidence
Reference value from the German Nutrition Society (DGE): at least 30 g of fiber per day for adults.
Professional body / position paper DGE/ÖGE, reference values for nutrient intake, 3rd edition 2025Body metrics & muscle
Lean body mass over time
PlusWhat it does
Weight, body fat and lean body mass from the Apple Health app with a smoothed trend over 30 or 90 days. Display only, never written back.
Why it counts
Maintaining muscle is a core longevity topic; lean body mass makes that development visible over time.
Evidence
In studies, strength training is associated with lower mortality; the largest additional benefit shows at around 30 to 60 minutes per week.
Moderate evidence Momma et al. 2022Planned / in progress
These longevity topics are not in the app yet; they are planned as additions:
- Added sugar
- Meal timing
- Omega-3 & protein quality
- Activity & VO2max
- Alcohol
Everything in it
All features at a glance.
The basics are free. Features marked Plus belong to the optional subscription The 8 Protocol+.
Evidence label
Source and evidence level sit right next to the figure they belong to, from professional body down to biohacker opinion.
Calories & macros
Search, barcode and portions in grams, millilitres or pieces. Fast enough for every day.
Nutrient estimate from a photo
Photograph your meal, The 8 Protocol suggests ingredients and amounts, and you check and change them before they go into your diary. For the estimate the photo goes briefly to my server and on to an AI provider; it is not stored on my server, and the provider deletes it within 30 days. The details are in the privacy policy. The app asks you explicitly before the first use, and you can switch the feature off again in your profile at any time. Up to 15 photos a day and 150 a month. If you have the time, entering the ingredients by hand stays more accurate. Part of The 8 Protocol+.
Quick entry
Values already known, or only estimated? Type calories and optionally macros straight in, without the detour through the search.
Meal times
The 8 Protocol records when you ate. For today’s entries the current time is ready to go; you can change it or leave it out at any time. When you fill in a past day, it stays empty rather than assuming a time nobody remembers. Switchable off in the settings. The average time of your last meal in the weekly and monthly recap belongs to The 8 Protocol+.
Month at a glance
Tapping the date opens the whole month. Days where your calories were within the target band are green. There are no other colors: The 8 Protocol shows a state, it does not grade your day.
Profile picture and days tracked
Your profile picture sits at the top, next to the number of days you have tracked. It counts the sum of your days, not a streak: a gap resets nothing. The picture stays on your device, it goes neither into the data export nor into a backup.
Water trackerPlus
A daily goal from your weight, with the factor set by you. Two quick buttons or a free amount in milliliters, optionally to Apple Health.
Exercise by hand
Pick the activity, enter the duration, overwrite the estimated burn when you need to. For everyone whose activity does not arrive through Apple Health. The values do not count towards your calorie goal. Off by default, switched on in your profile, and included in the data export.
Sauna trackerPlus
A row with the seven days of the week; you tap the ones you went. Always the week of the day you are viewing, without a target and without a rating. Off by default, switched on in your profile, and included in the data export.
8 ScorePlus
The eight in the name: a weekly overview of the criteria you met, from 0 to 8. The meal threshold follows your eating window. Not a health assessment.
Fiber
If the database has a value, it counts towards the daily total. If it does not, you add it when editing the entry, in the quick entry and for your own ingredients. The daily total still says when not every entry carries a value, instead of counting the gap as zero. The weekly and monthly average belongs to The 8 Protocol+.
Data export
Diary, water, fasting, custom ingredients and your daily goal as a ZIP archive, with CSV for your spreadsheet and JSON as a complete copy of your app data. Free of charge.
Daily report as PDFPlus
Any day on one page, with meals, totals, water and fasting times next to your daily goal. To print or pass on, for example in nutrition counseling.
Plant diversityPlus
Counts how many different plants appear in your diary over seven days. Muesli and mixed-grain bread stay out, because nobody knows how much of what is in them. Off by default, with no target value and no assessment.
Shortcuts & SiriPlus
Log water, repeat your last meal, start or end fasting. Through Siri, Shortcuts or, where your iPhone has one, the Action Button.
Fasting timesPlus
Log them by hand or set an automatic window with fixed hours, with reminders.
Training day and rest dayPlus
Not every day is the same. A training day or a rest day shifts your calorie and protein goal without you touching your profile.
Your own protein goalPlus
You set the factor per kilogram of body weight yourself instead of taking the app’s default. For everyone who already knows their needs.
Three goal modes
Standard and Longevity are free to use; manual mode belongs to The 8 Protocol+.
Apple HealthPlus
Works with Apple’s Health app once you connect it. Entirely your decision. Weight, body metrics, sleep and activity as context; calories and macros are written back only if you want.
History & trends
The calorie history is always free. Body metrics with a smoothed trend over 30 or 90 days belong to The 8 Protocol+.
From the developer
Why The 8 Protocol exists.
I am the developer of The 8 Protocol and interested in longevity and biohacking myself. The app started out for my own protocol: food tracking with a longevity view, without ads and without selling data. I use it myself, keep refining it and add features that genuinely help day to day.
Free to use, subscription optional
You download The 8 Protocol free of charge and use the basic features permanently without a paywall. Extended longevity features are bundled in the optional subscription The 8 Protocol+. That way the app is funded by the subscription, not by advertising or by selling your data.
Your feedback counts
Got a wish or an idea? You can send feedback and feature requests straight from the app. The message reaches me directly and helps move the app forward.
Manage and cancel the subscription
You take out the optional subscription The 8 Protocol+ only inside the app through your Apple Account, not on this website. You can manage and cancel it at any time under iPhone Settings › your Apple Account › Subscriptions or directly through Apple’s subscription management . Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period; during a free trial, cancel at least 24 hours before it ends. Purchase, invoicing, withdrawal and refunds are handled by Apple.
Your tool for eating with a longevity focus: every figure with its source, no account and no cloud of our own.
The 8 Protocol shows you figures and sources and makes no decisions for you. It is a self-tracking tool for general wellness. It is not a medical device and does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Now on the App Store.
The 8 Protocol is available for iPhone. The core features of the diary are free. The optional subscription The 8 Protocol+ costs 5.99 euros per month or 39.99 euros per year including VAT and renews automatically until you cancel; you take it out and cancel it through your Apple Account. A question? Write to me at info@the8protocol.com.
Download on theApp Store