December 2, 2025 - ANAK ni Merly App, we are 'sorta' LIVE!
By Manung P-po
Introduction
A.N.A.K. ni Merly is a personalized nutrition assistant app designed specifically for Mommy Merly. It acts as a digital companion (simulating her son, Peepo) to help her make informed decisions about food, specifically focusing on managing blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
The app's advice, sugar estimates, and metabolic calculations are not generic. They are specifically nuanced and calibrated based on the following profile:
Demographics: Filipina Senior Citizen (>65 years old).
Activity Level: Active with household chores (cooking, tidying) but does not perform formal exercise.
Health Status: Pre-diabetic with high cholesterol.
Lifestyle: Non-drinker, but has a fondness for sweets and milk.
All recommendations take these specific habits, likes, and health constraints into account to provide safe and realistic advice.
When you open the app, you will be greeted by the clean, blue welcome screen.
Sign in: Simply tap the "Sign in with Google" button to access your profile. No passwords to remember!
Once logged in, you will see the main dashboard. This is your command center.
Personalized Greeting: A warm greeting from "Peepo" (with his photo!) to make the experience feel like a chat with family. It often includes a random affectionate message like "Ingat kayo ni Pa".
Search Bar: The main tool. Type any food question here (e.g., "Is one slice of Tasty Bread okay?").
Quick Reference Guide: A scrolling list of common Filipino staples (Rice, Pandesal, Oatmeal) showing their sugar equivalents at a glance.
Designed for ease of use, the top bar stays visible on every screen and contains essential controls.
Profile & Logout: The orange circle 'P' shows your profile. The arrow icon next to it allows you to Logout.
Language Toggle: Instantly switch the entire app language between English (EN), Filipino (FIL), and Ilocano (ILO).
Default: The app automatically starts in Ilocano for immediate familiarity.
Note: In Ilocano mode, the AI speaks in a natural, conversational mix of Ilocano, English, and Tagalog.
Font Size Slider (T): Drag the slider to the right to make all text larger and easier to read.
Mute/Unmute (Speaker Icon): Toggles the voice and sound effects on or off.
Date: The current date is always displayed for reference.
You can select multiple items to see which is the healthier choice.
Tap the circle icon on any food card in the list to select it.
A blue floating bar will appear at the bottom showing how many items you have selected (e.g., "2/4 Select to Compare").
Tap the "Compare Foods" button to proceed.
You can select multiple items to see which is the healthier choice.
Tap the circle icon on any food card in the list to select it.
A blue floating bar will appear at the bottom showing how many items you have selected (e.g., "2/4 Select to Compare").
Tap the "Compare Foods" button to proceed.
This screen shows your selected items side-by-side.
Visual Gauge: The colored bar background visually represents the sugar level (Green = Low, Pink/Red = High).
Numbers: Clearly shows the sugar equivalent in teaspoons (tsp) for easy comparison.
When you have a specific meal in mind (e.g., "Rice, Fried Porkchop, Banana"), type it into the search bar and hit search.
A friendly loading screen will appear asking you to wait a moment. It uses respectful language tailored to the selected dialect (e.g., "Kitak pay garud, Ma, biit lang...").
The app provides a detailed breakdown of how the food will affect your body.
Sugar Impact Curve: A visual graph showing when your blood sugar will spike (e.g., peaking at 03:30 PM). This helps you plan your medication or nap.
Crash Risk: A warning label (e.g., "CRASH RISK: MEDIUM") indicating if you might feel tired later.
Daily Limits: Shows how much of your daily sugar limit this single meal consumes (e.g., 70%).
You can tap the "See Ingredient Breakdown" button to see a detailed list.
Risk Labels: Each item is tagged with a risk level (High/Medium/Low).
Details: It explains why an item is risky (e.g., "Complex Carb", "Saturated Fat", "Simple Sugar").
This is the heart of the app. It gives advice in the persona of her son, Peepo.
Metabolic Analysis: Explains clearly how the food combination affects digestion (e.g., "The Fried Fat Delay").
Family Context: It references family members and the household situation.
Actionable Tips: Gives specific advice like "skip the snack" or "have the coleslaw instead."
Listen to Advice: Tap this button to hear the advice read aloud in a gentle male voice.
While speaking, the button changes to "Stop Speaking" so you can pause it at any time.
!$$Stop Speaking Button$$
(Screenshot 2025-12-03 at 1.04.02 PM.png)
Ask Another Question: When you are done, tap the large blue button to clear the screen and ask about a new food.
If you encounter issues or want to request data deletion:
Email: manung@tiwala.org.ph
Note: This app is currently in Beta v3.6. Inaccuracies may occur, and it is not a replacement for professional medical advice.