Calbun

Calbun was a private project built for a client who wanted a clean, no-nonsense calorie and nutrition tracking app for personal use. The goal was simple: make healthy eating effortless to track, without the bloat and complexity of existing apps like MyFitnessPal.

The client had specific requirements around the UX — minimal taps to log a meal, clear daily summaries, and macro breakdowns at a glance.

Nutrition apps are notoriously complex to build well. The core challenges were:

• Building a large, searchable food database with accurate nutritional data
• Designing a logging flow fast enough for daily habit use (under 3 taps)
• Calculating and displaying macros (protein, carbs, fat) in real time
• Implementing user authentication and persistent daily logs
• Making the app feel lightweight and fast on both iOS and Android
• Keeping the UI clean and motivating — not clinical or intimidating

We built Calbun mobile-first using React Native for cross-platform delivery. The backend was a Dart REST API connected to Firebase Database, handling user accounts, food entries, and daily log persistence.

The food database was built using a combination of open nutrition APIs and a custom entry system allowing users to add custom foods. Search was optimised with debounced queries and local caching for frequently used items.

The daily dashboard was designed around a single-screen summary — total calories, macro rings, and a scrollable meal log — so users get the full picture instantly on open.

Calbun was delivered on time and within budget. The client was extremely happy with the simplicity and speed of the logging flow — achieving the target of under 3 taps to log a meal.

The app is currently in private use. Due to the confidential nature of this project, we're unable to share the live URL, but the full codebase and design files were handed over to the client upon completion.