Already know you can't have dairy? Suspect gluten might be an issue? TCT lets you flag ingredients and allergens so you get instant alerts when they appear in foods you're about to log. Plus, as TCT analyzes your data, you can flag newly discovered triggers to track avoidance and watch symptoms improve.
Two Ways to Flag Foods
Proactive Flagging: You already know what to avoid (diagnosed allergies, known sensitivities)
Reactive Flagging: TCT discovers a trigger through analysis, and you flag it to track avoidance
We'll cover both.
Proactive Flagging: Set Up Your Watch List
Step 1: Access Settings
Tap the gear icon on the bottom app ribbon.
Step 2: Navigate to Profile Section
You'll see two options:
- Ingredients to Watch
- Allergens to Watch
Flagging Ingredients
Tap "Ingredients to Watch" → Opens a search bar
How to Add Ingredients:
- Type the ingredient you want to avoid (e.g., "gluten," "soy," "corn")
- Select it from the results
Here's the smart part: TCT uses hierarchical flagging.
Example: You select "Dairy"
- TCT automatically flags: milk, cheese, butter, cream, whey, etc.
- Everything under the dairy hierarchy is now flagged
Customizing Your Selection:
Manually deselect items you don't want flagged: Maybe you're okay with ghee but not other dairy products. Just uncheck ghee.
Remove the parent item to clear all children: Deselect "Dairy" and all sub-items (milk, cheese, etc.) get removed too.
Saving and Adding More:
- Tap "Done" in the upper right corner (returns to search bar)
- Add another ingredient or tap "Settings" in the upper left to go back
Repeat until you've flagged everything you need to avoid.
Flagging Allergens
Tap "Allergens to Watch" → Select "Edit"
What You'll See:
The top 9 common allergens displayed as selectable options:
- Milk
- Eggs
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Nuts
- Peanuts
- Gluten
- Soybeans
- Sesame
Simply tap the ones you need to avoid → Tap "Save"
Your selected allergens now appear on the Settings page.
What Happens After Flagging
Once you've flagged ingredients or allergens:
1. Dashboard Watch Items
Your flagged items appear as Watch Items on your Dashboard.
What you see:
- Rolling 3-week view of how many times you consumed each flagged item
- Displayed just below your symptom logging count
Why this matters: Quick visual check to see if you're successfully avoiding triggers or accidentally consuming them.
2. Real-Time Meal Alerts
When you log food containing a flagged item:
Red flag and text appears on your meal card alerting you immediately.
This catches accidental exposures before you eat—like hidden dairy in a salad dressing or soy in a protein bar.
Reactive Flagging: When TCT Discovers Triggers
TCT's algorithms continuously analyze your food and symptom data to identify potential triggers you might not know about.
How It Works:
As patterns emerge, TCT shows you:
- Ranked list of foods, ingredients, or allergens most closely linked to your symptoms
- Score indicating strength of the connection
- "Add Flag" option next to each suspected ingredient or allergen item
Flagging a Discovered Trigger:
Tap "Add Flag" next to the suspect item.
Now that item:
- Appears on your Dashboard as a Watch Item
- Triggers red flag and text alerts in future meals
- Gets tracked in the 3-week consumption view
Use this to test elimination: Flag it, avoid it for a few weeks, and watch if symptoms improve.
Why the Dashboard View Matters
The Dashboard gives you a side-by-side comparison:
Top: Number of times you logged symptoms (over 3 weeks)
Bottom: Number of times you consumed flagged items (over 3 weeks)
Look for patterns:
- Symptoms high, flagged consumption high? → You're still being exposed
- Flagged consumption drops, symptoms drop? → You found a real trigger
- Symptoms persist despite zero flagged consumption? → Look for other causes
This visual connection helps you validate whether avoiding a flagged item actually improves your symptoms.
Best Practices
For Proactive Flagging:
✅ Flag diagnosed allergies immediately - Critical for safety
✅ Use hierarchical flagging wisely - Let TCT auto-select related items
✅ Review sub-items before saving - Make sure you want everything flagged
✅ Start with known triggers - Don't flag things "just in case"
For Reactive Flagging:
✅ Look at the score - Higher scores with high confidence = stronger connections
✅ Flag one at a time - Test elimination individually
✅ Give it 2-3 weeks - Track if symptoms improve; if they do, slowly reintroduce the item to see if symptoms return
✅ Remove flags that don't help - If symptoms persist after elimination, unflag it
For Both:
✅ Check Dashboard weekly - Are you actually avoiding flagged items?
✅ Use red text alerts - Don't ignore them when logging food
✅ Be consistent - Occasional exposure makes it hard to see patterns
Common Questions
Q: Can I unflag something later? Yes. Go back to Settings → Ingredients/Allergens to Watch → Remove items anytime.
Q: What if I accidentally eat a flagged item? The red text alert helps you catch it. If you already ate it, log it anyway—the data is valuable for tracking patterns.
Q: Should I flag everything TCT suspects? No. Flag high-score items one at a time and test elimination. Flagging too many at once makes it hard to know what's actually helping.
Q: Do flagged items affect TCT's analysis? No. TCT analyzes all your data regardless of flags. Flags are just alerts and tracking tools for YOU.
Bottom Line: Flagging puts you in control. Set up alerts for known allergens and sensitivities before you start, then add newly discovered triggers as TCT uncovers them. The Dashboard's 3-week view shows whether you're successfully avoiding flagged items and if that avoidance is improving your symptoms. It's your real-time feedback loop for taking action on triggers.