Track caffeine intake with Python

Tracking caffeine intake with Python can be a fun and practical project! Here’s how you could build a simple Python script to track your caffeine consumption. You can log caffeine intake, calculate total daily consumption, and even check if you’re exceeding recommended limits.

Step 1: Setting Up the Basic Structure

First, you’ll want to create a basic structure for the script. You can define caffeine items, record their amount, and save the data.

Step 2: Data Input and Tracking

Create a dictionary for common caffeinated drinks and their caffeine content. Let users input their caffeine intake throughout the day and track it.

Here’s an example code:

python
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# Dictionary with common drinks and their caffeine content (in milligrams)
caffeine_content = {
    'coffee': 95,       # average caffeine in a cup of coffee
    'tea': 47,          # average caffeine in a cup of tea
    'energy drink': 80, # average caffeine in a can of energy drink
    'soda': 40,         # average caffeine in a can of soda
    'espresso': 63      # average caffeine in a shot of espresso
}

# Function to add caffeine intake
def add_caffeine(drink, amount):
    if drink not in caffeine_content:
        print("Unknown drink, please try again.")
    else:
        caffeine_intake = caffeine_content[drink] * amount
        return caffeine_intake

# Function to track daily intake
def track_daily_intake():
    daily_total = 0
    while True:
        print("nEnter your caffeine intake for the day:")
        print("Options: coffee, tea, energy drink, soda, espresso")
        drink = input("Enter drink: ").lower()
        amount = int(input(f"How many cups/servings of {drink} did you have today? "))
        
        caffeine = add_caffeine(drink, amount)
        daily_total += caffeine
        
        print(f"You've consumed {caffeine} mg of caffeine from {amount} servings of {drink}.")
        
        cont = input("Would you like to add more? (yes/no): ").lower()
        if cont != 'yes':
            break
    
    return daily_total

# Function to check if you exceeded recommended limits
def check_limits(daily_total):
    recommended_limit = 400  # mg of caffeine per day is the general recommended limit for adults
    if daily_total > recommended_limit:
        print(f"Warning: You've exceeded the recommended daily caffeine limit of {recommended_limit} mg!")
    else:
        print(f"You're within the recommended caffeine limit! Total caffeine intake: {daily_total} mg.")

# Main function to start the tracker
def main():
    print("Welcome to the Caffeine Tracker!")
    daily_total = track_daily_intake()
    check_limits(daily_total)

# Run the main function
if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Step 3: How It Works

1. Caffeine Content Dictionary: We define the caffeine content for various drinks.

2. Adding Caffeine Intake: The user enters the drink and the number of servings they had. The script calculates the total caffeine intake based on predefined values.

3. Tracking Total Intake: The user can keep entering their caffeine intake, and the script will accumulate the total.

4. Check Against Limits: Once the user finishes logging, the script compares their total intake with the recommended daily limit of 400 mg (a common guideline).

5. Interaction: The user is prompted after each entry to either continue logging or stop.

Step 4: Running the Script

To run the script:

1. Save the script to a Python file (e.g., caffeine_tracker.py).

2. Open a terminal or command prompt, navigate to the folder where the script is saved, and run:

   bash
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   python caffeine_tracker.py
   

Step 5: Customization

You can easily customize this script by:

• Adding more drinks to the caffeine_content dictionary.

• Modifying the recommended daily limit.

• Changing the way caffeine is calculated (e.g., different sizes for drinks).

This basic caffeine tracker can be expanded into a full-fledged application or even connected to a database to track consumption over days or weeks.

Let me know if you’d like to add more features!