The beginning of the year is a great time to set goals for yourself. If you’re like most people, getting into better shape is probably one of them. But it can be hard to get started. What if you could ease into a healthier diet and lifestyle by taking baby steps?
One of the easiest ways to start is by tracking what you eat. Doing this gives you a clear picture of your current eating habits and helps you see where you can make adjustments. You might be surprised at how much those little changes add up.
Here are three apps that will help you track your nutrition, improve your diet, and keep your goals on track!
Best Apps For Nutrition
Eating healthy isn’t always easy.
But there are many apps available with tools and resources to make achieving your nutrition goals easier than ever.
To save you time, we gathered the year’s 10 best nutrition apps worth downloading. Between their impressive reviews, quality content, and reliability, these apps are designed to make eating healthier as simple as tapping a few buttons.
Our picks of the best nutrition apps
Best overall nutrition app: MyPlate Calorie Counter
Best meal planning app: PlateJoy
Best food tracking app: MyFitnessPal
Best healthy recipe app: Yummly Recipes & Cooking Tools
Best weight loss app: Lifesum: Healthy Eating
Best mindful eating app: Ate Food Journal
Best macro counting app: MyNet Diary Calorie Counter
Best nutrition education app: Noom
Best food allergy app: Spokin
Best pregnancy nutrition app: Ovia Pregnancy Tracker
How to choose a nutrition app
When selecting a nutrition app to download, it’s important to consider your goals and which features are most important to you.
For example, many apps focus on calorie counting or weight loss, while others prioritize mindful eating or nutrition education.
There are also options created specifically for people who are pregnant, those with food allergies, or people with certain dietary restrictions or food preferences.
Ideally, look for apps that are highly rated and backed by healthcare professionals, such as doctors or dietitians.
Also, consider the cost to use the app. While some may apps be free to download and use, others may require a subscription or offer in-app purchases.
How we chose the best nutrition apps
Quality of information. We looked for apps that offer reliable and helpful nutrition information, ideally from an expert source, such as a registered dietitian.
User interface. We looked for apps that are easy to use and intuitive to navigate.
Nutritional needs. We included apps to suit a variety of nutritional needs, from meal planning and food tracking to pregnancy and weight loss.
Customer reviews. We asked friends, family members, and colleagues for their recommendations, as well as read through countless user reviews to find highly rated apps.
Vetting. All the apps included have been vetted to ensure that they meet Healthline’s medical and business standards.
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Healthline’s picks of the best nutrition apps
Best overall nutrition app
MyPlate Calorie Counter
iPhone rating: 4.7 stars
Android rating: 4.6 stars
Price: free with in-app purchases
Whether you’re a health enthusiast or a nutrition newbie, the MyPlate Calorie Counter app from Livestrong is well worth the download.
Besides tracking your nutrient intake and exercise, the app also offers a range of recipes, meal plans, and workouts. Plus, there’s a community section, which provides peer support, motivation, and tips and tricks from members.
Although the app is free, for $3.75 per month, you can upgrade your account for access to premium features, including custom nutrition labels, daily averages, and advanced statistics on your nutrient intake and overall progress.
Pros
simple and straightforward user interface
offers nutrition tracking, meal plans, recipes, and workouts
includes community forum for support and motivation
Cons
limited customization options
unable to filter recipes based on certain dietary restrictions or food allergies
Best meal planning app
PlateJoy
iPhone rating: 4.7 stars
Android rating: 4.5 stars
Price: $4.99 per year for Healthline readers; otherwise $12.99 per month, $69 for 6 months, or $99 for 1 year.
Highly recommended by my sister, a new mom and full-time grad student who is always on the go, PlateJoy is an app designed to help you save time while still eating healthy.
It uses a questionnaire to collect details about your lifestyle, cooking habits, and dietary preferences and then creates a custom meal plan and shopping list for your household.
In addition to choosing your meal plan, you can also select specific ingredients that you’d like to avoid, the amount of variety you prefer, and your desired portion sizes.
To access all of the meal planning features, PlateJoy offer a monthly subscription for $12.99, a 6-month membership for $69, or an annual membership for $99.
However, Healthline readers can access the app for just $4.99 per month.
Pros
designed to help you save time on meal prep and shopping
creates a nutritious meal plan based on your needs and preferences
reduces food waste by optimizing your use of ingredients
multiple diet plans and customization options available
Cons
requires membership to use
cost of ingredients isn’t included in the price of the app
Best food tracking app
MyFitnessPal
iPhone rating: 4.7 stars
Android rating: 4.5 stars
Price: free with in-app purchases
MyFitnessPal is a powerhouse app, with an enormous food database, barcode scanner, recipe importer, restaurant logger, food insights, calorie counter, and so much more.
Whether you’re monitoring your nutrition to lose weight, switch up your eating habits, or simply hold yourself accountable, MyFitnessPal makes it easy.
Though the app is free, you can purchase a premium membership for $9.99 per month or $49.99 per year to unlock additional features, including detailed food analyses, workout routines, and more customization options.
Pros
large database for easy food logging
many free features available
barcode scanner helps simplify nutrient tracking
Cons
some users note that the interface can be glitchy, confusing, or difficult to use
detailed nutrient analysis only available with premium membership
Best healthy recipe app
Yummly Recipes & Cooking Tools
iPhone rating: 4.7 stars
Android rating: 4.5 stars
Price: free with in-app purchases
With more than 2 million recipes to choose from and a variety of options tailored to your tastes, needs, and preferences, Yummly is my go-to app for healthy cooking.
Recipes are sorted and organized by cuisine, course, diet, and required ingredients, making it easy to find something that works for you.
You can also add ingredients to your shopping list, connect smart appliances to the app, and create custom collections with your favorite recipes.
While the app is free to use, for $4.99 per month, you can access premium features, including detailed cooking guides, nutritional information for each recipe, recommended recipes based on your goals, and additional tools to streamline meal planning.
Pros
wide selection of recipes to choose from
simple, user-friendly interface
reviews available for each recipe
includes helpful tools, such as shopping lists and recipe collections
Cons
frequent ads in the free version
some note that it takes multiple clicks to access full recipes with directions
many features require monthly membership
Best weight loss app
Lifesum: Healthy Eating
iPhone rating: 4.7 stars
Android rating: 4.4 stars
Price: free with in-app purchases
Lifesum is a popular app that helps simplify weight loss with tools like a recipe library, food log, and calorie counter.
When signing up, the app collects information about your height, weight, age, and specific goals to provide a personalized plan based on your needs.
It also has a weekly health test, which includes insights on your habits and identifies potential areas for improvement.
The food and exercise diary is free to use, but the app also offers a premium subscription starting at $4.17 per month for access to body composition tracking, macro counting, and custom diet plans and recipes.
Pros
simple, visually appealing user interface
provides weekly health test to keep you on track
variety of diets to choose from
no ads on the free version
Cons
limited customization for meal plans
some users note that the directions for some recipes could be better
Best mindful eating app
Ate Food Journal
iPhone rating: 4.8 stars
Android rating: 3.5 stars
Price: $9.99 per month or $49.99 per year
Advertised as a mindful food journaling app that doesn’t count calories, Ate Food Journal aims to help you understand why you eat certain foods and how they make you feel.
The app enables you to take photos of your meals and activities to create a visual timeline of your day.
It also allows you to participate in experiments, such as eating with your nondominant hand, and add details about each meal, including who you ate with, how it was made, and how it tasted.
The app offers a 7-day free trial to see if it’s a good fit for you. After that, subscriptions cost $9.99 per month or $49.99 per year.
Pros
focuses on mindful eating and healthy habits rather than counting calories
simple and easy to use
includes extra features like experiments and personal insights
Cons
subscription required after 7-day free trial
Best macro counting app
MyNet Diary Calorie Counter
iPhone rating: 4.8 stars
Android rating: 4.6 stars
Price: free with in-app purchases
Whether you’re trying to cut carbs, increase your protein intake, or get a better grasp of the macronutrient breakdown of your diet, MyNet Diary Calorie Counter is a great tool for on-the-go food logging.
The app helps you set goals, monitor your weight trends, and track your intake based on the specific diet plan you select. It also offers detailed nutrient information for each ingredient in your food log and a daily analysis to help keep you on track.
Though several of the features are free, you can also purchase a premium membership for $8.99 per month or $59.99 per year.
A premium membership provides access to specific diet plans, recipes, and tracking tools, along with more in-depth nutrient analyses for foods.
Pros
variety of free tracking features available
daily analysis with detailed information on overall nutrient intake
no ads on the free version
no sign-up required
Cons
diet plans require paid membership
limited customization options without subscription
user interface can be somewhat confusing and complicated
Best nutrition education app
Noom
iPhone rating: 4.7 stars
Android rating: 4.4 stars
Price: $60 per month or $199 per year
Offering custom meal plans, weekly challenges, and access to a virtual coaching team, Noom is popular among dieters all over the world — including my mom, who notes that the short, simple lesson plans helped her understand how her food choices were affecting her health.
In addition to providing educational info, Noom also includes tools to track your progress and workout plans to add more activity to your daily routine.
Noom usually offers a free trial when you sign up, but it requires a membership to use the app, which costs $60 per month or $199 per year.
Pros
lesson plans designed to help understand your food choices
provides tools to track progress
includes support from virtual coaching team
Cons
more expensive than other apps
some users report that the coaching team offers little personalized feedback
Best food allergy app
Spokin
iPhone rating: 4.7 stars
Price: free
For families with food allergies, Spokin can be a convenient tool to have on hand.
It allows you to select the specific ingredients that you need to avoid and provides information on whether food products are safe and allergen-free.
You can also view reviews from other users for restaurants and hotels around the world to find allergy-safe options.
Though the app can currently only be downloaded on the App Store for iPhone, the developers note that it will be available soon for Android devices as well.
Pros
provides information on allergy-friendly food products, hotels, and restaurants
allows you to connect with other users with food allergies
free to use
Cons
some report issues with navigating through the app
not yet available for Android devices
Best pregnancy nutrition app
Ovia Pregnancy Tracker
iPhone rating: 4.9 stars
Android rating: 4.7 stars
Price: free
Nutritional needs change quite a bit during pregnancy, which can be overwhelming when you’re expecting. Fortunately, Ovia makes it easier than ever to ensure that you’re getting the nourishment that you need for a healthy pregnancy.
Specifically, the app includes a food and activity log, recipe collection, medication reminders, and a guide to food safety.
It also provides helpful resources, tips, and detailed information about the progress of your pregnancy.
Best of all, it’s completely free.
Pros
provides resources and nutrition tips for pregnancy
allows you to track food, activity, sleep, mood, and more
free to use
Cons
limited customization options for some features, such as medication reminders
frequent in-app advertisements
The bottom line
There are a variety of nutrition apps available, each of which offers its own unique set of features and functionalities, making it easier than ever to eat healthy in real life.
Be sure to consider your goals, your budget, and the specific features that are most important to you.
You should also look for apps that are highly rated and recommended by a healthcare professional when deciding which are worth downloading
best nutrition apps for athletes
Smartphones have revolutionized the way people communicate and find the information they need. But communication isn’t the only field smartphones have changed; they have also impacted the world of nutrition. Many athletes are now using smartphone apps to log their nutrition and ensure that they are on track with their eating plan. Here are six of the top nutrition apps for athletes or others who want to use their phone to track their nutrition right from the palm of their hand.
MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal is one of the most popular nutrition apps for all types of people. It has a large food database for people who want to easily log and track items that they eat. It is popular because it is totally free and is supported by many platforms, including iOS, Android, and Windows.
Lose It!
As the name implies, the Lose It! app is primarily designed to help people who are looking to shed some pounds. Its focus is on calorie tracking; users set a daily budget for calories and then make entries against the budget as they eat meals throughout the day.
MyNetDiary
MyNetDiary blends a beautiful user interface with a simple app that allows users to easily enter information. With the app’s built-in barcode scanner, you can even scan information about a food item into the app so that you can log a food item when you are not sure about its nutritional value. MyNetDiary does come with a cost, but many don’t mind paying extra for some sophisticated features and a slick interface.
Fitocracy Macros
Though counting calories is important for nutrition apps, Fitocracy’s Macros app takes the food diary concept even further by allowing users to log macronutrients such as protein, fats, and carbohydrates. This makes it an excellent selection for pro athletes looking for a nutrition app that allows them to adhere to a very specific diet.
My Food Diary
My Food Diary is an app that has been praised by several major publications, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. The app’s database boasts over 80,000 foods and allows users to track 15 different nutrients. For visual people, My Food Diary has unique color-coded charts that will instantly let you know whether or not you are meeting your nutrient goals.
MyPlate by Livestrong
MyPlate is a free calorie tracking app created by popular fitness company Livestrong. The MyPlate app does much more than count calories, however. It allows users to receive personalized meal plans from nutritionists, workout programs from celebrity trainers, and tips on how to stick to an eating plan. It also includes a community feature for when you need some support to achieve your goals.
Eating is a critical component of fitness. Without the right diet, it can be impossible to achieve the most common fitness goals. Luckily for tech-savvy athletes today, there are plenty of choices out there with nutrition apps. Whether you choose one of these six apps or another one that is available, you should take advantage of the rise of mobile technology to help you track what you eat.
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