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We live in the digital age where we have access to endless amounts of information at our fingertips. When it comes to nutrition, sometimes it's hard to decipher valuable information from information that may be misleading if you're trying to work on having a more balanced diet. Nutrition apps can aid in establishing healthy eating habits by helping you make more informed food choices. This help can come in many forms, from the ability to log meals and view the macronutrient and micronutrient breakdowns, to a nutrition app that comes with a set program and nutrition coach to guide you.
Whether you're trying to figure out what to eat before your workout or trying to choose more nutrient-dense foods, the ACTIVE Reviews Team has you covered with this comprehensive list of the best nutrition apps you can download today.
The Best Nutrition Apps - Our Top Picks
Disclaimer: Always make sure to consult with your doctor before starting a new diet. Any weight lost that totals more than one pound per week over a long period of time is unusual and should be monitored by a doctor.
- Best Overall Nutrition App: Noom
- Best Free Nutrition App: Cronometer
- Best Nutrition App for Athletes: MyFitnessPal
- Best Nutrition App for Weight Loss: WW (WeightWatchers)
- Best Nutrition App for Metabolism Tracking: Lumen
- Best Nutrition App for Intermittent Fasting: DoFasting
- Best Nutrition App for Mindful Eating: Noom
- Best Nutrition App for Pregnancy: LoseIt!
- Best Nutrition App for Vegetarians: Jenny Craig
- Best Nutrition App for Vegans: Nutritionix
Why Trust Us?
ACTIVE.com's editorial team relies on the knowledge and experience of fitness and wellness experts including competitive athletes, coaches, physical therapists, nutritionists, and certified trainers. This helps us ensure the products we feature are of the highest standard. Collectively, the team has spent countless hours researching equipment, gear, and recovery tools in order to create the most accurate, authentic content for our readers. Customer satisfaction is also a key part of our review process, which is why we only feature products that are highly rated.
Best Overall Nutrition App - Noom
SPECS
- iPhone ratings: 4.7 stars
- Android ratings: 4.3 stars
- Price: $60/month, other monthly options offered, as well as $199/year
Noom is our pick for the best overall nutrition app because it uses a psychology-based approach to help you understand your eating habits and make an actionable plan to course correct any less than stellar nutritional choices. While there are no foods that are off limits, the Noom app teaches you to prioritize healthy eating, regular exercise, sleep, and stress management.
Their certified health coaches guide you through your food choices, which are color-coded using a red, yellow, and green light system. These colors are assigned to foods based on their nutrient density and how often they are to be eaten. Tracking food will feel almost effortless thanks to the barcode scanner and large food database.
What We Like
- No foods are off limits
- Encourages healthy lifestyle changes
- Accountability and support offered by coaches
- Free 14-day trial
What We Don't Like
- No free version
- Specific meal plans not available
Best Free Nutrition App - Cronometer
SPECS
- iPhone ratings: 4.7 stars
- Android ratings: 4.6 stars
- Price: Free version, Gold subscription $4.16/month
Even though Cronometer does offer a paid version, it's still our pick for the best free nutrition app because of all the features you have access to in the free version. Unlike other nutrition apps, their food database is built from lab-analyzed sources like the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) and the NCCDB (National Consumer Complaint Database). Any food that is added is also verified by a staff member, so you'll never run into duplicates or foods with inaccurate nutritional information.
Not only does Cronometer include your overall protein, carbs, and fats, but they also give you detailed information on 82 micronutrients so you can make sure you're incorporating all the vitamins and minerals to be the healthiest version of yourself. In addition to food, you can also track exercise and biometrics such as sleep, heart rate, and more.
What We Like
- Free version has a food barcode scan feature
- Ability to track biometrics
- Track and create custom recipes
- Valuable food metrics can drive data-based decisions for your health
What We Don't Like
- Nutritional targets not generated by the app
- Heavy focus on nutrition, less focus on exercise and other healthy habits
Read our full Cronometer Review.
Best Nutrition App for Athletes - MyFitnessPal
SPECS
- iPhone ratings: 4.7 stars
- Android ratings: 4.2 stars
- Price: Free version, MyFitnessPal Premium plan is $19.99/month or $79.99/year
MyFitnessPal is the best nutrition app for athletes because it allows you to track food, weight, water intake, and exercise all in one app. This is an excellent choice if you're trying to make overall healthy lifestyle changes and you want to track your weekly training progress. MyFitnessPal also has an extensive food database, making it easy to log all your food. The interface is very user-friendly and simple, which makes it a great choice for those who haven't used a nutrition app before.
When setting up your account, you enter personal information such as your age, current weight, height, and gender. You can also choose if your goal is to lose, maintain, or gain weight. From there, a daily calorie goal is generated based on your personal information and objective. If you want to see a more detailed breakdown of your daily macro and micronutrients, you might consider a premium subscription because it includes a daily breakdown of all the nutrients you have consumed.
What We Like
- Many free features
- Extensive food database
- Large community
- Useful tool to help change habits
- Exercise, water, and weight data tracking
What We Don't Like
- Tracking may be time-consuming for some
- Most convenient features are available under the premium version
- Further breakdown of nutrients not available in the free version
Best Nutrition App for Weight Loss - WW (WeightWatchers)
SPECS
- iPhone ratings: 4.8 stars
- Android ratings: 4.6 stars
- Price: Core version $15.00/month, Premium version $52.00/month
Weight Watchers is our choice for the best nutrition app for weight loss because this program builds you a plan based on your lifestyle, so you're more likely to succeed. Using your app-generated daily points goal, you can choose foods to eat that stay within your given range. In terms of points, foods with a lower point value are lower calorie, higher protein, and more nutrient-dense. Since you'll need to stay within your points, you'll feel encouraged to choose foods that will help you have a more balanced diet.
The app also has many other great features such as tracking exercise, 24/7 live coaching, and on-demand workouts. If you sign up for the Premium option you also get access to unlimited in-person or virtual workshops along with weekly check-ins and personalized advice from your coach.
What We Like
- PersonalPoints factor in nutrients and differentiate between processed sugars and saturated fats
- Coaching option available
- Easy to follow since it's not restrictive
- Barcode scanner for convenient tracking
What We Don't Like
- App features may be overwhelming for some
Best Nutrition App for Metabolism Tracking - Lumen
SPECS
- iPhone ratings: 4.6 stars
- Android ratings: 4.5 stars
- Price: $249/6 months, $299/12 months, $349/12 months with premium support
We chose Lumen as the best nutrition app for metabolism tracking because you can track nutrition, exercise, sleep, all of which play a key role in the speed of your metabolism. In the app, you can log your food and see a breakdown of the nutrients to help you understand which foods are good for your body and how they impact your metabolism. It also gives you specific information on how foods can fuel you before your workout and how what you eat after your workout affects your metabolism.
The data on your metabolism comes from a tracking device that lets you know where your metabolism is in real time. This handheld device can be taken with you anywhere discreetly, so you can check it at any time. It is important to note that this amazing technology is not included in the recurring membership fees.
What We Like
- Helps optimize your nutrition and understanding of your metabolism
- Suggestions based on data and goals
- Workout, sleep, and metabolic data tracking available
- 1-month free membership with tracker purchase
What We Don't Like
- Expensive
- Metabolism tracker sold separately
Best Nutrition App for Intermittent Fasting - DoFasting
SPECS
- iPhone ratings: 3.4 stars
- Android ratings: 4.3 stars
- Price: $37.00/month, $16.00/3 months, and $11.50/6 months
Intermittent fasting requires you to have a dedicated window of time to consume all of your daily nutrients. DoFasting is a great way to make sure your body is getting everything it needs because they have nutritious meal plans you can follow. There are also over 5,000 recipes in their database hand-picked by professional nutrition experts if you need ideas on what to eat. You can also track foods using their meal tracker which has the most common food sources for you to choose from.
When setting up the app, you can choose your fasting type. DoFasting will recommend fasting schedules based on your level of experience. That way, you don't feel overwhelmed and you can slowly progress and gain tolerance as needed.
What We Like
- Simple interface makes it easy to use
- Water intake tracking available
- Beginner, intermediate, or advanced workout guides
- Different fasting schedule options based on your experience
What We Don't Like
- If you need to log individual items you may need to use another app along with DoFasting
- Food database not as expansive as other trackers
- No free version
Best Nutrition App for Mindful Eating - Noom
SPECS
- iPhone ratings: 4.7 stars
- Android ratings: 4.3 stars
- Price: $60/month, other monthly options offered, as well as $199/year
If you're trying to be a more mindful eater, Noom educates its users to teach better eating habits that can last long-term. That includes having a more balanced diet and incorporating nutrients in all your meals. While there are no foods that are off limits, it teaches you to prioritize healthy eating, regular exercise, sleep, and stress management.
As previously mentioned, certified health coaches guide you through your food choices, which are color-coded using a red, yellow, and green light system. These colors are assigned to foods based on their nutrient density and how often they are to be eaten. You can also fully customize your dishes in the tracker or search through their extensive database.
What We Like
- No foods are off limits
- Encourages healthy lifestyle changes
- Accountability and support offered by coaches
- 14-day free trial
What We Don't Like
- No free version apart from 14-day trial
- Specific meal plans not available
Best Nutrition App for Pregnancy - LoseIt!
SPECS
- iPhone ratings: 4.8 stars
- Android ratings: 4.5 stars
- Price: Free version, Premium membership costs $39.99/year
Don't be deceived by the name, Loseit! is a wonderful choice if you're expecting but not necessarily trying to lose weight because you can add your own daily caloric goal recommended by your doctor. You can also track any calories you are burning while you exercise to ensure you are meeting these goals. The free version allows you to set simple milestones such as walking daily, or you can set more extensive ones if you subscribe to a premium membership.
Tracking food is easy thanks to the barcode scanner and vast food database that includes foods from restaurants. You may choose to expand your food options with recommendations based on your DNA which is generated in the app. If you prefer to cook, you can create custom recipes so you can easily log everything you eat.
What We Like
- Access to public groups offers a sense of community
- Personal challenge feature
- Food database includes restaurant foods
What We Don't Like
- Paid version has macronutrient information
- No coaching option
Best Nutrition App for Vegetarians - Jenny Craig
SPECS
- iPhone ratings: 2.5 stars
- Android ratings: 3.1 stars
- Price: $13.00/day to $28.54/day
The Jenny Craig app is a useful tool to help you track meals supplied by their program that are designed to provide you with the right balance of nutrients to optimize your health. Jenny Craig offers a vegetarian meal plan that integrates fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes. This includes meals and snacks to fuel your body throughout the day, which can all be tracked in the app.
In addition to your meals, you can also track your activity and weight loss if that's a part of your goals, so you can see what milestones you reach. You'll also get assigned a coach who can guide you along your journey or answer any questions you may have about the tools in the app or the program.
What We Like
- Easy to follow
- Convenient way to make sure you're eating nutrient-dense foods
- Can help you reach nutritional goals
What We Don't Like
- App cannot be utilized without a plan subscription
- Expensive
Best Nutrition App for Vegans - Nutritionix
SPECS
- iPhone ratings: 4.8 stars
- Android ratings: 4.7 stars
- Price: Free version, Pro version $39/year
Nutritionix is the best nutrition app for vegans mainly because they have an expansive food database, so no matter what your dietary restrictions are, you're very likely to find any food you are searching for. There are over 800,000 food items to choose from covering 95 percent of grocery items. There are also over 760 restaurants that have logged their menu into the app, which makes eating out very convenient.
When you log food, you'll see a full macronutrient and micronutrient breakdown of each item. If you like data, you'll also enjoy the pie chart that shows your daily intake of nutrients. Nutritionix enables you to track your water consumption and weight progress, as well.
What We Like
- Budget-friendly paid version
- Barcode scanning
- Expansive food database
What We Don't Like
- No nutritional support or resources
- Not as many customization features as other nutrition apps
Benefits of Nutrition Apps
Nutrition apps take the guesswork out of healthy eating by acting as a digital food journal and guide. These apps can help you to better understand the nutritional value of the food that you eat on a daily basis and then empower you to make healthier, more informed choices, especially if your goal is to lose weight. The more control you have over your diet, the better you'll feel about your ability to change any bad eating habits and live a healthier lifestyle. Studies even show that using diet and nutrition-focused apps can have a positive effect on your ability to make behavioral changes when it comes to eating.
How We Chose the Best Nutrition Apps
We chose our list of the best nutrition apps based on research of the top nutrition-based apps available today. We considered many things, including cost, features, user experience, and popularity when reviewing these programs. That way, you can see what each of these apps can offer you and make a more informed choice when selecting one for your particular nutritional wants and needs.
How to Choose the Best Nutrition App for You
Goals
The goals you want to focus on play a role in which app is best for you. If you want to lose weight but want some guidance, you'll probably opt for an app that generates caloric and macronutrient goals for you. These apps can also give you daily goals if you're trying to gain weight or add muscle. If you're looking to cut back on sodium or track other micronutrients, you'll want to choose an app that breaks down all of the nutritional information for the foods you are tracking.
Budget
Nutrition apps that offer free and premium versions are pretty common. If your goals and budget align with a paid version of an app, chances are you'll have access to more features. Some paid versions cost less or more than others, it all depends on the features that are being offered. If it's not within your means to pay for a subscription to an app, there are really helpful free options for you. When researching, it's important to figure out what your budget is so from there you can choose a nutrition app that best fits your goals and budget.
Additional Features
Speaking of features, not every app will generate your numbers and goals for you, meaning you may need to consult your doctor. Some apps will generate these for you based on your personal information and even have coaches who make changes and help you with any questions or concerns. When it comes to logging food, some make it more convenient by enabling barcode scanning and utilizing your smartphone's camera to recognize food, but these are usually available at an additional cost.
Most of the food you log will show the macronutrient breakdown, but typically if you want the micronutrient breakdown you'll need a premium subscription. Some apps may also have a community forum where you can post questions or recipes and posts may or may not be monitored by coaches. Overall, if there is a premium version of an app you'll gain access to the best, most convenient features by subscribing.
FAQs About Nutrition Apps
What is the most accurate nutrition app?
Many nutrition apps have expansive food databases that aren't necessarily monitored. It's important to research nutritional information and compare it with food in the app until you become more familiar with tracking your nutrition.
Are nutrition apps worth it?
Any nutrition app that is beneficial to your health is going to be worth it. What you determine is "worth it" is solely based on your goals and needs. This will determine whether you want to opt for a free version or find a paid version.
Is there an app that tracks all nutrients?
Apps like MyFitnessPal and Cronometer have a lot of nutrient tracking information available, however, this is only available in the paid version of most apps.
How do you track vitamins and minerals?
You can use nutrition apps to track your daily intake of vitamins and minerals.