Everyone’s health goals are different. Some aim to lower their sugar intake, others want to increase their carbohydrate intake, and there are even people who just want to track everything in between. Whether it’s for weight loss or weight gain, the best food tracking app can help you along in your journey. 

The Perks of Tracking Your Food

Tracking your food can provide a range of benefits. For example, it increases awareness of what you’re ingesting and how much you’re actually consuming. Reveal what kind of food choices you’re making and the portion sizes that you’re having. 

With those insights, you can start to identify whether you’re eating enough or too much, as well as if you need to create a healthier diet plan. Being more aware of your meals can also ensure that you’ll never skip breakfast, lunch or dinner ever again. 

Food tracking can also help people lose and gain weight. What’s funny is that you don’t even have to do it constantly—a study found that people only need to track about 30% of their six-month weight loss journey to lose more than 3% of their weight. If you want to lose more than 10% of your weight, increase your tracking to 70% of those days. 

Giving Yourself Grace Along the Way

Food tracking can be challenging for some people, especially since it requires you to closely examine what you consume from day to day and understand why your body is the way it is. Societal factors already influence a young person’s perception of a healthy body, which can unintentionally lead to too much self-criticism.

If you plan to track your food, ensure that you’re giving yourself grace along the way. Remember that having more portions or unhealthy options doesn’t mean it’s the be-all and end-all of your health and wellness. Everyone’s journey is different, and you can use food tracking as a starting point. 

Best Food Tracking Apps

Food tracking apps have evolved over the years to simplify their interfaces and expand their databases to include a broader range of food items. Here are some of the best options you can download right now:

1. MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal is a highly rated nutrition tracking app for real life that helps you hit your health goals. It can enable you to track calories, macros and many other information. There are even features like scanning a barcode or logging in your personal recipes that can contribute to the existing database of food. 

2. Cronometer

Cronometer delivers personalized insight into your diet and exercise, empowering you to make more informed health decisions. It features a user-friendly design that allows you to view both macros and micros daily. You can also connect it to a smartwatch that tracks biometrics, such as your blood sugar levels. 

3. LifeSum

LifeSum aims to support your health and wellness goals with effortless meal logging features and meal plan guidance. It also provides a clear indicator of how many glasses of water you’ve drunk for the day, which is key in maintaining your hydration levels. 

4. MacroFactor

MacroFactor is an in-depth science-based food tracking app. It provides algorithms and recommendations based on your health and any metabolic changes that may occur throughout your journey. It also ensures a faster food-logging experience. 

5. MyNetDiary

MyNetDiary is a user-friendly nutrition assistant that can help you set weight loss goals. It’s a great guide if you want to try new diets, such as keto or vegan, to shake up your lifestyle. There are even premium recipes from registered dietitians. 

6. Yazio

Yazio is a great food tracking app if you want to try out calorie counting or intermittent fasting. You can use it to lose weight, build muscle and achieve other health goals. Additionally, it’s compatible with fitness trackers, enabling you to track your activities and steps. 

How to Get the Most Out of Your Food Tracking Apps

Some food tracking apps require a subscription to access all the features. Get the most out of your investment with these tips: 

1. Pre-track Meals When Possible 

Consider recording meals in advance whenever possible. Pre-tracking your meals helps you stay within your goals and shows you what foods fit best within your macros. You can also use it to record meals that you’re meal prepping. Simply log in diabetic-friendly meal recipes and review their nutritional value. 

2. Log in After Every Meal

While you only need to record a portion of your meals to achieve goals like weight loss, it’s still beneficial to build the habit of logging your food. If you can’t pre-track meals, try to log in after every meal at least. That way, you can get a reference for what you’ve eaten recently. Gentle reminder—don’t be hard on yourself if you happen to miss a day. 

3. Turn On Your Notifications

Food tracking apps can provide a wide array of notifications like meal reminders, food logging reminders and even fitness progress updates. Turn on what seems the most relevant to your goals right now.

4. Review Insights Weekly

Try to set aside time to browse the insights that you’ve collected on your app throughout the week. Some will already provide a dashboard, while others will require you to switch between days. Regardless, take a look at the data and try to set a short-term goal for the next week. It could be as specific as increasing your fiber or as general as eating more vegetables.

Creating Your Own Food Diary

Food tracking apps are relatively simple to use, but some individuals prefer to create their own systems. Here’s a quick guide to making your own food diary:

• Choose a medium: A survey reveals that 40.4% of individuals who track their food intake utilize apps. The rest are divided into other methods, like paper and pencil or taking photos and videos. 
• Create a template: If you’ve chosen the notes method, consider creating a template on paper. It could be as simple as having a column for the food consumed, its portion size and its calories. 
• Google the details: Use the World Wide Web to figure out how many calories a meal has, along with other nutritional information you want to figure out. Please note that the numbers may vary slightly depending on your specific cooking style and portion size. 

Track Your Nutrition to Improve Your Health

Use the best food tracking app to get more insights about your food consumption. That information can be the game-changer in turning your health around and reaching your fitness goals. Subscribe to our newsletter to get more wellness tips and tricks.