You may not usually think of your phone or tablet as a tool that helps you lose some lbs, but there's an app for just about everything−and that includes many that can help you improve your diet.
Check out the following six recommended apps to help track what you eat:
Fooducate – Fooducate not only tracks calories, but also rates each food for its nutritional value. It lets you scan a product bar code to see its nutritional grade so that you can make better choices. You can also choose a calorie allowance for the day and track how many you've eaten as well as how many you have left. Recommended by The American Journal of Medicine
MyFitnessPal – This app calculates a recommended daily calorie intake for you and contains a food diary that shows how many calories you consume throughout the day. A bar code scanner tracks calories as well as nutritional information (fat, protein, carbs, sugar, fiber and cholesterol) for over 5 million foods. A recipe counter also helps you track calories and nutritional information in homemade meals. Recommended by The American Journal of Medicine
FatSecret – A calorie counter, food diary and nutrition database that can be utilized with a bar code scanner are key features of FatSecret. It shows your total calorie intake while breaking down carbs, proteins and fats for each day and meal. A monthly summary view can help you track your progress over time. If you'd like to connect with other members, a chat community swaps tips and recipes, and users can also participate in challenges in closed groups. Recommended by Healthline
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DietPoint – Over 130 diets are explained on DietPoint, which also provides a weight loss estimate to help you decide which diet you'd like to follow.
It then guides you in creating shopping lists based on the diet you choose. DietPoint reminds you when it's time to eat your next meal and what you can eat and also includes a weight tracker and BMI calculator. Recommended by Health
FoodPrint Diet by Nutrino – Nutrino offers personalized meal suggestions based on your dietary needs and goals as well as your likes and dislikes. It tracks and compares the nutritional breakdown of what you eat on different days and allows you to set goals beyond losing weight to include lowering your fat percentage or gaining muscle mass. Nutrino also has a Diabetes Manager that helps you learn which meals were your best and worst based on your blood glucose levels and other metrics. Recommended by Men's Fitness
HealthyOut – If eating out tends to derail your good dietary intentions, HealthyOut can help you enjoy a restaurant meal while still sticking to your goals. You can enter your zip code and your requirements and preferences, such as heart-healthy dishes or low-calorie choices. You'll be given specific information about dishes at nearby restaurants, including their macronutrient breakdown. Recommended by Clark Howard