Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The best food tracking apps: Our top picks

Dinner plate with cooked meat and vegetables
Pixabay / Pexels

Tracking the food you eat can help you maximize the results you see on the scale or in your waistline, regardless of whether you are trying to lose weight or gain muscle. Using these apps, you can keep track of your macronutrient intake, monitor your calorie intake, and analyze your eating habits.

Whether you want to find a free option or are willing to invest in a comprehensive app, we’ll explore many options so that you can find the best food-tracking app to achieve your desired outcome.

Recommended Videos

Benefits of tracking food intake

Tracking your food intake can provide valuable insights to help optimize your nutrition and athletic performance. Without proper fueling, your body can’t perform at its best.

Keeping tabs on your macronutrient intake – specifically your intake of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats – is important for maintaining consistent energy levels, supporting muscle recovery, and enhancing overall athletic performance. 

By monitoring what you eat, you can ensure you’re consuming adequate amounts of the key nutrients your body needs to excel.

Armed with this information, you can then make targeted adjustments, such as incorporating specific foods or supplements to address your specific needs and close the nutritional gaps that may be holding your performance back. 

Best food tracking app for bodybuilders: MealPrepPro

Muscular man with shirt off flexing muscles
Pikx By Panther / Pexels

Whether you want to cut weight or bulk up on muscle, tracking calorie intake and macronutrient ratios is a must for bodybuilders. In order to stay on track with your nutritional goals, you need a reliable food-tracking app that simplifies the process. 

Among the apps that stand out is , which provides a range of features tailored to the specific needs of bodybuilders. One key feature is its ability to plan meals in advance so that you can save time and frustration while planning and tracking your nutritional intake. 

MealPrepPro allows you to easily create weekly meal plans, find new recipes, and even create shopping lists based on your meal plans. If you are interested in trying out the app, they offer a free 7-day trial where you have access to all of the features the app has to offer.

Best food tracking apps for runners 

Man on bridge facing away from camera and stretching right hamstring
Pixabay / Pexels

As a runner, you know the importance of your nutrition when it comes to winning your next marathon or aiming to beat your personal best. The nutrient requirements of runners, like those of bodybuilders, differ as you continue to train.

Food Coach

Apps like  can help you optimize performance no matter what phase of training you’re in. Macronutrient needs change drastically as your training progresses, and it is critical that you supply your body with sufficient carbohydrates. 

Staying on track with your diet can be a challenge when traveling to a new city for a race. Luckily, there are several apps to choose from to help you stick to your diet and fuel your next race. 

Happy Cow

If you follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, the  app was designed for athletes like yourself. The app can help you easily locate vegan and vegetarian-friendly restaurants so that you can provide your body with the foods it needs to fuel your body before or after a race while in an unfamiliar location. 

While HappyCow doesn’t directly track your nutritional intake, it makes it simple to find the foods and ingredients you require to meet your micronutrient needs while on the go.

Best food tracking apps for weight loss

Doctor measuring the waist circumference of man
beyzahzah / Pexels

Several apps are available to help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.

MyFitnessPal

One of the most popular is , which allows you to log the foods you consume throughout the day and monitor your calorie, macros, and micronutrient levels. 

MyFitnessPal provides an extensive database of over 11 million foods and can easily log nutrition information. The app makes it simple to track calories, macros, and micronutrients, giving users detailed insights into their dietary intake. 

In addition to tracking your nutrition, the app allows you to integrate with fitness trackers further enhances the app’s utility by providing a complete picture of energy balance.

Noom

, however, is a popular choice for people looking to improve their relationship with food. Noom focuses on developing healthy habits and mindsets around food beyond just calorie counting. 

The app incorporates psychology-based techniques, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, to help users build a positive relationship with eating. Noom also provides personalized coaching and educational resources to support long-term lifestyle changes.

While MyFitnessPal offers a free and paid version, both apps offer a free trial of their paid versions so you can experience what each has to offer for yourself.  

Brittney Bertagna, RN
Brittney is a graduate of California State University, Chico, where she completed a Bachelor's degree in Business. Her…
Low-cholesterol diet made simple: Dos and don’ts to follow
Your guide to eating a low-cholesterol diet for a healthy heart
Wooden serving tray of healthy food

Cholesterol often has a negative reputation, but it plays essential roles in the body, including hormone production, vitamin D synthesis, and cell structure. While it is helpful in many ways, cholesterol levels that are too high can increase the risk of conditions like heart disease and atherosclerosis.

Genetics can impact cholesterol levels, but lifestyle changes, including following a low-cholesterol diet, can effectively reduce them. While a low-cholesterol diet does involve limiting certain foods, it is also about making strategic choices to support your heart health. Keep reading to discover everything you need to know about this eating method in our complete guide.
Types of cholesterol

Read more
The 8 best espresso machines for home brews
The best ways to brew espresso at home
Espresso pouring in a cup

Italy has blessed us with so many culinary creations it's hard to pick a favorite. When you think of Italian food, you automatically picture a beautiful, cheesy pizza or a plate full of pasta with a delicious meat sauce. However, one invention that is quite frequently overlooked is the black gold that baristas deal in every day. We're not talking crude oil; we're talking espresso.

How many of us would be able to overcome the prior night's cocktails and be functioning humans at work if it weren't for our daily Americano? Let's also not forget it makes a decadent after-dinner treat poured over some ice cream.

Read more
Why nutrition experts say you (probably) don’t need that gluten-free diet
Do you believe these gluten-free diet myths?
Baked bread sliced on a white table

With so many diet options out there, it can be hard to know which will support your health and help you reach your fitness goals the most. You have likely heard of the Mediterranean diet, Whole30 diet, veganism, and more, but what about the gluten-free diet?

This way of eating is necessary for some, as people have gluten sensitivities and celiac disease. Gluten is a term referring to proteins found in barley, rye, triticale, and wheat. If your body doesn't naturally have an issue with digesting foods with gluten, should you still follow the gluten-free diet? According to Anna Mapson, a registered nutritionist and the founder of Goodness Me Nutrition, "There are no benefits to being gluten-free if you don't need to be."

Read more