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
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brittney is a graduate of California State University, Chico, where she completed a Bachelor's degree in Business. Her…
The 4 best whiskey drinks: We love these the most
You'll enjoy these cocktails enough to add them to your home bar arsenal
Whiskey cocktail

Whiskey is one of life's great pleasures, so we have strong feelings about the best whiskey drinks. As a spirit it can be light and fruity, or moody and smokey, or dark and oaky, and it can contain any combination of flavors from caramel to pineapple and can come in a wide variety of types.

We don’t have to tell you that whiskey is a great spirit to mix with. There’s a reason some of the most well-known cocktails ever created use whiskey as the base or, at the very least, one of the main ingredients. Take a look at any list of "classic" cocktails. While you’ll see many made with gin, vodka, tequila, and other spirits, many of the most well-known feature whiskey.

Read more
Egg nutrition: Should you eat the whole egg or stick to egg whites?
Are eggs good for you?
Eggs of different shades of white and brown sitting in carton

Many foods have been debated when it comes to whether or not they are good for us, and the egg is one of them. As a nutritionist, I have spoken with clients on both ends -- eggs contain cholesterol, so they should be limited, and eggs are nutritious, so they are healthy. Which one is right? Also, much of the concern seems to be centered on the egg yolk, so is sticking to egg whites your safest bet?

If you don't want to give up your morning omelets but your're a health-conscious person, keep reading to get all your questions about egg nutrition answered.
Are eggs good for you?

Read more
The best oil for searing steak (and what not to use)
Put down the butter and walk away
Steak cooking on flat top

Don't underestimate the importance of using the right oil to sear your meat. Whether it's an incredibly succulent ribeye, a tender, juicy bone-in pork chop, or a crisped-to-perfection grilled chicken thigh, we all strive to achieve that golden, crisp crust when cooking our favorite proteins. But getting that perfect bite comes with a bit of know-how, like how long to cook your food, how to make the perfect marinade, how long to let your food rest after it's been cooked, and what cooking oils to use.

If you've ever inadvertently over-charred a steak or set off the smoke alarm in your kitchen, the oil you used in your recipe may be to blame. If so, keep reading to find out what the best oil for searing steak is.
Understanding smoke points

Read more