Regardless of your goals鈥攚eight loss, improved performance, or just better health鈥攊ncorporating a nutrition app into your fueling plan can be effective, says Sarah Koszyk, a聽.聽鈥淚t鈥檚 a convenient way to build awareness about what you鈥檙e eating and allows you to make smarter decisions, so that you can reach your goals in a measurable way,鈥 she says.
But not all apps are created equal. These five nutritionist-approved picks聽help you create sustainable changes in your eating habits and are best suited for high performers looking for more聽than just an easy way to count calories.
Shopwell
Go into a grocery store without a plan, or with even the slightest twinge of hunger,聽and you鈥檙e bound to come out with a cartload聽of things you don鈥檛 need. But 聽lets you scan the聽items on the shelves and get聽a rating based on nutritional value鈥攁n easy way to hold yourself accountable as you peruse the aisles. Plus, it flags common allergens, information that鈥檚 often hidden in fine print. That makes for a great shopping companion, helping people make healthier choices in the supermarket and steering clear of foods that won鈥檛 assist them in reaching their goals, says Koszyk.
Farmstand
Says Koszyk: 鈥淲ith , it鈥檚 easy to find local farmers鈥 markets, community gardens, restaurants that serve local food, and CSA鈥濃攃ommunity聽supported agriculture鈥斺渄elivery services.鈥 In short: it鈥檚 a farm-to-table foodie鈥檚 dream.
Rise
聽for a more tailor-made approach to your nutrition plan.聽When you sign up, it pairs you with a registered dietitian who聽creates an individualized聽plan to fit your specific goals and challenges and checks in with you daily to make sure you鈥檙e on track, all for less than two dollars聽per day. There鈥檚 no one-size-fits-all option here, so your chances of finding an approach that lasts for the long haul are much greater.聽
FitWell
, FitWell offers聽access to an archive of trainer-made fitness videos and recipe ideas, tools to track calories and water intake, and a free body assessment. With the premium version鈥攋ust five dollars per month鈥攜ou鈥檙e paired with聽a nutrition coach and trainer to聽who develop an individualized聽plan to聽tag-team your performance goals. Koszyk calls it聽a personal-training, nutrition, and life-coach app all in one.
Fooducate
鈥淭his app 聽basic calorie and macronutrient counting,鈥 says Koszyk. 鈥淚t also looks at the quality of food.鈥 That means everything from preservatives in your produce to sneaky sugars and bizarre additives in your favorite 鈥渉ealthy鈥 snacks. It also includes an exercise tracker. After all, performance gains don鈥檛 come through diet alone.