Searching for the right app to help you meet your diet and exercise goals can be overwhelming and confusing. So we put together a list of a few of the most popular free diet and wellness apps that work on both Apple and Android platforms.
"Being aware of your calorie intake is an important first step to weight loss," says Louise Voelker, dietitian and patient counselor. "Food diary apps – some of which keep track of your exercise as well – are a much more convenient way to track your progress than pen and paper."
Here are a few to consider:
Lose It!
Monitor both your calories and your exercise with this app. Enter your current and goal weights to get an estimate of how many calories to eat each day as well as how long it should take you to reach your goal. Once you have your daily calorie budget, track your food and exercise to make smarter choices to achieve your goals. An online database allows you to receive nutritional data of nearly any grocery item just by scanning the barcode.
Myfitnesspal
Similar to Lose It!, but this app also remembers what you eat over time. So the more you track your meals, the quicker and easier entering what you’ve eaten becomes. It includes a searchable database with information on more than 3.6 million food items.
Fooducate
This app is a quick way to determine what’s healthy and what’s not at the grocery store. Scan the barcode and get a rating from A+ to F. Ratings are based on calories, processing techniques and amount of excess sugar.
Hot5
This app applies the principles of high-intensity circuit training to a variety of short, effective workouts. Whether it’s abs and core or yoga and flexibility, choose from a range of 5-minute video workouts. Track the calories you burn and store your workouts so you can exercise when you’re traveling or offline.