How a food-tracking app can help you reach your health goals
Knowing the quality and quantity of the foods you use to fuel your body can help empower you to make lifestyle changes
Food-tracking apps—which allow you to log all the meals and snacks you eat—are more popular than ever as people become more intentional about using a dietary strategy to support their health goals, whether weight loss, muscle gain, or just improving longevity. Where once the idea of a pen-and-paper food journal was reserved for the obsessive or people working with a nutritionist, the convenience of doing it in a few taps on your phone makes meal logging as common as sleep or heart-rate tracking.
A 2021 study surveyed more than 2,000 people and found that more than half had used a food-tracking or diet and nutrition app. Other survey-based research indicates that these apps are most popular among people ages 18 to 45.
These apps have a variety of features for self-monitoring. Most apps offer basic calorie tracking, but others have increased functionality for counting macronutrients (aka “macros”), which include protein, fat, and carbohydrates. More robust apps take food-logging even further by tracking estimates of micronutrients—vitamins and minerals. And some apps have made the food-logging process even easier via AI tools and more informational by providing nutrition advice based on individual goals. Plus, some apps incorporate physical activity data and other metrics to give you a deeper picture of your lifestyle and health.
In this guide, we’ll unpack why a food tracking app can be helpful (and who may want to skip it), how to find one that fits your needs, and how to use the information you’re logging to best reach your goals.
Why track food at all?
Food journaling or logging means tracking all the foods (and their portions) you consume—whether meals, snacks, or beverages. Research shows that food journaling in general—whether using a pen and paper or a digital option—can be beneficial for achieving a goal weight, reaching other health goals, learning more about your eating habits, and identifying trigger foods for chronic conditions.
Why use a food-tracking app?
Food-tracking apps can help eliminate the guesswork and hassle of maintaining a food log. They can also help you reach your nutrition and health goals by fostering accuracy and consistency in logging, making you more aware of diet quality and quantity, and supporting any desired behavioral changes.
Accuracy
Apps are not only a more convenient but also a more accurate way of keeping a food diary when compared to the old-school method—often on pen and paper and estimating calories and other metrics. When people estimate, they aren’t always accurate, according to research. A 2021 study looked at 26 people who had maintained a 30-pound weight loss for more than a year and compared them to two other groups: those of a normal body weight (33 people) and those who had obesity or overweight (32 people). They found that all three groups underreported their energy intake on self-reported food diaries. Are apps more accurate? The answer likely depends on the app. For example, a 2021 study investigated the accuracy of five apps and found that they underestimated calories by an average of 2 to 5 calories per item.
Consistency
Some research indicates that people who track via an app or their smartphone’s other functions are also more consistent. For example, a 2014 study divided 47 participants into three groups: those who used an app, those who tracked with the notes or memo feature on their phone, and those who used pen and paper. The researchers found that those who tracked via an app or the memo function were more consistent in their tracking compared to those who wrote out their food diary.
Consistency in food-logging is associated with weight loss. In a 2021 study, researchers followed 90 participants who were all employees at the same healthcare system and had obesity. They used a food-tracking app to log their dietary intake for eight weeks. Consistency and frequency of logging were associated with a greater percentage of weight loss.
Awareness of and changes to diet quantity and quality
A 2022 review examined 10 studies comprising more than 1,500 participants who used food-tracking apps. Six studies focused on highlighting dietary changes, while four focused on weight loss and better glucose (blood sugar) control. Six of the 10 studies showed improvements in participants’ diet quality after using an app. The main changes included increased intake of fruits and vegetables and decreased sodium levels. As a secondary outcome, the researchers also found that improvements in diet correlated with reduced weight, cholesterol, and HbA1c, a measure of average blood sugar over three months. The study also noted that apps with more efficiency, better ease of use, and met users’ needs were associated with consistency of use and success in diet quality improvement.
Behavior changes
Research from 2020 looked at the usefulness of nutrition-information apps. In addition to offering a platform for food logging, nutrition-information apps provide recommendations on healthier food alternatives. The study of nearly 150 people surveyed shows that nutrition-information apps help boost users’ nutrition knowledge, motivation for healthy eating, and perceptions of healthy eating.
What should you actually track?
Most food-tracking apps will give you a lot of information about your meals and habits, but that doesn’t mean you need to obsess over every number—some are more useful (and reliable) than others and will support different goals. Here’s a look at the primary metrics you can track and the value of each.
Calories
Should you track calories? It’s complicated, but if your goal is weight loss or weight gain, it’s likely a valuable metric to watch—though not the only one. Researchers are still unpacking the very complicated physiology behind weight management and the impact of calorie consumption. The traditional view is that if you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight, and if you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain. This is called the Energy Balance Model (EBM), and it’s not wrong. But newer research suggests that EBM just doesn’t tell the whole story (a point even most EBM proponents will concede).
While calories matter, the quality of calories plays a crucial role (how crucial is where the debate lies). The model most associated with this view is the Carbohydrate-Insulin Model (CIM). It suggests that keeping insulin levels lower with a diet that reduces or eliminates added sugar, processed carbohydrates, and high-glycemic foods will foster weight loss, while higher insulin levels (hyperinsulinemia), brought on by poor diet quality, will promote weight gain. Basically, 200 extra calories of whole vegetables will have a different effect than 200 calories of donuts.
The bottom line is that having an accurate view of how much you’re actually eating (and burning) is helpful if your goal is related to your weight, and apps, while not perfect, will undoubtedly give you a better view of calorie tracking than estimating.
Most food-tracking apps will estimate your daily calorie burn based on your height and weight and activity levels, sometimes allowing you to import exercise from your other smartphone apps. Many apps partition the calories you generally burn at rest with the calories you burn from activities. These metrics are also helpful if you’re aiming for a calorie deficit for weight loss purposes.
Reducing calories may be helpful in the short term, but diet quality will also matter, and that’s why macronutrient tracking may be even more beneficial since it will help you understand your diet composition.
Macros
The essential macronutrients that make up all our food in varying ratios are protein, fat, and carbohydrates, and most apps will give you the macro composition of any food you log. Some will break macros down into further categories, like fiber and added sugar (both carbohydrates but with very different effects on the body). Tracking macronutrients can be helpful if you want to hit a daily protein goal, up your intake of healthy fats, focus on fiber-rich carbs, or eliminate added sugar—just to note a few examples.
-
Protein. Some research suggests that boosting protein consumption can improve body composition by helping to decrease fat mass while preserving muscle. Adequate protein intake is also crucial for building muscle and can support a healthy metabolism.
-
Fats. Fat is an umbrella term encompassing several different types, and some food-tracking apps allow for partitioning these so you can see what types of fat you’re consuming. Until just recently, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans vilified fat as a contributor to chronic diseases. Recently, the guidelines removed the upper limit on total fat consumption and emphasized consuming healthy fats. Trans fats are the true enemy form of this macronutrient and should be avoided. The jury is still out on whether people need to reduce saturated fat, and the answer may be individual. What’s becoming more apparent is that focusing on upping omega-3 fatty acids can be beneficial for reducing inflammation, which can contribute to overall health. Research also suggests that we need to lower our ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, since omega-6s can drive inflammation. Some apps allow you to see an estimate of this ratio.
-
Carbs. Carbs are a crucial macronutrient for pretty much any dietary goal, as they can have a range of effects on your body, from being the source of your mid-morning slump (thanks to a reactive crash after a blood sugar spike from your carb-heavy sweet breakfast) to promoting a healthier gut (via fiber that produces good-bacteria-feeding substances in your gut). Several food-tracking apps show you the breakdown of these carb sources, and the data can be helpful for those who are trying to fine-tune their carbohydrate consumption. Tracking carbs is even more important if you’re following a low-carb diet, which has a higher proportion of fat and protein than carbohydrates. These diets, such as the ketogenic (“keto”) and Atkins diets, can be beneficial for losing weight, managing blood sugar, and reducing disease risk. Regardless of your total carb intake, you may wish to focus on fiber. Fiber falls under the carbohydrate umbrella, but it mostly passes through the digestive tract intact, which can aid in better blood sugar control. Fiber also feeds the gut microbiome, which then produces short-chain fatty acids that can also help with weight management. We don’t need added sugar for survival, yet plenty of processed food sources are loaded with it, and research shows its many adverse effects. Added sugar can also trigger cravings for more sweet foods by hijacking reward pathways. These are just a few reasons some people aim to reduce or eliminate added sugar from their diets.
Your target macro ratios—the percentage of your calories dedicated to carbohydrates, fats, and protein—will vary based on your goals. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, set forth by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS), recommends that 45% to 65% of your calories come from carbohydrates, 20% to 35% from fats, and 10% to 35% from protein. However, these ratios may not fit your unique needs. If you’re eating a low-carbohydrate diet, such as the ketogenic diet, your ratio might feature only 5% to 10% carbohydrates, 10% to 20% protein, and 70% to 80% fat, though ratios vary. And if you’re focusing on adding more protein to your diet for muscle building and preservation, you might have different macros targets.
Micronutrients
Micronutrients are essential vitamins and minerals, all of which play important roles in metabolic health. As many as 50% of people in the United States are deficient in at least some micronutrients. That’s why tracking your intake may be beneficial, but only some food-tracking apps will have this functionality. And their accuracy level may not be reliable since micronutrient content can vary based on how and where a food source was raised or grown. Still, tracking macronutrients through an app can give you a snapshot of your overall nutritional profile and anything you might be missing out on in your diet.
Meal timing
Several food-logging apps feature a timer that can be helpful for people who are trying to eat within a specific time window each day, a concept known as time-restricted eating or intermittent fasting, which may have beneficial effects on metabolic health and weight management. Other people might be aiming to eat higher-carbohydrate meals earlier in the day, avoid late-night meals or snacks, or incorporate strategies surrounding meal timing and exercise. For all these reasons, time stamps with food logging may be beneficial.
Trends over time
Research shows that, when considering a tracking app, people want functionality that helps them set and review goals. Some food-tracking apps show you your trends over time. How many days are you consistently hitting your protein and fiber intake or overall calorie goals? Is your consumption of added sugar generally going up or down? Are you eating a balance of micronutrients or missing some essential vitamins and minerals? Seeing these trends can help motivate you to keep up the momentum or refine dietary behaviors as needed.
What should you do with the information you get from the app?
What you do with the information will depend on your goals. For example, if you’re trying to preserve and build muscle for better metabolic health, you’ll want to keep a close eye on your protein goal and add more protein if you’re short on most days. Or, if you’re looking to curb sweet cravings, cutting down or eliminating added sugar can help. You can review your intake and see which foods are getting in the way of your goals.
Also, pay attention to how you feel after eating certain foods. Some apps allow you to log your symptoms. This can be helpful if you suspect you have a food intolerance, such as lactose. It can also be beneficial if you have an underlying condition, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and are trying to tweak your nutrition as part of your treatment plan. Likewise, you may find that when you eat seemingly healthy foods, such as a banana or oatmeal, they may spike your blood sugar before leading to reactive hypoglycemia, a blood sugar crash, which can leave you feeling fatigued, jittery, irritable, nauseous, hungry, and more. If you notice unpleasant symptoms after eating certain foods or feel great after eating others, you can adjust your diet accordingly.
Keep an eye on your long-term trends. Research shows that when people can visualize their personal data, as made possible with several food-logging apps, they feel empowered to make positive changes. Keeping tabs on your long-term trends can help you visualize your progress and hold yourself accountable.
Features to look for in a food-tracking app
Fast, simple logging
Food-logging apps should make your life easier, not more complicated so that you can stick with the process. That’s why quick-and-easy logging is essential. Some apps use barcode scanning, dictation, and AI features that help you log. In the study that looked at app user reviews, the most oft-cited pain point was technical issues. Likewise, difficulty adding foods was another factor for an app receiving a negative review.
Accurate macro counts
Accuracy is also essential. This may be harder to gauge. However, you can do a few spot checks to see if your app is generally accurate. After an app provides you with the macros for a specific item, you can cross-check it with the macros on the food’s nutrition label or look it up on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) FoodData Central platform.
Comprehensive food database
You will likely want a comprehensive food database. The study on user reviews cited the lack of a rich food database, searching for substitutes, and difficulty adding new items as pain points of food-tracking apps, so a database that features both whole and packaged food items will be best. At the same time, an app that has become bloated with too many versions of the same food might overwhelm you with choices and take up too much time. According to research, one of the biggest reasons people quit using a nutrition-tracking app is the time commitment.
Ability to customize serving sizes
Another reason for negative reviews of some food-logging apps is the inability to customize serving sizes. So, you will likely want an app that allows you to edit a food log easily.
Easy target setting and tracking
Goal setting can be an effective way to make lifestyle changes. That’s why you will likely want an app that allows you to set personalized targets. For example, perhaps you want to improve your gut health for better overall health. You might set the goal to slowly increase your fiber intake over time from 10 grams per day to over 50 grams per day. Goal setting helps you see your progress, hold yourself accountable, and note when you’ve reached your target and the goal has become a habit.
Good view of long-term trends
Research shows that data visualization—in the form of charts, graphs, and other infographics—combined with self-tracking can aid health-goal achievement. This is why you’ll likely want to choose an app that features easy visualization of long-term trends.
Ability to import other lifestyle data
In the study that investigated app user reviews, the researchers found that food-tracking apps that allowed for the syncing or tracking other lifestyle factors—such as physical activity, steps, and more—received favorable ratings. You may wish to track physical activity, sleep quality and quantity, and food intake to see how these factors are associated with food. For example, after a poor night of sleep, you may notice increased cravings. Or you may notice that upping your protein intake increases physical performance during exercise. These insights can be motivating and empowering.
Insights, advice, and takeaways
You may wish to use a food-tracking app that offers personalized insights and other advice. Research shows that these apps, called nutrition-information apps, help boost motivation and confidence and decrease users’ perceived barriers to healthy eating. Additional takeaways might offer healthful swaps—such as substituting cauliflower rice for regular rice to make a specific meal healthier—or provide suggestions for meeting certain macro goals.
Tips for using a food-tracking app
At first, using a food-tracking app may seem overwhelming, but a few tips and tricks can help.
- Pay attention to serving sizes. Try to be as accurate as possible to ensure correct data.
- Take advantage of built-in AI and other tools. These include barcode scanning, dictation, and photos for quick-and-easy logging.
- Use proxy items. When you’re at a restaurant, logging can be tricky if you don’t know all the ingredients or exact portions of a dish. You can use a chain restaurant item—many of which are in food databases—as a proxy for a dish from an establishment that isn’t included in the app’s database.
- Commit. Try using the app consistently for 30 days to build accurate nutrition trends. Forgetting to log a meal will throw off the data, so set reminders if needed.
- Get the habit to stick. Research indicates that automating a habit takes about 60 days, so you may need two months before logging becomes second nature. If logging feels tedious in the moment when eating, simply snap a photo of your plate or the nutrition label so that you can log your meal later. Some people prefer to log every time they eat, while others prefer to log all their meals at the end of the day. Remember that recall and estimates can be fraught, so having a note or a photo to go by can help. Find the method that works best for your lifestyle.
- Don’t obsess about the data. The data you get from a food-logging app is just that, data—not a judgment. At the end of the day, if you’ve consumed more added sugar than intended, tomorrow is another day. Use the data as an opportunity to empower. The information is there to help you refine your diet rather than to criticize yourself.
- Remember, you don’t have to log your food forever. Think of the process, for however long you engage with it, as a way to become more mindful about how you’re fueling your body. Over time, as you’re consistently reaching your targets, your newly formed habits will simply become part of your lifestyle, and you may no longer need to use the app—except for when you want to add a new habit or further refine or reinforce an existing one.
Try Levels fast, simple food logging with instant insights
The Levels app offers AI-powered food logging with full macro breakdown, instant insights with recipe ideas, and habit tracking, so you can see how your diet and lifestyle impact your health. Levels members can also incorporate biomarker data like real-time glucose and metabolic blood testing for an even more personalized experience. Click here to learn more about Levels.
