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5 Best Apps for Eating Better

Healthy eating is a challenge for families everywhere. Everyone’s busy and when activities multiply, it can be hard to even eat dinner at the same time. It seems like you can get food that’s fast, healthy, or inexpensive—but not all three. Well, there are a few apps out there that can help. Here are our favourites:

Fooducate

The app: Fooducate.
Platform: iOS & Android.
Cost: Free with optional in-app purchases.

Fooducate offers an easy-to-read quick report on your grocery store choices. It gives everything a grade, A+ to F, just like in school. If you want more information about what a certain product gets a certain grade, it’s there. Example: a particular energy bar only gets a C+ because of 2.5 tsp. of sugar, multiple sugar ingredients, and not a great calorie to nutrition ratio. This particular entry also has a short article on why bars don’t get good grades and how to make your own vegan energy bar.

Substitutions

The app: Substitutions.
Platform: iOS.
Cost: $2.74.

Trying to avoid a particular food? Whether you have an allergy, need to be aware of sodium, are going gluten free, or have some other food you need to avoid, Substitutions can help. It lists over 1,200 substitutions you can make to help accommodate whatever food sensitivity you have.

mySugr

The app: mySugr.
Platform: iOS & Android.
Cost: Free with optional in-app purchases.

MySugr is the most comprehensive sugar diary a diabetic can ask for. Not only does it let you record what you eat (like pretty much any calorie tracker out there), you can send blood glucose readings from your meter to the app. This way, you can start looking for patterns respecting what you eat and what’s happening with your blood sugar. It also offers estimated HbA1c, blood glucose graphs, and Apple Health integration.

Rise

The app: Rise.
Platform: iOS.
Cost: In-app purchases.

Rise is the most hardcore food-accountability app out there. It’s expensive (at $48 a month), but there’s a lot of bang for your buck. Basically, Rise pairs you with a registered dietician who gives you one-on-one counselling. You have to send a picture to your dietician of every meal you eat and then enjoy (or endure, as the case may be) instant feedback. You and your dietician collaborate on setting some fitness goals and they provide you with the counselling and accountability you need.

MyFitnessPal

The app: MyFitnessPal.
Platform: iOS.
Cost: Free with in-app purchases.

MyFitnessPal is the most popular health and fitness app in the world and it isn’t terribly hard to figure out why. If you want to track your diet, you won’t find a more comprehensive app. MyFitnessPal has over six million entries in their food database, including many specific brands. Instead of just giving you information for generic Greek yogurt, MyFitnessPal lists hundreds of brands, so you can list exactly what you need. The app also includes the regular goals and data tracking you see in most fitness apps.

The Bottom Line

Whether you just want a little more information about the food you’re buying or you want lots of one-on-one support in making healthier eating choices, there’s an app out there that can help. Think of healthy eating as an investment in your family’s future; an app is just another tool that’ll help you realise a happy return.