Food logging apps for your clients

For registered dietitians in private practice, a food logging app can be helpful for effective counseling sessions with your clients. A few questions to consider before picking your app of choice:

• Can you easily see what your clients are logging?
• Does the app integrate with your practice management software?
• How easy it the app to use for your ideal clients?
• Do your clients have the option to log their meals with photos? 
• What is most appropriate for your niche? For example, a dietitian working in eating disorders will likely need a different app compared to a dietitian working in weight loss.

Here are some options to consider:

Cronometer

Cronometer is one of the most popular free food tracking apps. Users can track their calories, macronutrients, and many different micronutrients. Foods can be entered by searching, with a barcode scanner, or by entering custom foods and recipes. It also syncs with popular fitness trackers like FitBit and Garmin.

Like most food tracking apps, the specific calorie and macronutrient recommendations provided may not align with what you are recommending for the client – so be sure to give specific guidance if your client should ignore the in-app numbers. As the dietitian, you can also spring for Cronometer Pro for $39.99/month, which gives you access to up to 10 clients’ settings, data, and logs directly.

Download: App Store and Google Play.

Recovery Record

Recovery Record offers a patient-facing app that links to the clinician app for the management of eating disorders. It designed for use by doctors, dietitians and therapists with their clients in all treatment settings: inpatient, outpatient and residential. It can be used to set meal plans, coping goals, review logs, and send secure patient messages (it is HIPAA compliant). 

The cost to use is free for your first patient and scales up in cost based on your client volume. 

Download: App Store and Google Play

Cara Care

Trying to identify food triggers can feel like finding a needle in a haystack. The Cara Care app allows your digestive health clients to track their meal intake while also tracking their digestive symptoms. This app is designed for your clients with IBS, IBD, GERD and dyspepsia. 

Download: App Store and Google Play

Nutritionix Track

Nutritionix is a robust tracking app that allows your clients to track individual foods (ex: an apple), grocery store items (ex: a frozen burrito) as well as menu items from 100s of restaurants (ex: Dairy Queen Turtle Pecan Cluster Blizzard). Nutritionix also syncs with Kalix, so it may be a great option if you’re already using that for your practice management software. 

Download: App Store or Google Play.

Ate

Ate is a unique food photo journaling app. It is focused on hunger, fullness, and feelings, rather than calories and macros. This can be a great option for dietitians working in the intuitive eating realm. In addition the client-facing option, there is also an Ate for Coaches subscription that you can purchase to directly see client progress.

Download: App Store or Google Play.

MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal is a well known food tracking app with 6+ million foods in their database, including global cuisines. The app can be used to track meals manually, via barcode scanner, by picking items from popular restaurants and even importing recipes from the web. Clients can track weight and exercise, and the app syncs with many popular fitness trackers.

From the clinician side, MyFitnessPal syncs with Healthie indirectly via Fitbit integration, however only daily totals populate.

Download: App Store or Google Play.

Diabetes Type 2 by Nourishly

This is a free and HIPAA compliant app that was designed with input from dietitians. It is used to log meals, blood glucose readings, medications, physical activity, and stress. Clients can help find patterns in factors that affect their blood sugar on a day-to-day basis. 

Download: App Store or Google Play.

Lose It!

Lose It! is a weight-loss focused app that tracks macros, calories and other nutrients. Your client can enter foods by searching manually, scanning barcodes, taking a photo of their meals, or by AI voice logging (“I had two eggs, a piece of toast, and jam.”). The app syncs with popular fitness devices.

Download: App Store or Google Play.

Apps for dietary restrictions

If you work with clients with food allergies, celiac disease, or those committed to a vegan lifestyle – these apps can help guide safe choices in their everyday lives. Always remember to encourage them to double check options at restaurants, as individual locations may make substitutions or have updated recipes.

Find Me Gluten Free

This app helps your client to quickly find restaurants offering gluten-free menu items. The app lets you see restaurants on the map, call restaurants, or navigate to the location. The Find Me Gluten Free app is free to download and use, but the premium subscription offers additional features.

Download: App Store and Google Play.

Happy Cow

For dietitians working with vegetarian and vegan clients, we have the app for you! The Happy Cow app allows your client to find vegan and vegetarian restaurants across the US and 185 countries around the world. 

Download: App Store and Google Play.

Spokin

This app helps those with food allergies find safe restaurants, recipes, and products. You can also find aggregated peer reviews for doctors, restaurants, and hotels. The app is currently only available on iOS.

Download: App Store.

Fig: Food Scanner & Discovery

Fig supports multiple allergies, medical conditions, and dietary preferences. The user can create a checklist of these restrictions, and then use Fig to scan foods to see if an item fits their needs. Fig also allows you to check certain restaurant options. It is highly rated.

Download: App Store and Google Play.

Apps for Managing Your Business

As a one-person, mega-CEO of a nutrition business, how  do you keep track of everything? From tasks to expenses, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes of a nutrition business.  Good news: there are apps for these needs, too! 

Trello

Trello is a project management software that can be used on your desktop or on the app. It’s perfect to capture ideas and details as you think of them because the app is always available to jot them down. You can then move tasks on cards through the different steps/processes in your business. Trello is free for individuals; there can be additional fees for extra features or integrations.

Download: App Store, Google Play, or desktop version.

Wave

Wave is an accounting software program that you can use to track your business expenses and invoice clients. Tax session will be far less overwhelming when your expenses are neatly categorized. The app is a companion to the website program, allowing you the ability to quickly review financials or invoice clients.

Download: App Store or Google Play.

RingRx

RingRx offers a secure and HIPAA compliant phone and texting service, done via a paid mobile app. It is a great option for you to have the convenience of a business number  and the flexibility and portability to answer client calls using your personal cell phone. 

Download: App Store or Google Play.

Tip: For a deep dive into HIPAA be sure to check out our detailed post, Unraveling HIPAA Compliance for Your Private Practice.

The Bottom Line

The best apps for dietitians and nutritionists are the ones that save you time, help you to connect with your current and future clients, and streamline your processes. We encourage you to choose the ones that work best for your specific business needs!