Among the most popular diet apps are those for interpreting labeling and food recognition, which in most cases do not have objective criteria and are a bit alarmist.
In fact, several experts have expressed that they generate the so-called “chemophobia” towards additives that are actually safe in human food, and that under no circumstances do they replace the advice of a nutritionist.
However, that does not mean that there are no applications on the market to take into account. In fact, there are a good number of free diet apps that make it very easy to have a healthy diet Let’s see what they are.
There are several free applications that help you know what to buy and what to eat to follow an appropriate diet according to your goals. Below you will see various recommendations.
1. Coaching apps in the field of food
If you are interested in apps that guide you in the process of buying the right ingredients and establishing a diet in your daily life that fits what you are looking for, this selection of applications will interest you.
1.1. Oorenji
Oorenji is the most complete diet app and includes personalized plans with 20 types of diet: vegetarian, vegan, keto, Mediterranean, weight loss, lowcarb, etc.
It has a new artificial intelligence algorithm that takes into account the records of more than 1,000,000 people to propose the nutritional plan with the greatest probability of success based on your profile, and even your genes.
In addition, Oorenji offers the option of having a follow-up service with nutritionists and a coaching service through push notifications to activate your motivation.
This is one of the best-rated free diet apps. If you want to access all its plans and challenges, you will only have to pay €2.99 per month.
1.2. noom
This interesting app called Noom offers long-term weight loss plans with a 14-day trial At the end of the questionnaire they ask for €16, although you can pay €1. It is based on cognitive-behavioral psychology to change habits, although without diet plans or its own nutritional method.
To use it, you must complete an initial questionnaire on medical data, which would require the supervision of a health professional. Afterwards, you have to fill out another questionnaire about lifestyle, goals and motivations, which becomes a bit tedious.
The app offers coaching with nutritionists and psychologists from 150 euros every 6 months or €25 per month, a bit expensive and certainly not for all budgets.
2. Labeling apps
These are the best free diet apps focused on providing information about foods for sale.
2.1. Yuka
French app Yuka offers information on food labeling The premium version costs €14.99 per year.
Score out of 100 based on 3 criteria: 60% of the grade consists of the Nutri-Score rating, 30% of the grade penalizes the presence of additives, and 10% is based on evaluating positively whether the product is organic. or organic, although that does not imply that it is sustainable.
The score is not entirely fair, since all additives approved in Europe are safe, and it does not offer information about the nutritional quality of the food. Furthermore, the app is not based on a validated nutritional method nor does it offer different diet options.
In France, through this app the option to consult with a nutritionist is available from €69.
2.2. MyRealFood
MyRealFood is a free Spanish app that is based on scanning barcodes, in search of ultra-processed foods. Classify foods into 3 groups: real food, well processed and ultra-processed.
It is based on the NOVA system of the University of São Paulo. It reports the presence of additives and the nutritional quality of the food based on the front labeling used in Chile, but does not clarify the design of its final index, so it is not 100% objective.
23. Open Food Facts
Open Food Facts is a French app that defines itself as the “Wikipedia of food”: a free and collaborative database.
It reports on the nutritional quality of a food based on the Nutri-Score system of five letters and colors, from green (A) for the healthiest products, to dark orange (E), for the least healthy.
It also provides information on nutritional levels per 100 grams of fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt. In addition, it mentions the ecological footprint of the food, as well as whether it contains any additives.
This app is useful for comparing two foods or products from the same category, but like Nutriscore, it has errors and requires basic notions of nutrition to make good use of it without falling into error due to misinterpretation of information.
For example, healthy foods such as olive oil or nuts have a poor score, while Coca-Cola or juices come out well.
To download it on an Android system, go to this page, and for iOS, here.
2.4. The coconut
This free Spanish app, El CoCo, offers its own index from 0 to 10 based on the NOVA system (degree of processing and number of ingredients) and the warning stamps of Chile.
It is the fairest, since it does not criminalize the presence of necessary and safe additives, but it takes into account whether the food has excess salt, sugar, calories and fat.
It is an interesting application to compare two foods from the same category and be able to make a healthier purchase.
Click here to download it on iOS or here to download it on Android.
Other apps
These are other applications that you may be interested in taking into account.
1. Yazio
Yazio records food intake and offers weight evolution graphs and calories burned. It also records your fasting hours, making it a very useful digital resource if you want to lose weight.
2. Ekilu
Ekilu gives recipes and diet plans adapted to each person and gives the possibility of measuring your progress taking into account the objectives of changing eating habits and healthy living.
The premium version costs €8 if you pay for the whole year. This gives access to all the recipes and also provides Mindfulness exercises and coaching services for changing habits.
3.Nootric
From the Nootric app They give the possibility of benefiting from a 7-day trial for €1, although to access the online diets it is necessary to pay from €69 per quarter.
On the other hand, they give meal plans for 6 months at lower weekly prices. In addition to providing a weekly menu, they send physical exercise routines to get in shape.
4. Dietfarma
The Dietfarma application allows you to obtain personalized diets through a monthly payment of €29 or more, and offers a wide range of healthy recipes based on the information it has in its database.
However, 24 hours may pass between the request and the moment in which the diet is obtained, so its operation is not very fluid.
I’m Emily Williams Jones, a psychologist specializing in mental health with a focus on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness. With a Ph.D. in psychology, my career has spanned research, clinical practice and private counseling. I’m dedicated to helping individuals overcome anxiety, depression and trauma by offering a personalized, evidence-based approach that combines the latest research with compassionate care.
