When we first started keto, we suffered through at least one meal a day. But now that we’re in ketosis, we don’t have to. We can cook keto low-carb meals for our family, so we don’t have to eat out as much.
We can even prepare restaurant quality meals for our families, so we don’t have to spend our time cooking. The keto diet allows us to live our lives without worrying about what to eat next.
If you’re new to the keto diet, you may be wondering what apps you need to download to make your life an easier or more efficient. With the plethora of available apps for the keto diet, it can be hard to decide which ones are essential for your ketogenic lifestyle.
Macros? Ketones? Net Carbs?
There’s A LOT of data we manage while following the keto diet to make sure our nutrition is as efficient as possible. Sometimes, it’s just too much to try to remember in our heads or jot down in a notebook. That’s why smartphone apps are taking a huge load off of our low-carb plates by storing, managing, and tracking this data for us.
From nutritional info barcode scanners to virtual keto coaches, check out our favorite apps that make living the keto lifestyle easier than ever.
My Fitness Pal
Source: time.com
Why we love it: My Fitness Pal has been our go-to app when searching and calculating nutrition information on all of our favorite keto foods. With tools to track and log meals, scan barcodes for quick nutrition facts, and manage your workouts, this app covers pretty much everything you need on the journey to better health. And it’s part of a larger suite of fitness programs backed by Under Armour!
“I love My Fitness Pal because it’s free and it has a pretty extensive database of foods already in their system, especially fast food. It seems like they have a lot of Keto modifications in the database, but you have to keep an eye on it as some are wrong, but there are usually a few options that are correct.” — Angela
“This will always be my favorite app, mainly because of how big the database is! Plus, I love the recipe function. I can put in all of my ingredients then split them evenly, AND you can share them with your friends. When my husband & I did P90X way back in the day, I would make these homemade protein balls and it was so convenient to put the ingredients into the app as a recipe and share with my husband. Then he could just add how many he was eating in his own account.” — Alana
“I love MyFitnessPal and use it every day! In fact, I am currently on a streak and have logged in for over 1,380 days… but who’s counting lol! ? I love that I can set a goal, participate in Challenges, track my macros, connect with my RunKeeper app… and even get rewarding emails from Under Armour with $40 off $100 codes!” — Mary
Carb Manager
Why we love it: With its focus on keto, Carb Manager helps users track carbs with their barcode scanner and massive food database. It also features recipes and meal plans to make prepping yourself for the week ahead even easier. You can even view your progress with in-depth analysis charts based on your goals. ?
“I have been pleasantly surprised by this carb counting app as it has helped me re-shape my focus and is very educational along the way. Even on the days where I choose not to track, I understand food in a completely different way now and no longer over think the calories, rather, I ask myself if the food I want to eat has the nutrients my body needs. I’ve also found not only does my body feel better with this added mindfulness tool but my mind is sharper too.” — Katie (review from App Store)
“This app has saved my bacon (no pun intended) more times than I can count! The barcode scanner is a game changer!” — Jamie
Zero
Why we love it: If you’re into intermittent fasting, this app’s for you! Zero can be used as a tracker for intermittent, circadian rhythm, and custom fasting. After choosing your favorite fasting protocol, you can track your progress on your iPhone, Apple Watch, or export your data to a spreadsheet for complete control.
“I was a fasting newbie and this app really helped me become aware of my fasting & the different types of fasting. OF course there are timers and stuff on your phone but this sets a goal and then shows you what you’ve done previously.” — Alana
Senza
Source: lowcarbyum.com
Why we love it: No matter if you’re a keto newbie or seasoned keto vet, Senza can adapt to all keto lifestyles. It has a 5-day “Getting Started” guide to help those just getting their feet wet learn about basic keto practices.
There are also helpful resources like a macro calculator, a barcode scanner for nutrition facts on packaged foods, and daily personalized recommendations which you can share with others in your keto community. When you’re well-versed in keto, the app also has trackers for glucose and ketones for an even deeper dive into your glucose/ketones index.
“MFP was my jam, but I could not figure out how to see just my net carbs so someone recommended this app to me. It does not have a huge database but it got the job done.” — Alana
8fit
Why we love it: Who needs the gym when you’ve got an app like 8fit!? This fully customizable workout and meal plan app helps those who are serious about their health. With their meal plans that can be filtered by dietary needs, you can search recipes and grocery lists to make meal planning a breeze.
Plus, they have a huge library of workouts that only take 15-20 minutes to complete in your own home, which frees up your schedule while keeping you in shape! Consider your health goals well on their way to being accomplished!
“I love how customizable the meals and workouts are – especially the meals. I have tons of food allergies, plus the need to eat vegetarian two days a week. 8fit is the ONLY app I’ve seen that allows me to customize to this level, and I love it! ” — Suzanne (review from App Store)
“These workouts are a lot of fun! I really love this app!” — Jamie
Keto Diet Tracker
Why we love it: Start out by personalizing macros and setting nutrition goals, then watch your progress in user-friendly graphs. Just input your meals using the app’s simple search engine or barcode scanner along with importing your daily activity by syncing to your Fitbit device.
The app can even keep track of your weight loss and update your goals accordingly. The app reports are clear, concise, and keep you on track! “As a newbie to the Keto diet, this app has been fantastic.
I was able to use the free version enough to realize I liked it enough to upgrade to the paid version. The barcode scanning feature is definitely my favorite as it saves time from searching through a list of results… The first 10 “free” apps all had some sort of limitations without a subscription. This was the most user friendly so it became the one I invested in.” — Review from the App Store
“I’m obsessed with my macros, and those graphics are pretty user friendly.” — Jamie
My Macros+
Why we love it: Made by a fitness professional, My Macros+ comes with all the features you could ever want in a keto app like goal setting, macro calculator, meal planning, barcode scanner, daily reports, weight loss tracking, and more.
With their premium subscription, you even get access to a Macro Coach to help you reach your goals and more comprehensive analysis of your diet. This is the only app on our list that isn’t free, though it makes the cost well worth it given the vast amount of resources.
“I’ve been using this app for over a year and with each update it gets improved. I love the barcode scanner though sometimes it doesn’t recognize the barcode (though I just enter in macros from the nutrition label and it’s saved!)” — Review from the App Store
“It costs a little bit of money, but it’s legit like having my own personal keto nutritionist!” – Jamie
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