In my years as a fitness instructor, I often used the wellness app Fooducate with my clients to guide their diet and nutrition.
I have personally used it for five years as well, and it proved useful to record and track my own calorie intake as well as that of my clients.
In this Fooducate review, I will share my experience in great detail, so read on to learn what the app can do for you, how it works, and whether it is worth the investment.
Let’s begin.
What Is The Fooducate App?
The Fooducate app is a tool that allows you to track all the food you eat and provides you with information about the calories and macros you consume.
The idea is simple.
The more information you have throughout the day about how well you’re sticking to the food you eat and your overall diet, the more likely you are to succeed with your health and nutrition goals.
The idea is supported by science. For example, a study published in the National Library of Medicine says that keeping a food record or a food diary helps adhere to dietary plans [1].
This gives you easy feedback on your daily nutritional intake to avoid loading up on the wrong or processed foods and maintain healthy eating habits.
This is especially beneficial, as according to another study in the National Library of Medicine, lifestyle is the most important factor that affects health [2].
How Does Fooducate Work?
Fooducate works by allowing you to search for different food products. You could also scan the barcode on a product, which accesses a huge food database to pull in the macros and calories per serving.
You then enter the amount of food you’re consuming, and the app automatically calculates how many calories, protein, carbs, and fat you have eaten. This makes it easier to manage your calorie intake and ensures you stay within your desired limits to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight [3].
What people also like about the pro version of the app is that it may help you find healthy food products that are more suitable for your dietary goals.
Nutrient-dense foods provide essential vitamins and minerals without excess calories, making them valuable for overall health and weight management [4].
But even the free version has enough features to make this a pretty decent diet journaling app. With diet tips provided by the app, you can develop healthier eating habits in the long run, allowing you to reach your health and fitness goals.
Can Fooducate Be Used for Specific Dietary Needs and Restrictions?
Yes, Fooducate can be used for specific dietary needs and restrictions. My vegan and vegetarian clients used Fooducate to identify nutrient-rich alternatives and ensure balanced nutritional intake. It helped them track crucial nutrients like protein, iron, and B12, which are essential for a healthy plant-based diet.
Keto and low-carb clients found Fooducate useful for its detailed tracking of carbohydrates and keto-friendly food suggestions. This feature assists in maintaining the strict macronutrient balance required for ketosis.
Automatic Food Grading System
One feature of Fooducate that I've found particularly helpful is its automatic grading system for foods and beverages. I recall the time I was puzzled about choosing between two brands of yogurt; Fooducate's grading system made it clear which was the healthier choice based on nutritional value.
The automatic grading system is based on their intrinsic nutritional value [5].
Ranging from A to D, the algorithm assigns a grade based on the ingredient list and nutrition facts on a product’s package.
For instance, minimally processed and nutrient-dense foods will have higher grades (A to B) than highly processed and junk foods (C to D). You can also see, directly below the grade, why it got that score.
When we tried to scan the barcode of whole wheat bread, it only got a score of B. The app says that despite having lots of fiber, it also has added salt and sugar.
So the next time I went out for groceries, I searched for whole wheat bread with the lowest sodium content.
Other recommended food and nutrition apps:
- Noom (Editor's Choice)
- Daily Burn
- Pact
- SparkPeople
Pros And Cons
We went through a few hundred reviews to confirm these pros and cons.
Many users liked how they can easily see their calorie intake, macros, and food points for the day, especially for those with restricted intakes.
The premium features sound pretty good, but you’ll likely hit limitations once you start using them.
We also found some comments about the scan feature not working on all phones, and the subscription also seems to lack some more direct coaching. This is unfortunate since coaching from a professional could make all the difference to your weight loss efforts.
- An easy database search feature that brings up great results and new products
- Many people say they like the quick feedback about macros to make better choices
- The free version seems to lack info on micronutrients
- Some reports of the barcode scanner not working on certain Samsung models
- The coaching and community features are pretty limited
“For the dieting newbie, meal planning by counting macros is a good way to get a handle on portion control.”
-Elena Donovan Mauer
Health and Diet Writer
Do Other Weight-Loss Apps Outperform Fooducate?
Other weight-loss apps that my clients and I have tried, such as Noom, SparkPeople, and Weight Watchers, may outperform Fooducate in terms of data information and access to individualized coaching.
SparkPeople aimed to combine nutrition and physical activity tracking into a single app. Weight Watchers, on the other hand, may help you develop healthy habits more effectively by using a simplified calorie counting system.
Finally, the Noom app, like Weight Watchers, allows you to easily record and monitor your caloric intake from the foods you eat, but their premium version may offer more personalized collaborative coaching.
Because of the app's frequent updates and positive feedback from their customers, our team believes that Noom may be the best investment out of the bunch.
If you're into bulking, you might want to check out our best bodybuilding app list.
What Customers Think of the Fooducate App
There are a number of online reviews that offer varying opinions about the app. Here are three that we believe are significant.
“I like the Fooducate app because it recognizes common packaged products and allows you to do more than just analyze your diet. You can track your hunger levels to figure out how certain foods specifically affect your body,” - Tiffany Wright
Weight loss expert in Los Angeles
"What the Fooducate app will let you do is track what you're eating and it allows you to search tons of different recipes." - Marion
YouTube
"I've been using the Fooducate app on and off for about 8 years and I love how you can add hunger level, mood, sleep, and extra notes. I've come to believe that calorie counting in the foods I eat may be beneficial to me over time." -Lindt Blank
Reddit user
FAQ
How Do You Cancel Fooducate?
You cancel Fooducate by going either into your iOS App Store or Google Play settings and turning off the automatic renewal. You could do this at any time, as there is no minimum term.
Does Fooducate Work With Other Wearable Technology?
No, Fooducate doesn’t currently sync up with other wearable technology like Fitbit or smartwatches. This is one of the limiting things that we think needs to be addressed.
Our Verdict on Fooducate
After using Fooducate both personally and with my clients, I appreciate its basic features but find it somewhat limited, especially in terms of micronutrient tracking and personal coaching.
While it's a good starting point for diet tracking, for those seeking a more comprehensive approach, I recommend Noom.
Noom offers an extensive range of features, including personalized calorie breakdown, in-app health coaching, and a detailed calorie and macronutrient tracker.
My experience, coupled with positive feedback from clients, suggests Noom provides a more holistic and effective approach to diet management and overall wellness.
We Recommend This Instead
NOOM
Rated With Total Shape's Scoring System
- Personalized calorie breakdown
- In-app 1-to-1 health coaching
- Calorie and macronutrients tracker
- Get the BEST PRICE until the end of April
- Some reports of the barcode scanner not working on certain Samsung models
About The Author
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I just tried it out, and it was able to scan a few items I happened to have in my room, and I was astonished at how easily and well it scanned them. I appreciate the notion; I hope it develops further or that a community supports it.
The concept is great, which is why I purchased a one-year membership, but you have to either cook all of your meals (which I frequently do on weekdays) or buy a meal at a very unhealthy store like McDonald’s or Taco Bell or a packaged frozen dinner (which is very unhealthy and they acknowledge it) for them to figure out your calorie intake. Their grocery list is also somewhat limited; most of the healthier brands are not represented in their database. So I’d have to either manually enter my calorie intake or buy a mass-produced substitute listed in their database, neither of which sounds enticing.
Is Fooducate accurate?