If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you probably already know how the foods you eat impact your blood sugar levels. Using an app to track your meals and blood sugar levels can help you spot trends and make positive changes to your diabetes management and overall health.
According to Joel Fuhrman, MD, owner and operator of Dr. Fuhrman Online, Inc. and Eat to Live Retreat, these apps can help you identify patterns and adopt healthy lifestyle changes. There are, however, some pitfalls to avoid. First, Dr. Fuhrman told BGR that it’s important to focus on food quality in addition to the amount of carbohydrates you eat. “Fifty grams of carbohydrates from wild blueberries, intact beans, and green vegetables have the opposite long-term metabolic effect as fifty grams of refined starches or processed carbohydrates,” he explains. The best apps will also help you treat the root causes of high blood sugar. Dr. Fuhrman warns against dietary apps that “play the cards” without addressing underlying insulin resistance.
After reviewing Dr. Fuhrman’s advice, I identified three of the best food tracking apps for blood sugar and diabetes management. These apps can record your blood sugar, meals, exercise, and more to help you better understand how your body responds to what you eat and potentially improve your blood sugar management.
Best for viewing blood sugar trends: mySugr
The mySugr app is a comprehensive diabetes management app that lets you quickly and easily log your meals, blood sugar, insulin doses, activity and more. The app can connect to many different CGMs and glucometers to automatically import your blood sugar data, making it easy to consolidate your blood sugar logs with your meal and exercise logs. It compiles reports that allow you to view trends in your data over the past 90 days and makes it easy to export to share with your healthcare team.
The basic features of the app are free, but a mySugr Pro account gives you access to challenges, easy tracking with meal photos, blood sugar reminders, and other additional features for bolus insulin users. The Pro subscription costs $39.99 per year (or completely free if you sync the app with a compatible diabetes management device). It may be worth the price if you want an app that can store food, exercise, glucose, and insulin logs.
Best for Prediabetes: Carb Manager
Carb Manager is ideal for people with prediabetes or those who are concerned about their blood sugar levels and may not need to check them regularly. Although it allows you to track your blood sugar, Carb Manager does not sync with any CGM or other commonly used glucometers. Where Carb Manager really shines is in its simple, streamlined food tracking, comprehensive recipe database, shopping lists, and educational resources. While primarily a tracking app for the ultra-low-carb keto diet, Carb Manager now supports several different diet templates, including low-carb, high-protein, and personalized macro plans.
The free version of the Carb Manager app includes basic food logging, but most features require a Premium subscription. Carb Manager Premium costs $39.99 per year. Since the app is designed more for general health and weight loss than the specific needs of people with diabetes, it may not be the best choice if you’re looking for an app that can easily import your blood sugar data.
The easiest to use: SNAQ
SNAQ is by far the easiest to use food tracking and diabetes management app I found in my research. SNAQ calls itself “the AI nutritionist in your pocket” and is designed for type 1 and type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, gestational diabetes, and people taking GLP-1 medications. The app tracks your intake of calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat and fiber using photos of your meal. SNAQ’s AI-assisted estimation algorithm has been validated in scientific research studies published in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology and JMIR MHealth. SNAQ can also sync with your CGM or glucometer to help you identify relationships between the foods you eat and your blood sugar.
The AI nutritionist can answer your questions based on the data you entered into the app. You can ask specific questions like, “What is the best meal to eat before a workout?” or “How does sushi normally affect my blood sugar?” The app can answer these questions based on your historical data. The SNAQ is also used by many healthcare providers as a tool for self-monitoring their patients between appointments. SNAQ costs $60 for an annual subscription.
Choosing a food tracking app for diabetes management
Food tracking apps can be a great tool for diabetes management. They can help bridge the gap between your food choices and your blood sugar in a useful and actionable way. The best ones offer comprehensive, streamlined tracking of meals, exercise, glucose levels, and insulin. Ideally, they help you identify trends in your data to enable you to make healthy lifestyle and blood sugar management decisions.
Still, Dr. Fuhrman cautions against overemphasizing meal tracking. Food tracking anxiety can be counterintuitive and detrimental to your health. “Obsessive manual recording can generate unnecessary stress,” he explains, “which stimulates the release of cortisol and, paradoxically, increases blood sugar.”
Depending on your needs, health goals, budget, and how much time you can dedicate to recording your diet and blood sugar, one of these tracking apps may set you apart from the rest. Fortunately, SNAQ offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, Carb Manager offers a seven-day money-back guarantee when Premium is purchased directly through its website, and mySugr will unconditionally refund unsatisfied customers. If one doesn’t work for you, you can get your money back and try another one.
