Synopsis of the App
Using artificial intelligence, Calorie Mama lets you automatically count calories from food photos.
Platform and Price
Free + Premium Options. Apple and Android.
RDN Score
4 out of 5
Pros
- Simple design that’s cheerful and fun to use.
- Immediately sends you through a brief interview to determine basic weight management goals.
- Using current anthropometrics and personal exercise and calorie goals, the app provides a calorie level for weight loss within a set period of time.
- Calculates calories carbohydrates, fat and protein in grams from food photos.
- Encourages regular meals, exercise, water intake and body weight awareness.
- Offers a motion and fitness activity tracker to count steps – complete with an extensive list of physical activities to select.
- See status for your daily calorie budget and what’s used, what’s eaten, exercise and remaining calories from the home screen dashboard.
- Engage with the Calorie Mama community via the new feed where you can share photos and workout stats and find nutrition and health content – some written by registered dietitians.
- The premium version (available for $19.99 per month to 49.99 per year) lets you unlock nutrient reports, additional food insights, recipes and your own meal plan and macro insights as well as custom workout plans, a voice coach, and goal setting in the exercise tracking section.
- Options to turn motion activity and location off or on for privacy.
Cons
- Focuses on calorie counting and weight loss, which may not be suitable for all users.
- Accuracy is not guaranteed – though the app gets better over time.
Bottom Line
Though accuracy may not be 100%, Calorie Mama is a fun way to use photos to effortlessly track calories and basic daily food intake. Like similar apps, a focus on tracking food and counting calories may not be appropriate for all and it should be used with the guidance of a health professional.
Marisa Moore, MBA, RDN, LD, is a nutrition consultant based in Atlanta and adjunct faculty at Georgia State University. Follow her at MarisaMoore.com, on Twitter or Instagram.
