Counting calories and calculating nutritional intake can be a soul crushing affair, so if it’s got to be done, it might as well be computers that do the heavy lifting for you. Here are four online options that’ll compute calories, display macro-nutrient information on a wide range of foods, and serve as a personal reference and database. Oh yeah, and they’re all free.
- FitDay tracks daily caloric intake, offers nutritional information on the foods you eat, and even sports an activity journal and ongoing weight tracker. Lots of features, and highly recommended. The FitDay online account is completely free; the PC software (with more reporting features) can be purchased for $29.95.
- SparkPeople can claim all the functionality of FitDay, but also boasts exercise demos, health news and videos, and an active online community. For hardcore fitness fanatics, SparkPeople might seem a bit pedestrian, but it’d be a good bet for Aunt May.
- NutritionData provides nutritional info on specific foods and recipes, and helps you match foods to your likes and dietary needs. What’s not so fantastic? Regrettably, NutritionData seems stuck in a time warp, because it still uses the archaic Body Mass Index (BMI), a statistical measurement system which I debunked in my book Zero to Superhero. It also endorses artificial sweeteners, a big fat-hastening no no. Use with a grain of salt - if your diet allows it.
- The Daily Plate is a free food tracker, calorie counter and online fitness log with a easy, breezy searchable database created by its users. It’s a highly populated site with an active discussion forum and group directory.
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