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Do you currently have any smartphone apps that you use to look up the carbohydrates in various foods? Share your favorites in the comments!
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Once upon a time I used Calorie King on my phone, but no longer.
I use Google when I can or “guesstimate.”
Calorie King
Same
I use websites: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/ from the department of agriculture and any specific restaurants that have nutrition available.
I keep a list of foods, meals & snacks I typically eat on my phone. I use google when I come across something new.
I use Calorie King and google.
I use Calorie King a lot and also USDA’s Food Data Central online.
Carb manager
I use MyFitnessPal. You can scan barcodes. You can save meals and add recipes. It’s also easy to copy a meal from one day to another. But you do have to look at the breakdown used because sometimes an item only has calories.
Can we be honest for a minute? Carb counting doesn’t work. It may help for carbs, but protein also raises blood sugar levels. If you want normal blood sugar levels, you will have to do a lot more than count how many carbs you eat.
Nevin, my understanding from researching protein/fat dosing is the body only converts a significant portion of protein/fat into carbs if the carb load from food is very low or absent. Would appreciate any references you may have that indicate differently. Thanks.
Tom H. In the absence of carbs in a low carb diet dosing for protein becomes very important. When I do low carb I still have to tell my pump 20-25 g of “carbs” to cover the protein I ate. Especially since I’m insulin resistant and everything I eat turns to fuel (glucose) one way or another. Google Gluconeogenesis.
That is why I like My Fitness pal it gives fat, calories, fiber, protein.
Fitbit
MyFitnessPal
I use Sugarmate to track both MDI insulin and food (it has a searchable database, but also use MyNetDiary(D), a diabetes version of MyNetDiary, that allows creation of my own recipes and meals, importing recipes from websites (does a decent job). I’m going to give Omnipod Dash a try and the app for that is supposed to tie in to Calorie King for meal carb inputs for bolus recommendations.
I’d like to have an app that talks about carbs – at the same time talking about Glucose index and loading – far more relevant topics for a T1.
kflying1: I’d like to see the apps expand to indicate the GI of foods as well. I understand in Australia the GI has to be indicated on the packaging/nutrition label.
Glooko works well, you can search, create your own and log your meal and snack data along with aggregating BG and CGM data. Synchronization via Bluetooth or cable upload.
Glooko.com
I have a Great Call, Jitterbug Flip phone without apps. However the 5 Star alert button is part of this phone and the price is very low. I use my computer for WiFi, but I am in the minority. I still have 3 landline phones in my house and use the cell phone when going out or drive.
No. I honestly never thought of using an app to look up carbohydrates. I’ve been counting carbs so long, I just do it from memory, or I just look up the carbs on the side of the box or can. On a very rare occasion, I go to my nutrition book and look it up.
CalorieKing
Sugarmate
CalorieKing
My Fitness Pal
I use myfitnesspal.
I tried a couple of apps years ago but it was more of a hassle so I quickly discontinued using them. When you go to restaurants or other places where things are made from scratch you’re still guessing and besides, I have a good general feel for numbers in most cases. After guessing I just pay attention to my CGM readings on my phone and adjust with boluses (or reduce my basal) as needed after the meal. After having a heart attack during the summer, I did install a salt app called “Smart Salt” to help me better manage my salt intake.
I use an app called Carb Manger. Over the years it has gotten more geared towards keto diets, but I can still use the function of looking up carbs for almost any food and for fast food and chain restaurants. It is very helpful.
Late onset T1D has been in my family for over 50 years, first with my grandma, who was seriously misdiagnosed and died of gangarene at 45, then my brother at 23, and 17 years me at 40, misdiagnosed until I was 45. I’ve studied carb content and metabolic changes based on my exercise and stress levels. My brother was a mathematician and he designed a matrix for bolus doses based on my height and weight. I factor in exercise and stress levels.
i use myfitnesspal
I use My Fitness Pal. I really don’t like that it’s so weight loss focused (ie, “to burn the calories in this food you can jog for 10 mintes”) but I’m comforted by the accuracy when I see the blue check next to a food. With a disproportionately high amount of diabetics with eating disorders (vs the general population) I think info like that is harmful.
Are the apps that others have listed simply list the nutrition facts and not any weight-loss commentary, and if so do you think the carb counts are accurate? Thanks!
Used to use the one built-in to the SugarMate widget but that app stopped working back in October due to code updates at Dexcom. 🙁
Fitbit
I use CalorieKing
I ask Siri or Alexa if I am home, but I don’t count carbs generally. I estimate by type of food and amount and bolus then correct later if I am needing more. CGM makes this work. If I over bolus I drink a little juice or something. I do have to remember to look at the pump and CGM readings. My alarm is set at 120. My bolus limit is set at 5 units. I may bolus early for 3-5 units and at time of food assess if I might want a bit more when I have served plates. How many carbs are in an apple or banana really? So many different sizes and levels of sugar? But when I want carb info, Siri or Alexa are the fastest.
After reading other comments I want to just add that sometimes I have to add insulin for many foods that are not carbs. This morning I have given myself 1.5 units for coffee. A high protein or fat meal will demand insulin for those types of food. How much I exercised that day changes how much insulin I might have to give. I hate to say this but dosing insulin, for me, is a crap shoot mostly but I have learned to play the game mostly well, but with some outliers.
Carb Manager
I use My Fitness Pal and have had success finding nutritional information from restaurants and food blogs that I follow!
Calorie King is my go to!
My fitness pal
I add my meals to cronometer, it counts carbs, fat, protein and also calories/ exercise and nutrients. It has helped me train myself to “eyeball” the count, but as with all things diabetic, it is time consuming
My endocrinologist had me download the “calorie king” app.
Nutritionix
I use Nutrionix Track. I’m trying to lose weight so I’m tracking not only carbs but calories as well.
I know many people just guess on their carbs/bolus but doing that led to me to having too many lows, which lead me to eating more, which led to weight gain. I don’t mind taking the time to look up and weigh my food to get accurate counts. I’ve been having fewer lows, more TIR and have been losing weight so it’s worth it.
I have only Calorie King but seldom use it. I guess at carbs judging more the amount of insulin I need after years of being diabetic.
Yes. Calorie King.
But I don’t use it much. Not very accurate especially for beer not very comprehensive hardly any of the beer I drink is listed
Calorie King, but I’m not finding it as useful as I once did
Myfitnesspal
CalorieKing – the little book was recommended when I was diagnosed (before smartphones) but I now use the app.
I no longer use a carb counting app but occasionally will look up a food using google. I use a digital scale to weigh out portions of carb-heavy foods such as bread, rice, pasta and find that to be very useful.
My Fitness Pal I love it and it is free and it is easy. The best one I have ever found. I also use it if I want to lose weight, but it is great even if I am eating something new and I need carbs quick.
I mostly use Calorie King. I can look up Fast Food and national restaurants to check the carbs for specific items and meals. I find it very useful.
My favorite app is Carb Manager. Complete in every way. For me, especially to manage weight.
Calorie King
I usually google nutrition information or ask Siri.
Me too
Cronometer is by far the best for people who want to track both macro and micronutrients.
OneDrop
I use MyFitnessPal
I like it because it not only has carbs, protein, and fat, but also adds it up for me. I enter my foods for the meal and I have the total right in front of me. I can build recipes and save meals. It’s awesome!
Cronometer
I have been looking for such an app but have not yet found one that I find easy to use and seemingly accurate
Calorie King is the one I use
I answered No, Google search works well for me without need to install an app. Plus carb counts are often inaccurate based on serving size and marketing ploys. Nutrition labels and apps can be wrong, but are a good starting point and much better than guessing.
Carb Manager
Use the small but through book, “Calories, Fat & Carbs”