How to Make a Nutrition or Diet App: Complete Guide for 2025

It’s difficult to deny that healthy lifestyle and nutrition are global trends now. Moreover, it doesn’t seem like a short-term craze since every year the popularity of nutrition applications, diet plans, and healthy recipes is only growing.

54% of Americans have followed a diet or specific eating pattern in 2024. Gen Z, Millennials, and higher-income individuals are the most likely to adopt structured eating habits. — 2024 International Food Information Council Survey

Many businesses are eager to capitalize on this growing demand and find their niche. If you're thinking about diet and nutrition app development, you're in the right place. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to build a successful nutrition app, from key features to development strategies and market insights.

If you want to learn how to create a diet and nutrition app step-by-step, jump to the dedicated section 👇

🍎 Diet and Nutrition App Types

Numerous applications provide nutrition information, including specialized pregnancy nutrition apps (pregnant women must ensure they make healthy choices and eat healthy food).

To better understand the variety of available diet and nutrition tracking app development solutions, let's explore different types of nutrition apps and determine the best option for your needs.

Calorie Counting Apps

Calorie counting apps like Lose It! and Lifesum help people track calorie intake, fitness data, and the nutritional value of different foods, including carbs, proteins, and fats.

For example, FatSecret offers autocomplete food entries, barcode scanning, and photo-based product recognition. It also generates graphs to compare calorie consumption and nutrient intake over time, allowing users to track their progress effectively. These features can serve as inspiration for nutrition calculator app development.

Weight Loss Tracking Apps

These activity tracking apps are designed to help users healthily achieve their weight goals. They typically include features for recording meals (e.g., breakfast, lunch, and dinner), tracking water intake, monitoring calories burned, setting fitness goals, and tracking progress over time.

For example, FoodDiary allows people to set body weight goals, specify dietary preferences, and receive a comprehensive diet plan tailored to their needs.

Healthy Recipe Apps

In dietician app development, these apps help people cook healthy meals without the annoying hassle of meal planning. They offer food recipes tailored to dietary needs, calculating proteins, calories, fats, and carbs based on health data like current weight, height, and age. Some apps even suggest daily meal plans with precise nutritional content.

Water Intake Tracking Apps

In diet calendar app development, you can include features that help customers monitor their water and food intake. You can add functionalities such as photographing drinking vessels for automatic logging and setting hydration reminders to ensure customers stay properly hydrated.

Healthy Grocery Shopping Apps

Compared to last year, more people are choosing dietary changes to boost energy and overall well-being. — 2024 International Food Information Council Survey

These apps simplify food shopping and analyze ingredients and nutrition through barcode scans. They personalize recommendations based on food preferences, allergies (e.g., diabetes-friendly options), and calorie intake, even generating tailored shopping lists for healthier eating.

Fitness-Focused Nutrition Apps

Some apps combine nutrition tracking with physical activities and exercise routines, helping users achieve their fitness goals. This integration is beneficial as it balances calories consumed with those burned, providing a comprehensive health management tool.

2024 International Food Information Council Survey states that 43% of Americans prefer lifestyle changes over medication when managing health conditions.

Additionally, some React Native workout apps collect data from gym and workout equipment, further aiding customers in optimizing their fitness programs.

📌 If you want to learn more about wellness app development, check out our guide!

All-in-One Nutrition Apps

MyFitnessPal is a prime example of how to create a nutrition app that combines multiple features, making it an ideal choice for fitness enthusiasts. It offers fitness and nutrition planning, tracks essential nutritional statistics, generates activity reports, sets personal health goals, calculates the nutritional value of meals, and supports both metric and imperial measurements.

Top 4 Nutrition App Features that Form the Core of Any App

When you make a diet app, certain basic features are essential for nearly all applications. However, the implementation of unique features that define your USP can help you carve out a niche in the market. We’ll explore those later, but for now, let’s focus on the must-have features.

# 1: Registration

Personalization, including offering personalized meal plans, is crucial for users of health apps, whether they are using a diet app or looking to create their own meditation app for personalized mindfulness practices. To offer meaningful recommendations, these apps should consider users’ age, gender, weight, height, and other health indicators.

The registration process ensures that the app tailors its recommendations to individuals without harm and irrelevant advice. Customers can input their main goals (e.g., weight loss diaries, muscle gain, or nutrition tracking) to receive customized notifications.

However, handling personal data requires compliance with strict regulations like GDPR. To minimize security risks, store only the necessary user data. If your app serves EU citizens, GDPR compliance during diet app development is mandatory regardless of your business location.

For a seamless login experience, consider implementing Social Login via AuthO or Firebase, allowing people to sign in with their Facebook, Twitter, or Google accounts.

This also helps retain user data when switching mobile devices. If customers prefer not to use Social Login, provide alternatives like email or phone number-based registration.

# 2-3: Food Logging & Dashboard

Food logging is a fundamental feature of any diet app, helping people track their food habits and monitor nutrition. Think of it as a food dictionary that calculates the caloric and nutritional value of meals based on user input.

To simplify diet and nutrition app development, you should integrate APIs with pre-existing food databases— we list some top options in the Tech Stack section later.

A Dashboard Screen enhances customer experience by offering daily and weekly nutritional insights, helping users plan healthy meals effectively. Given its importance, ensure a clean, intuitive UI/UX to encourage engagement. Wireframing can help anticipate UX challenges and refine the design.

You can check the article below to see how we do it at Stormotion and apply our tips to your project.

# 4: Hydration

If it aligns with your diet planner app development, you can add a Hydration Tracking feature that further enhances user engagement. Proper hydration is essential for healthy eating habits and sleep, making this a valuable addition.

The hydration screen can resemble the Dashboard Screen, showing customers their daily water intake based on parameters like weight and height. Visualization options include:

• A cup counter that fills up as users log water intake.
• A water drop graphic gradually fills up throughout the day.

To improve accuracy, you can allow clients to track other beverages that impact hydration, such as coffee or soft drinks.

Adding analytics and recommendations on food and drink combinations significantly improves user experience.

# 2: Barcode Scanner

A barcode scanner simplifies food tracking and improves accuracy by pulling nutritional data directly from product labels.

• Enhances user experience by reducing manual input.
• Provides precise calorie counts from verified sources.
• Can be implemented using APIs like Can I Eat This?

# 3: Shopping List

A shopping list feature makes meal planning more convenient. You can add this feature during diet tracker app development to encourage customers to engage with your application daily.

• Users can manually add items or select from a built-in food and nutrition database.
• Diet plans can automatically generate shopping lists.
• Recipes from the Recipe Book (explained below) can be added directly to the Favorite Menu.

# 4: Wearable Device Integration

Many people want to monitor calories burned and calories consumed. Wearable integration helps with this.

• Sync with Fitbit, Apple Watch, Android Wear, and more.
• Provides real-time fitness data, enhancing customer engagement.
• Helps users track progress and adjust diet/exercise accordingly.

If you're interested in integrating smart devices into your diet and nutrition application, check out our article on this topic for more insights.

# 5: Recipe Book

A healthy recipe collection saves users time and encourages consistent app usage.

• Provide quick, easy-to-cook recipes for various dietary preferences.
• Offer filtering options (e.g., vegan, gluten-free, lactose-intolerant).
• Add step-by-step voice or video instructions for better engagement.

# 6: Live Experts

48% of Americans state that dietitians are the most trusted source of information on nutrition and diet. — Research!America 2024 Food and Nutrition Survey

Customers seeking professional guidance can benefit from live consultations.

• Offer video calls or in-app chats with dieticians, diet coaches, and health experts.
• Create a specialist version of the app for experts to track client progress.
• Verify dietitians' qualifications before allowing consultations.
• Monetize the app by offering paid consultations or premium subscriptions.

# 7: Audio & Video Functionality

If you want to include live streams, coaching, or guided instructions from fitness experts, audio/video features are essential.

• Options include live video, audio, chat, and reaction emojis.
• Integrate Stripe or Braintree for paid content access.

If you want to learn how to create a diet app with audio and video integration, read our dedicated app.

# 8: Blog & Dietary Tips

A built-in blog adds value by educating customers on healthy eating habits.

• Newcomers learn about nutrition basics, meal timing, and healthy life best practices.
• Experienced users stay updated with news and research.
• Blog content boosts marketing — users may share articles, driving app visibility.
• Monetize your business model with premium content (e.g., expert-written articles behind a paywall).

# 9: Gamification

Adding game-like elements makes tracking food and fitness more engaging. This is especially important during nutrition calculator app development as well as corporate health app development.

• Introduce badges, points, tiers, and ranks for achievements.
• Offer real rewards and benefits (e.g., points redeemable for premium features or preferred diet plans).
• Instead of competitive leaderboards (which may trigger unhealthy behaviors), introduce challenges like "Drink your recommended water intake for two weeks."

# 10: Push Notifications

When you make your own diet app, don’t forget about incorporating push notifications to increase user engagement and retention. They are commonly used in psychological therapy app to send customers mental wellness tips according to user's goals.

• Send reminders for meals, water intake, and workouts.
• Notify users about special offers, expert advice, or challenges.
• Implement using OneSignal or Pusher APIs.

# 3: Feature Selection

Feature selection should align with customer expectations while keeping the app lightweight and efficient. Since the article already covers essential and advanced features, we’ll focus on technical considerations for implementation.

Key aspects:

• Scalable Architecture: Choose cloud-based back-end solutions (AWS, Firebase, or Azure) to handle large volumes of food library queries and user-generated content.
• Real-Time Data Processing: AI-powered meal recommendations and food recognition (via barcode scanning or image processing) require real-time data analysis. Technologies like TensorFlow and OpenAI APIs can assist in building smart recommendation engines.
• Wearable & IoT Integration: Seamless syncing with Apple Health, Google Fit, Fitbit, and Garmin smart device app for nutrition enhances customer experience. RESTful APIs and WebSockets facilitate smooth data exchange.
• Data Security & Privacy: When you make a diet app, implement end-to-end encryption and OAuth-based authentication to safeguard client information, especially for apps handling medical or fitness-related data.

# 4: UI/UX Design

A well-designed app ensures user engagement and ease of navigation. UI/UX design should be guided by user behavior, simplicity, and personalization.

Key design principles:

• Minimalist UI: Clean, intuitive interface with visual progress tracking and clear nutritional breakdowns.
• User-Centered Navigation: Easy access to meal logging, goal setting, and fitness tracking.
• Personalization: Adaptive color themes, AI-driven meal suggestions, and user goals dashboards.
• Engaging Visuals: Diet charts, icons, and animations that enhance the experience without cluttering the interface.
• Accessibility: Features like voice commands, dark mode, and screen reader support improve inclusivity.

💡 Pro Tip: Nutrition app developer can use Figma for wireframing and prototyping before finalizing the UI.

# 5: Development & Tech Stack

Once the design is finalized, development begins. As a software development company, we claim the right technology stack ensures app performance, security, and scalability.

Tech Stack recommendations:

• Frontend: React Native (cross-platform), Swift (iOS), Kotlin (Android).
• Backend: Node.js (scalable API handling), Python (AI-driven meal recommendations), Firebase/AWS (real-time database).
• Database: PostgreSQL or MongoDB for food logs, customer data, and goal tracking.

Integration considerations:

• Barcode Scanning API – Open Food Facts, Edamam API.
• Fitness & Health Tracking – Google Fit, Apple HealthKit, Fitbit API.
• Cloud Storage & Data Security – AWS, Firebase Authentication (OAuth).

💡 Pro Tip: A cross-platform approach using React Native or Flutter reduces diet app development time and costs while ensuring a consistent experience across iOS and Android.

# 6: Quality Assurance and Testing

Comprehensive testing is necessary to ensure the app functions without malfunctions before launch. Since diet and nutrition apps handle sensitive health-related data, robust Quality Assurance testing is crucial.

Best Testing Strategies from our QA engineers:

• Unit & Integration Testing: Ensuring app features, like barcode scanning, meal tracking, and API integrations, work as expected.
• Load & Performance Testing: Simulating high-traffic scenarios to test app stability. Cloud-based testing tools like Apache JMeter help analyze response times.
• Usability Testing: Conduct beta testing with the target audience to refine the interface and optimize customer experience.
• Security Testing: Conduct penetration testing to identify potential vulnerabilities, ensuring GDPR and HIPAA compliance for data privacy.

# 7: Launch and Maintenance

Once you make your own diet app, it’s time to deploy it on the App Store and Google Play. However, the work doesn’t end there. Successful apps require ongoing maintenance and updates to keep users engaged.

Post-launch strategies include:

• Bug Fixes & Performance Optimization – Regular updates to improve app stability.
• New Feature Releases – Introduce functionality based on user feedback and market trends.
• Marketing & User Acquisition – Utilize ASO (App Store Optimization), influencer marketing, and social media ads.
• Customer Support & Engagement – Address user concerns and encourage retention through push notifications and community-building efforts.

Additionally, we integrated a recipe book and dietary tips to help patients maintain a healthy diet during their rehabilitation process. To ensure secure doctor-patient communication, we transitioned the chat system from Sendbird to TalkJS, meeting German healthcare data privacy regulations.

So, the estimated diet and nutrition tracking mobile app development cost ranges between $35,250 and $53,500 based on an hourly rate of $50, which is standard for Eastern Europe.

We used the same approach to estimate the average fitness app cost. However, these are only approximate figures — the final cost will depend on your specific requirements, functionalities, and development scope.

If you’d like a precise estimate tailored to your project, contact us!