12 Helpful Health Apps for Diabetes: Glucose Tracking, Nutrition & More

There’s an app for everything — from news and social media to shopping and games. So why not have one (or several) for managing your health? Exercise, nutrition, and blood glucose trackers that provide the support you need to live a healthy lifestyle can be found easily on your handheld device. Plus, most of them are free!

We’ve compiled a list of some of the best apps for diabetes and health tracking below. These apps were selected based on their reviews, features, ease of use, and reliability.

• A Must-Have App
• Apps for Activity & Exercise
• Apps for Diet & Nutrition
• Apps for Mental Health
• An App for Blood Glucose Tracking
• What to Look for in a Blood Glucose Tracking App

An App That Should Be on Everyone’s Smartphone

1. Medical ID

A medical identification app helps first responders see your important health information right from your lock screen. You can record things like medications you rely on, health conditions, or allergies you may have, and your emergency contact information.

Medical ID is available for free through the Apple Health app and on Google Play for Android.

Apps to Track Activity & Exercise

Regular physical activity is integral to overall health. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the benefits of exercise for people with diabetes can be incredibly significant — improving glucose levels, insulin sensitivity, weight, mood, and cardiovascular health.

Start out small if you haven’t been exercising regularly, with five to 10 minutes of activity. Consider breaking up your day if you tend to do a lot of sitting at work or home, with three 10 minute walks to reach your daily activity goals. If you have already been active, the ADA recommends 30 minutes of aerobic exercise (moderate/vigorous) five days a week or aiming for a total of 150 minutes each week. Before you start any new exercise routine, consult your doctor for their recommendations.

Here are a few of our favorite exercise apps to help you get active:

2. Nike Training Club

Nike’s Training Club app is like a portable personal trainer that you can fit in your pocket! The app includes more than 185 different types of workouts and includes instructional videos that demonstrate how to properly perform certain exercises.

If you’re new to exercise, the app includes workout suggestions for any activity level along with tips from the experts to help you reach your goals.

Nike Training Club is available for free in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

3. MapMyRun

Don’t be fooled by the word “run” in this app’s name. You can record almost any activity, including walks, bike rides, runs, hikes, and swims. The app records the distance, duration, average pace, and calories burned for each activity and uses easy-to-read graphs to break down your performance.

MapMyRun is available for free in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

4. Runkeeper

Whether you’re working toward a 5K or just trying to become more active, Runkeeper provides personalized routines that fit any fitness level. You can track your runs and walks, and even join challenges to stay motivated.

Runkeeper also lets you set goals, like reaching a certain weight or running at a specific pace. Whatever your goal, the app will customize a plan for you.

Runkeeper is available for free in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Apps to Track Diet & Nutrition

Diabetes can make nutritional decisions a difficult and annoying task. If you’re focused on eating better, losing weight, or figuring out which foods affect your blood sugar the most, use these apps to identify health patterns and monitor your diet.

5. Lifesum

Lifesum is a popular nutrition tracker that lets you record what you eat, how much water you drink, and your exercise activities throughout the day.

The app makes it incredibly convenient to track your meals — you can type in the food manually or scan a barcode. Are you eating too many fried foods? Are your meal portions too large? Use Lifesum to keep track of it all.

There’s also a recipe section that you can gain full access to if you sign up for a premium account. Premium access also lets you take a meal plan test to find a diet that aligns with your goals, and the app will give you tips to help you achieve the results you want.

Lifesum is available for free in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

6. Lose It!

Weight loss can improve insulin resistance in prediabetes and early type 2 diabetes. If losing weight is part of your doctor-recommended plan, this app can serve as a helpful nutrition and exercise tracker that helps you reach your goals.

With Lose It!, you can set weight loss goals, track your calories, and record your exercise throughout the day. The app also features a barcode scanner to easily upload your calories, as well as an extensive food database for manual searching.

You can also connect with other apps and devices, like fitness trackers, and utilize the support community and social media connectivity for guidance and encouragement.

Lose It! is available for free in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

7. MyFitnessPal

Another popular meal tracker app, MyFitnessPal records your food intake, water consumption, exercise, and weight to help you work toward specific goals. You can also track all of your nutrients including calories, fats, proteins, carbs, vitamins, sugar, fiber, and more.

The app shares helpful links to articles from the MyFitnessPal blogs so that you can get tips and insights from posts like “How to Know if You’re Losing Fat or Muscle?” and “10 Portable Snacks Under 210 Calories.”

MyFitnessPal is available for free in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

8. My Water Balance

We all could use a reminder to drink more water throughout the day. And since people with diabetes have an increased risk of dehydration, making sure you’re consuming enough water is another essential key to managing your health.

My Water Balance helps you keep track of your daily intake and will send you reminders throughout the day to drink more. The app will ask you a few questions to gauge how much water you require and even lets you record other beverages you have throughout the day.

My Water Balance is available for free in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Apps for Mental Health

You may have heard of the “mind-body connection,” which refers to how your emotions, thoughts, and attitudes can affect your physical health. For people with diabetes specifically, the American Diabetes Association notes that blood glucose levels are raised through feelings of stress, and stabilized when in a more relaxed state.

The daily effort required in managing a chronic condition like diabetes can also lead to feelings of stress or anxiety over “perfect” glucose control, as well as depression. With fluctuating and at times unpredictable blood glucose readings, try to strive for progress over perfection.

Consider utilizing the following apps to focus on improving mindfulness and reducing anxiety and stress.

9. Headspace

Studies have shown that mindfulness and regular meditation can have positive effects on our health and well-being. The practice can help reduce stress, improve your focus, promote more restful sleep, and increase your positive thinking.

Headspace is “meditation made simple.” The app acts as your personal meditation guide and includes a Basics pack to help you learn the essentials of the practice. Dedicating just a few minutes a day to mindfulness can help make a difference.

Headspace’s Basics pack is available for free in the Apple App Store and Google Play. Premium features are available with a monthly or annual plan.

10. Calm

Calm is another guided meditation app that also focuses on promoting sleep, mindful body movements, and music to help you relax. The app is great for beginners who are interested in developing a meditation practice as well as for more advanced users.

Calm has a 7-day free trial through the Apple App Store and Google Play. Calm Premium offers a full library of Sleep Stories, masterclasses, guided meditations, and more.

11. Sanvello

Sanvello is an interactive app designed to help address stress and anxiety through mood tracking, educational tools, and guided visualization. By utilizing respected mental health practices like cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, goal-setting, and optional peer support, the app can be helpful in managing stress, anxiety or depression.

The basic version is available for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play, with access to all app features available on a subscription basis or one-time fee. There’s also the option to work directly with a mental health professional or connect the app with a therapist you currently work with (if they’re using the app) as well.

An App to Track Your Blood Glucose

Your glucose readings determine your diet choices, insulin doses, and other decisions, so using a diabetes app to keep track of your readings is a great way to stay on top of your health.

12. AgaMatrix Diabetes Manager

The AgaMatrix Diabetes Manager app lets you track your blood glucose, insulin, carbs, and weight all in one location. If you have the Jazz Wireless 2 glucose meter, you can use the Bluetooth® capabilities to automatically sync your readings to the app, or you can manually enter your information.

The app is secure, cloud-based, and HIPAA-compliant, and is compatible with the Apple Health app. One of the best features of the app is how easy it is to share readings in real time with your family, care takers, or healthcare professionals. If they have the AgaMatrix app too, they can receive push notifications whenever you test or check their in-app inbox for recent glucose readings. You can also email pre-formatted reports right from the app to your healthcare provider.

The AgaMatrix Diabetes Manager app is available for free in the Apple App Store or Google Play.

What to Look for in a Blood Glucose Tracking App

A blood glucose tracking app can be a helpful diabetes management tool as long as it has all the features you need. Here are a few things to look for as you explore the available options:

• If you’re forgetful or just need a gentle nudge to remember to test, look for an app that lets you set up notifications and testing reminders.
• If you’re relying on the app to keep a record of your glucose levels so you can identify your own personal health trends, make sure it offers enough storage space. If there are storage limitations, check if you can export your information at certain intervals.
• If you don’t have a Bluetooth-connected glucose meter, make sure the app will let you manually add your information.
• Above all, make sure you’re comfortable with the app since it’s going to store a lot of vital health information that you’ll need to access frequently.

Not interested in an app after all?
Download our easy-to-use log sheets to keep track of your blood sugar readings. Available in Word, Excel, and PDF formats. Download yours for free here.

Disclaimer:
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but a broad overview of diabetes health apps that we hope will help you navigate the wide variety of diabetes-based mobile applications. Before you start any new diet or exercise routine, consult your doctor for their recommendations.