As advanced AI models become better at understanding different types of input, such as text, audio, and images, and converting them into nutritional data, fitness apps that let you track your meals using these methods have exploded in popularity. We’ve seen new startups like Alma and Cal AI, along with existing apps like LifeSum, Healthify, MyFitnessPal, and MyNetDiary, release new apps and add new features around nutrition tracking.
Now, strength training app Ladder is hitting the ring with the launch of its own calorie tracking platform called Ladder Nutrition within its main app. Like other trackers, Ladder Nutrition lets you enter your food intake in any way you want, including taking a photo, scanning a barcode, typing, or audio describing the food you eat. The app estimates macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat) based on your input and also allows you to edit portion sizes.
Ladder said the benefit is that people are already tracking their workouts through the Ladder app and can now track their nutritional inputs (macro, calories) and outputs (workouts) in one place.
The company said it uses a suite of AI models for image recognition, ingredient identification and macro calculations. The company noted that most AI food models are trained on U.S.-centric data by default and may not accurately recognize international cuisines, so it partnered with nutrition data providers to obtain accurate data on foods from other parts of the world. This approach means that if one model fails to identify a dish or macro, another can intervene.
The tracker also has a protein mode, which helps you track your daily protein intake. Rudder said it also includes stripes, badges and progress reminders to gamify the nutrition tracking process and help people log their meals on a regular basis.
Ladder said it surveyed its members last year and found that they wanted a nutrition tracker within the app rather than using a separate app. That’s why the company focused on shipping nutrition tracking this year.
The company has been testing meal tracking for the last month and said 70% of testers said they were planning to switch their calorie tracking app after using Ladder’s features.
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“Nutrition is a natural next step for Ladder, and our members have been begging us for it,” Ladder CEO Greg Stewart told TechCrunch in an email. “They wanted a simpler, smarter way to connect what they eat to their performance, and that’s exactly what Ladder Nutrition delivers.”
That’s just the beginning, Stewart continued. He said that in the future, Ladder will “build on this foundation with the ability to provide more prescriptive guidance, including what to eat, how to supplement, and how to continually optimize nutrition based on personal training habits and goals.”
Nutrition tracking features are free to all Ladder members who pay $29.99 per month or $179.99 per year. Rudder said the app has more than 300,000 paying members worldwide.
