Apps I recommend to patients
Choose an app only when it solves a specific problem. You do not need to download everything on this page.
Your health record
Message your care team, review results, manage appointments, and—when enabled by your health system—enter home blood pressure or glucose readings in Track My Health.
Some health systems use their own branded MyChart app.
Plant-forward nutrition
A simple checklist of foods and activities emphasized by NutritionFacts.org and the books How Not to Die and How Not to Diet.
Insomnia treatment
A sleep diary and skills companion for people doing cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia with a clinician.
Designed to supplement clinician-guided CBT-I, not replace it.
Child development
Track developmental milestones from 2 months through age 5 and learn when to discuss a concern with your child’s clinician.
Food tracking
Track calories, nutrients, meals, and activity when structured self-monitoring would be useful.
Tracking is not helpful for everyone, particularly with a history of disordered eating.
Eating-window timer
An intermittent-fasting timer that can help structure eating windows and build consistency.
Discuss fasting first if you are pregnant, have an eating-disorder history, or use glucose-lowering medication.
Food labels
Scan foods, review ingredients, and compare alternatives while learning how packaged foods differ.
Cycle tracking
Track periods, symptoms, ovulation estimates, pregnancy, and perimenopause patterns.
Cycle predictions are estimates. Review privacy settings before entering sensitive information.
Medication reminders
Set medication schedules, refill reminders, and optional family-support notifications.
Symptoms & patterns
Track symptoms alongside sleep, stress, habits, and medications to identify patterns worth discussing at a follow-up visit.
Correlations in an app can suggest questions; they do not prove a cause.
Focus & breaks
Use 25-minute focus intervals with planned breaks. Any simple timer works; you do not need a subscription.
This is a method, not a specific endorsed app.
One update to the original list
The USDA app is no longer available on Google Play, so I do not recommend downloading an unofficial copy. Use the current MyPlate.gov website ↗ for its plate-based nutrition guidance.
Already on your phone
Use Screen Time on Apple devices or Digital Wellbeing on Android to see patterns and set intentional limits.
Schedule Night Shift on Apple devices or Night Light on Android as part of a broader wind-down routine.
Add medical conditions, medications, allergies, and emergency contacts that can be viewed while your phone is locked.
Privacy matters
Before entering reproductive, symptom, medication, or mental-health information, review the app’s privacy settings and collect only what will genuinely help you. Do not rely on an app for emergencies or urgent medical advice.