Should I Build It Should I Build It
19 Apr 2025
Health & Fitness

A recepie app that collects healtby food for people in the gym

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Swamp

The market has seen several mediocre solutions that nobody loves. Unless you can offer something fundamentally different, you’ll likely struggle to stand out or make money.

Should You Build It?

Don't build it.

Your are here

You're entering a crowded space with your recipe app tailored for gym-goers. Our analysis indicates that this idea falls into the 'Swamp' category, meaning there are already many similar solutions available, and standing out will be a challenge. With 20 similar products already identified, competition is high. Engagement, gauged by the average number of comments on similar products, is low at 3, suggesting it's difficult to make your product shine. While we don't have specific 'use' or 'buy' signals to gauge user interest directly, the sheer number of competitors implies you'll need a truly innovative approach to succeed. It is great that you are thinking about health, but you need to make sure your idea is different.

Recommendations

  1. Thoroughly investigate why existing recipe and nutrition apps haven't fully captured the gym-going audience. What are the unmet needs or pain points that you can uniquely address? Read through all the available negative reviews and criticism on the similar products to understand the nuances of the market. For example, users have criticized similar apps for misleading nutritional information, so you have to be extra careful with your data.
  2. Rather than broadly targeting all gym enthusiasts, identify a specific niche within this group with distinct dietary requirements or preferences (e.g., vegan bodybuilders, ketogenic dieters, people cutting, people bulking). Specialization can help you stand out and build a loyal user base.
  3. Explore related problems faced by gym-goers, such as workout planning, progress tracking, or finding local fitness communities. Addressing a less saturated need might present a more promising opportunity.
  4. Given the competitive landscape, conduct a detailed competitive analysis focusing on user reviews, feature comparisons, and pricing models. Understand how your app will differentiate itself from the likes of FoodNoms, FitBee, and other similar apps.
  5. Develop a content strategy that highlights the unique value proposition of your app. Create blog posts, social media content, or videos showcasing healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and success stories from your target niche.
  6. Implement a robust feedback mechanism within your app to gather user insights and identify areas for improvement. Actively respond to user reviews and address any concerns or suggestions promptly.
  7. Before investing heavily in development, create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) with core features to test your assumptions and gather user feedback. Focus on the features that directly address the unmet needs of your target niche.
  8. Explore potential partnerships with gyms, fitness influencers, or nutritionists to promote your app and reach a wider audience. Collaboration can help you build credibility and gain traction in the market.
  9. Given that other apps have been criticized for inaccurate data and misleading information, be sure your data sources are trustworthy, and that you are very transparent about them.

Questions

  1. What specific dietary needs or preferences of gym-goers are currently underserved by existing recipe and nutrition apps?
  2. How will your app ensure the accuracy and reliability of its nutritional information, and what measures will you take to address user concerns about misleading data?
  3. What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will indicate the success of your app, and how will you track and measure these metrics over time?

Your are here

You're entering a crowded space with your recipe app tailored for gym-goers. Our analysis indicates that this idea falls into the 'Swamp' category, meaning there are already many similar solutions available, and standing out will be a challenge. With 20 similar products already identified, competition is high. Engagement, gauged by the average number of comments on similar products, is low at 3, suggesting it's difficult to make your product shine. While we don't have specific 'use' or 'buy' signals to gauge user interest directly, the sheer number of competitors implies you'll need a truly innovative approach to succeed. It is great that you are thinking about health, but you need to make sure your idea is different.

Recommendations

  1. Thoroughly investigate why existing recipe and nutrition apps haven't fully captured the gym-going audience. What are the unmet needs or pain points that you can uniquely address? Read through all the available negative reviews and criticism on the similar products to understand the nuances of the market. For example, users have criticized similar apps for misleading nutritional information, so you have to be extra careful with your data.
  2. Rather than broadly targeting all gym enthusiasts, identify a specific niche within this group with distinct dietary requirements or preferences (e.g., vegan bodybuilders, ketogenic dieters, people cutting, people bulking). Specialization can help you stand out and build a loyal user base.
  3. Explore related problems faced by gym-goers, such as workout planning, progress tracking, or finding local fitness communities. Addressing a less saturated need might present a more promising opportunity.
  4. Given the competitive landscape, conduct a detailed competitive analysis focusing on user reviews, feature comparisons, and pricing models. Understand how your app will differentiate itself from the likes of FoodNoms, FitBee, and other similar apps.
  5. Develop a content strategy that highlights the unique value proposition of your app. Create blog posts, social media content, or videos showcasing healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and success stories from your target niche.
  6. Implement a robust feedback mechanism within your app to gather user insights and identify areas for improvement. Actively respond to user reviews and address any concerns or suggestions promptly.
  7. Before investing heavily in development, create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) with core features to test your assumptions and gather user feedback. Focus on the features that directly address the unmet needs of your target niche.
  8. Explore potential partnerships with gyms, fitness influencers, or nutritionists to promote your app and reach a wider audience. Collaboration can help you build credibility and gain traction in the market.
  9. Given that other apps have been criticized for inaccurate data and misleading information, be sure your data sources are trustworthy, and that you are very transparent about them.

Questions

  1. What specific dietary needs or preferences of gym-goers are currently underserved by existing recipe and nutrition apps?
  2. How will your app ensure the accuracy and reliability of its nutritional information, and what measures will you take to address user concerns about misleading data?
  3. What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will indicate the success of your app, and how will you track and measure these metrics over time?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 20
  • Engagement: Low
    • Average number of comments: 3
  • Net use signal: 4.3%
    • Positive use signal: 10.3%
    • Negative use signal: 5.9%
  • Net buy signal: -2.9%
    • Positive buy signal: 2.0%
    • Negative buy signal: 4.9%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

Similar products

Relevance

FitMeal-Diet & calorie counter - Personalized Recipes to Meet Your Weight Goals

02 Jul 2024 Artificial Intelligence Cooking Health & Fitness

We’ve developed an innovative AI-powered recipe app that helps you achieve your weight goals by calculating your daily calorie needs. Simply input the foods you have or want to eat, and our app will recommend recipes that fit your calorie targets.

FitMeal: AI recipe app for personalized weight goals and nutrition.

Avatar
2
1
100.0%
1
2
100.0%
Relevance

FitBee – A Better Alternative to MyFitnessPal

04 Dec 2024 Health & Fitness

I was overweight in college and started my weight loss journey using an app called MyFitnessPal. Tracking calories not only helped me lose weight but also taught me a lot about nutrition and helped establish healthy eating habits that continue to benefit me. However, I’ve always been frustrated by the existing nutrition tracking apps. They are slow and bloated, lack accurate nutrition data, or don’t respect user privacy. I wanted to build something that I’d love using myself.A few things that make FitBee stand out:* Fast, lightweight and to the point - The app is just about tracking your nutrition and makes that front and center. I've tried to make things that you do often as simple as possible (e.g., log yesterday's breakfast).* Robust Apple Health support - You can read/write data to Apple Health. I wear an Apple Watch so it's great for getting the energy burned through exercises.* Accurate nutrition data - The nutrition data is sourced from the USDA dataset and nutrition labels off the packages. I also spent effort adding east asian foods (e.g. things you get at 99 Ranch or Weee) to the database, since those were hard to find/track in other apps I've tried.* Photo Logging - You can take a photo of a food and get an estimate of the calories and macros. It's not 100% accurate but it's been super helpful for me when eating at a restaurant that doesn't have published nutrition info.* Recipe importing - You can pretty much point any recipe at the app and it'll import the ingredients and generate nutrition information for you. As I got more into fitness, I started to cook more so this has been super helpful.* No Ads - The app is monetized via a subscription.* Monetization - Most of the features are free, but there are a few which require a monthly or annual subscription ($4.99/month or $39.99/year). I also recently added a one time purchase option since a few folks had asked about it.You can try FitBee here: https://apple.co/4aGUw5X. I'd love your feedback!

Request for Apple Watch support

Lacks Apple Watch support

Avatar
1
1
1
1
Relevance

I Built a Lightweight Nutrition Tracker for the iPhone

25 Nov 2024 Health & Fitness

Hey HN,I was overweight in college and started my weight loss journey using an app called MyFitnessPal. Tracking calories not only helped me lose weight but also taught me a lot about nutrition and helped establish healthy eating habits that continue to benefit me. However, I’ve always been frustrated by the existing nutrition tracking apps. Many are slow and bloated, lack accurate nutrition data, or don’t respect user privacy. I wanted to build something that I’d love using myself.A few things that make FitBee stand out:* Fast, lightweight and to the point - The app is just about tracking your nutrition and makes that front and center. I've tried to make things that you do often as simple as possible (e.g., log yesterday's breakfast).* Robust Apple Health support - You can read/write data to Apple Health. I wear an Apple Watch so it's great for getting the energy burned through exercises.* Accurate nutrition data - The nutrition data is sourced from the USDA dataset and nutrition labels off the packages. I also spent effort adding east asian foods (e.g. things you get at 99 Ranch or Weee) to the database, since those were hard to find/track in other apps I've tried.* Photo Logging - You can take a photo of a food and get an estimate of the calories and macros. It's not 100% accurate but it's been super helpful for me when eating at a restaurant that doesn't have published nutrition info.* Recipe importing - You can pretty much point any recipe at the app and it'll import the ingredients and generate nutrition information for you. As I got more into fitness, I started to cook more so this has been super helpful.* No Ads - The app is monetized via a subscription.* Subscription - Most of the features are free, but there are a few which require a monthly or annual subscription ($4.99/month or $39.99/year).You can try FitBee here: https://apple.co/4aGUw5X. I'd love your feedback!

Psychology and overeating impact weight loss more than calorie counting.

Calorie counting less effective for weight loss.

Avatar
8
1
1
8
Relevance

I made an app to make meal planning easy

24 Apr 2024 Cooking Productivity Health & Fitness

My free to use app lets you schedule your favorite recipes with a few clicks

Users appreciate the product as a perfect digital version of a fridge whiteboard. There is interest in a mobile app version, and the comments include laughter and agreement, indicating a positive reception.

Users reported a 500 error without description and slow verification emails. Additionally, there is no mobile app available.

Avatar
9
3
33.3%
3
9
33.3%
Relevance

A Simple Nutrition Tracker for iOS

02 Jan 2024 Nutrition Health & Fitness

I've tracked my calories and macros off and on for years, and always felt that the existing apps were somewhat bloated and clunky to use.To scratch my own itch, I built FitBee to make tracking a bit less of a pain in the butt.A few things that make FitBee stand out:* Fast and lightweight - It's completely native, (mostly built using SwiftUI) and I've tried to make it as fast to launch/use as possible.* Accurate nutrition data - The nutrition data is sourced from the USDA dataset and nutrition labels off the packages. I also spent effort adding east asian foods (e.g. things you get at 99 Ranch or Weee) to the database, since those were hard to find/track in other apps I've tried.* Recipe importing - You can pretty much point any recipe at the app and it'll import the ingredients and generate nutrition information for you. As I got more into fitness, I started to cook more so this has been super helpful.* Robust Apple Health support - You can sync data with Apple Health. I wear an Apple Watch so it's great for getting the energy burned through exercises.You can try FitBee here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fitbee-calorie-macro-counter/i...If you end up trying it, I'd love any feedback!

Avatar
2
2
Relevance

Bodyful: Health & Food Tracker - Easy & visual tracking of nutrition and body health

04 Feb 2024 Food & Drink Health & Fitness Apple

Visually track nutrition, fitness & wellness in one app. Focusing on ultra-easy food logging, you can snap about anything or describe meals your way. Bodyful also uses Apple Health data for an automatic & holistic body health overview.

The Product Hunt launch received positive feedback, with users offering encouragement and congratulations. Several users explicitly stated that the tool looks amazing and useful, expressing gratitude for its creation and sharing. A deleted comment was also present in the comments.

Avatar
75
5
5
75
Relevance

App to Track Meals Automatically

12 May 2024 Health & Fitness

Hey everyone!I've been diving into a project that stemmed from a familiar frustration. I found myself hitting a wall with exercise routines and healthy meals—keeping things fresh and staying on top of progress felt like a challenge. None of the existing solutions quite clicked for me.So, I decided to channel my tech skills into something snappy and efficient to tackle this dilemma head-on. The result? I've crafted an initial version of a web app that packs a punch:Snap a pic to track your meals effortlessly. Instantly get meal suggestions tailored to your dietary preferences (think vegan, Mediterranean, paleo, keto...) with a simple tap, thanks to some nifty machine learning.website: eliteolympus.comI'm already gearing up for future features like exercise tracking and suggestions, lifestyle analytics, progress charts, wearables integration, daily goals, a calendar view—you name it!I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas on where to take this next!

Camera-based meal tracking app could be helpful.

Difficult to achieve accuracy in meal tracking.

Avatar
5
1
1
5
Relevance

FoodNoms - Track what you eat and elevate your nutrition game

24 Jan 2023 Nutrition Fitness Health & Fitness

FoodNoms is a nutrition tracker designed to be fast, powerful, and easy to use. Set custom nutrition goals, log your food, and measure your progress. Available for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and macOS.

FoodNoms 2 is well-received for its HealthKit sync, speed, and user-friendly interface that aligns with Apple's design guidelines. Users appreciate the convenience of syncing with Apple Health and the availability of charts for tracking their nutrition. One user specifically mentioned the favorites bar as a valuable feature and expressed strong intent to use the tool.

Avatar
115
5
60.0%
5
115
60.0%
Relevance

Intuitive nutrition information

29 Dec 2023 Health & Fitness

Hey everyone, I've been building this nutrition tracker and calorie counter recently, after being frustrated by existing products for ages. I built a similar app 8 years ago [1], but came back to this problem again since there are still no good solutions here. Lmk your thoughts and improvement ideas :)[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10077618

Users highlighted concerns about misleading nutritional information, particularly regarding sugars and food processing. They suggested improvements like adding fiber and net carb data, detailed food processing information, and consistent calorie counts. Some users questioned the need for the app to determine food processing levels and sought a rule of thumb for healthy eating. There were mixed opinions on the user experience, with some praising the simplicity and others wanting more detailed integration. Comments also touched on the credibility of organic certifications, the processing of oat milk, and the effectiveness of existing nutrition trackers like MacroFactor and Cronometer.

Users criticized the product for misleading nutritional information, particularly regarding sugars and carbohydrates, and the lack of fiber content. There were concerns about the oversimplification of data, the need for better quantification, and transparency in labeling. The honor system for nutrition labels and the effects of processed sugars were also questioned. Criticisms extended to the user experience, such as the need for clarity in meal splitting and food weight, and the product's limited focus on macros. Additionally, there were mentions of GMOs, the high cost of tracking farm chemicals, and comparisons to similar services like Cronometer.

Avatar
39
40
-5.0%
-5.0%
40
39
7.5%
5.0%
Relevance

A web app to track your grocery expenses and nutrition

03 Jul 2024 Health & Fitness

Hello HN,I've been working on a tool during the weekend to help make cheaper and healthier grocery choices. Currently, it only gives me simple stats on my grocery bill and some general comments on how you can improve your shopping next time. (No signup/email needed.)I believe that healthy food is something cooked in your kitchen, but it also takes a lot of time.So, I started by building an Airbnb-like platform where people can find local cooks (not just experienced chefs) to do meal prep in their homes. After working 9 months on it, I realized it was hard to get people on the platform. So, I thought I should build something people can use for free to create some awareness around it.As usual, I have many features in mind that I would like to implement, but I would love to hear some feedback. I have 3 friends using it regularly, but it might still break. If you care, please try it out, sign up or hit me up on X.Thanks, Aman

Avatar
1
1
Relevance

FitBro App - Calorie Counter App

02 Jul 2024 Health Cooking Health & Fitness

FitBro is the top-rated calorie counter app designed to help you lose weight, track your daily macros, and gain muscle mass. With its extensive food database and user-friendly meal planner, FitBro makes it easy to achieve your fitness goals

Avatar
6
6
Relevance

An intuitive, no subscription, privacy-first calorie tracker for iPhone

29 Mar 2023 Health & Fitness

Hi all,over the last 2 years I've been on and off building my app for iPhone.Caloree is basically a freemium calorie tracker/food diary with the ability to only track calories. This sets it apart from the competition which usually allows logging a gazillion macros. This (hopefully) makes it easier for users to log their food. Feedback so far has been great.The app launched today, which I am quite proud of. It's been 2 years next to raising 2 small kids which meant to often sacrifice the project when it was moving along nicely and spending way less time on it than I would have wanted to. It was a real test on my patience which is usually not that great :)Let me know if you have any questions or feedback is also greatly appreciated!- Rudy

Users praised the launch and appreciated the offline feature. There were requests for additional features and questions about calorie calculation, specifically BMR vs TDEE for weight loss. Discussions also focused on the use of BMR in weight loss and calorie tracking apps.

Users criticized the product for having a low calorie limit and calculation. They also mentioned that using BMR is less appropriate than TDEE for accurate measurements. Additionally, there were concerns about the source of the food database.

Avatar
8
4
50.0%
4
8
50.0%
Relevance

GroceryTrip – Turn receipts into nutritional information

13 Jul 2023 Android

Hey HN, I've been working on a Flutter app for the past few months that turns receipts into useful nutrition information. The aim of this project is to make it easier to understand the nutrition and ingredients in our groceries simply by scanning a receipt.How GroceryTrip works (more detail in github repo):1. Take a photo of your receipt (remains local, there's a demo receipt in the app if you don't have one on-hand) 2. Crop photo to relevant barcodes/names of products 3. View receipt Summary/Details 4. Optional: Contribute missing barcodesIt's a super simple app currently, but I think it has potential to provide more insights into the food we purchase every week (viewing grocery trends over time may be useful). Any feedback or suggestions are appreciated!https://github.com/zanovis/GroceryTrip

Users highlighted several points: retailers often restrict programmatic access to receipts, there are challenges in using grocery data for nutrition insights, and suggestions were made to include recipe ideas and nutrition suggestions. One user questioned the necessity of image cropping.

Users criticized the product for not providing easy anonymous access to receipts and for having inaccurate grocery data, which affects personalized nutrition insights. Additionally, the product lacks nutrition suggestions, and there are questions about the necessity of image cropping.

Avatar
18
4
-25.0%
-25.0%
4
18
Relevance

EZmeal private calorie app - Keeps your diet and health data safe on your device

12 Apr 2024 Food & Drink Health & Fitness

Simple calorie app. No need fancy features, just do its job. Store health data on device. No Ads. No purchase. No subscription. No Account needed Calorie log Weight log Scan menu Customized receipt Barcode scanner Fasting mode History lookup

Users are curious about the calorie tracker's unique selling points compared to established platforms like MyFitnessPal. They appreciate its usefulness for monitoring fitness activities. Several users congratulated the launcher and expressed the need for more upvotes.

Avatar
20
3
3
20
Top