Ladder, the workout application, introduces a feature for monitoring nutritional intake.

As AI models advance and improve at interpreting diverse inputs — including text, voice commands, and visuals — and transforming them into nutrition information, the popularity of fitness applications enabling users to document their meals through these means has surged. We’ve observed emerging startups like Alma and Cal AI — in conjunction with established apps such as LifeSum, Healthify, MyFitnessPal, and MyNetDiary — either introducing novel apps or incorporating new capabilities related to dietary monitoring.

Now, the strength training application Ladder is entering the competition with the introduction of Ladder Nutrition, its own platform for monitoring calories, within its primary application. Like other tracking tools, Ladder Nutrition provides options to log your dietary consumption through various methods: capturing an image, utilizing barcode scanning, manual typing, or verbally describing your meal. The application will assess your macronutrient intake (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) according to your submission, with the flexibility to modify portion sizes.

According to Ladder, its benefit lies in the existing user base already utilizing the Ladder app to monitor workouts, thereby consolidating nutrition monitoring (macros, calories) and physical activity (workouts) in a unified platform.

According to the company, a suite of AI models is used for image analysis, food item identification, and calculation of macronutrients. It emphasized that most AI-driven food models are generally trained using data primarily from the U.S., potentially leading to inaccuracies in identifying international dishes. To address this, they’ve collaborated with a nutritional data provider to ensure precise information for global cuisines. This strategy ensures that if one model is unable to recognize a specific dish or its macronutrients, another can provide assistance.

The monitoring tool also features a protein mode, designed to facilitate the tracking of your daily protein consumption. Ladder also mentioned incorporating features like streaks, badges, and motivational notifications to add game-like elements to the nutrition tracking experience, encouraging users to maintain consistent food logging habits.

Ladder shared that a survey conducted among its members last year indicated a preference for an integrated nutrition tracker within the app, removing the need for a separate application. This feedback prompted the company’s decision to prioritize the development and release of the nutrition tracking function this year.

According to the company, initial evaluations of the food tracking feature over the past month showed that 70% of the participants indicated an intention to change their current calorie tracking applications after using Ladder’s functionalities.

Ladder CEO Greg Stewart communicated to TechCrunch via email, stating that “Nutrition represented the obvious next phase for Ladder, and our members were actively requesting it. They desired a streamlined, more intelligent approach to integrate their dietary habits with their performance metrics — precisely what Ladder Nutrition offers.”

Stewart further noted that this marks only the beginning, indicating future intentions for Ladder to “expand upon this groundwork with features providing enhanced prescriptive recommendations — directing users on what to consume, how to properly fuel their bodies, and methods for optimizing nutrition based on continuous analysis of personal training behaviors and objectives.”

Access to the nutrition tracking capability is provided without additional charges to all Ladder subscribers, with membership fees set at $29.99 monthly or $179.99 annually. Ladder reports a global subscriber base exceeding 300,000 paid members.