Rami Alhamad’s Alma Offers a Personalized Nutrition Guide with AI

Rami Alhamad, former Vice President of Product at Whoop, has introduced a new AI-powered app called Alma, designed to streamline how users monitor their nutritional intake. Launching on iOS for users across North America, the app is built to reduce the manual effort typically required in nutrition tracking by leveraging AI-based features to deliver personalized dietary recommendations.

Unlike traditional calorie-tracking platforms such as MyFitnessPal, which require users to search for and manually input their meals, Alma allows for a simpler, conversational approach. Users can either type or speak to the AI assistant, describing what they ate, and the app estimates the corresponding portion sizes and calorie intake. The app then presents these estimates for user review, allowing adjustments if necessary. Additionally, Alma includes a photo-based feature, enabling users to upload pictures of their meals for the app’s AI algorithm to identify and analyze the dishes automatically.

While similar capabilities are available in apps like Healthify and Snapcalorie, Alhamad believes that Alma’s intuitive design, multiple input options, and user-friendly interface will set it apart. Beyond calorie tracking, the app also supports users in achieving their nutritional goals by offering meal suggestions tailored to specific objectives, such as increasing protein or fiber intake. Users can even upload a menu photo and receive AI-driven recommendations for the most suitable options.

The app assigns users a daily nutrition score based on calorie and macro intake, providing tips on dietary improvements. As users interact more with the AI assistant, Alma learns their preferences and adapts its recommendations accordingly. This personalized approach is reflected in the user’s profile, where insights and preferences can be updated as needed.

The company plans to generate revenue through subscription models, offering a monthly plan at $19 or an annual subscription at $199. The idea for Alma was born after Alhamad left Whoop in 2022. He explained that existing apps for nutrition tracking often feel cumbersome. “For the last 10 years of my life, I have constantly gained and lost weight. I have spent a long time on apps like MyFitnessPal, typing stuff to track my food intake,” he said. “When ChatGPT came around, just like a lot of other people, I started using it for meal planning and kitchen support. However, it wasn’t personalized. So last year, after I left Whoop, I started thinking about this problem.”

Technically, the app relies on a combination of models to provide results and utilizes knowledge from Harvard Nutrition to generate accurate suggestions. The company also employs nutritional experts to enhance its database and plans to incorporate global dietary knowledge as it expands beyond the U.S.

Future updates for the app include improving food discovery and recipe recommendations. While users can currently request recipes from the AI assistant, Alma plans to introduce features that will allow them to save these suggestions for future use. The app will also recommend meals based on users’ pantry items and nutritional goals, aiming to simplify the cooking process.

According to Shawn Carolan, a partner at Menlo Ventures, the convenience of Alma’s input methods is one of its most compelling aspects. “If I eat 20 things in a day, it’s tough to record each one of them by trying to find them in a list. With Alma, you can just talk to it and register all of that quickly,” he said.

Carolan added that many people currently lack access to professional nutrition guidance. Apps like Alma offer a more accessible alternative. “People are spending thousands of dollars a month to get injections to lose weight. So the question is, if you had this perfect nutritionist in your pocket who could help you with your goal, maybe you can take a drug-free approach to achieving your health goals,” Carolan stated.