NOA vs ZOE: Which Diet Plan Actually Supports Women’s Wellness?
Wondering if ZOE is worth it or if the Empower Plan made by Now Often Always would be better? Here’s how NOA compares for women in the UK.
Why personalised wellness plans are trending (and overwhelming)
We love Tim Spector. We really do. But if we had a pound for every time he told us to eat 30 plants a week, glugs of olive oil oil and to ship our poo off to them, we could probably fund our own gut health app (minus the waiting list, subscription fee and cookie tests).
You’ve heard him plugging ZOE on the Diary of a CEO podcast. You’ve seen him on your social feeds. Maybe you even know a friend who’s been tracking their glucose levels with a monitor.
Personalised health is all the rage right now, but when it comes to choosing the right partner, it can be an overwhelming decision with the options out there.
NOA and ZOE Both promise tailored nutrition. But here’s a question for you… What if your symptoms go deeper than blood sugar spikes? What if you need a hormone balancing diet plan? What if you want 1-to-1 expert support, and not just an app to help your diet? What if you need more than food guidance?
Our nutritionist Megan Hallett giving her honest comments on ZOE:
“I love using a CGM, as I have PCOS and therefore, keeping my blood sugar levels stable is key for regulating my hormones and managing PCOS symptoms. For those with PCOS, metabolic syndrome, family history or genetic predisposition to metabolic syndrome or diabetes, or perimenopause, glucose monitoring is a fabulous way to get really detailed with your nutrition. For those with past eating disorders or if you have a tendency to get a bit obsessive with your food, I’d steer clear or use them under the supervision of a healthcare professional.
I think Zoe is fabulous in the sense that it has made a lot of people so much more aware of their fibre intake and the impact of blood sugar management can have on their symptoms. However, is claims to be personalised, but just how personalised can it be given that there are no conversations, from what I understand, happening around your likes, dislikes, where you do your food shops, how much time you have to cook, your menstrual cycle and how the food you are eating contributes towards your specific picture of wellness or illness. What’s more, what about your stress levels and everything else - sleep, relationships, joy etc and how that impacts your health. Personalised nutrition is the way forward, but is it personalised enough? I do like that they also offer microbiome testing, which they claim is very comprehensive - but it isn’t. There are other gut microbiome tests on the market, such as the GI Ecologix from Invivo which is much more comprehensive. I would rather someone invested that little bit extra, and got the full picture of their gut health.”
Let’s break down NOA vs ZOE so you can finally stop guessing (and start feeling good again).
What is ZOE and who’s it best for?
ZOE is an app-based nutrition programme that analyses your gut, blood sugar and food response.
Using a combination of gut microbiome testing (your poop), glucose monitoring and test cookies, ZOE provides a science-backed diet plan based on how your body reacts to certain foods.
It’s built on data, which is great. But if you’re a woman in the UK, it might not be built for specific symptoms you might be experiencing like PMS / PMDD, fatigue, skin issues, fertility, or bloating.
ZOE might suit you if:
You want a food-focused experience
You’re curious about your glucose and gut health
You’re happy with app-based feedback and minimal one-to-one human support
You love charts, graphs and tracking
If you’re looking for something more similar to having a private nutritionist in the UK who can guide you through symptoms like exhaustion, hormonal imbalance or brain fog? You might want to look elsewhere.
What is NOA and who’s it built for?
NOA is a female-founded wellness platform combining blood tests, personalised 1:1 support, and supplement plans backed by your health data and results.
The Empower Plan by NOA is designed for busy UK women who are fed up with second-guessing every symptom. If you’re too busy to be bogged down in Google searches doing the research and you just want an effective, simple solution it might be right for you. NOA is for women who live a real life, not a perfect life.
Megan’s personal experience that started her wellness journey:
“I spent years trying to connect the dots between my bloating, my cycle, and my energy dips. I didn’t need another diet. I needed someone to look at the whole picture including my bloodwork, my stress levels, even my sleep and help me make sense of it all. We started something we needed ourselves.”
There is so much information online, that it becomes easy to get sucked into every ‘cure all’ supplement, waste so much money and even leave you feeling worse. What makes something effective for one individual, doesn’t mean it will be the answer for you and your symptoms. NOA is the solution to that problem, we look at you as an individual, piecing together your symptoms, blood tests and health history to give you not only a supplement plan that works, but the right nutrition and lifestyle changes too. When I was diagnosed with PCOS 12+ years ago, I wish I had someone to help me quiet the noise and look at me as an individual, not just a condition that needed to follow a generic formula.”
NOA helps women with symptoms like bloating, burnout, insomnia, PMS and many more. The Empower Plan connects you with a real, private nutritionist, not just an algorithm.
You get a blood test (testing key biomarkers like thyroid, vitamin D, B12 and more), a personalised consultation, and four weeks of expert-led coaching.
NOA is best for you if:
You want to understand why you’re experiencing any of these symptoms:
Fatigue
Insomnia
Bloating
Burn Out
Irregular cycles
Heavy / Painful periods
PMS
Irritability
Stubborn weight
Low Libido
Skin Problems
Stress
Hair Loss
Anxiety
Afternoon slumps
Brain Fog
Overwhelmed
Recurring illness
You’ve tried different foods, recommendations and plans to help with some of the symptoms above, but still haven’t found the solution you’re looking for
You’re looking to find a dietitian or private nutritionist in the UK who understands women’s hormones, not just calories
You want education on tools like cycle syncing nutrition to match your energy, hormones and stress levels
You’re not interested in gimmicks, just real answers
Whether you're searching for a private nutritionist near me or wondering how to find a registered dietitian who actually understands hormones, NOA makes the process easy and personal. Compared to a private nutritionist which can cost around £500+ and into £1000s including testing. NOA offers a more affordable option than private clinics.
ZOE vs NOA: The side-by-side breakdown
Not just data, actual personalised guidance from a private human nutritionist
ZOE is one of the better apps to help diet, but if you want answers rooted in your whole body, NOA digs deeper for women in the UK.
ZOE is a smart app. NOA is smart human(s).
At NOA, every Empower Plan includes a 1:1 video call with a private nutritionist, so you can unpack your blood results, symptoms and goals together. You’ll get a detailed plan including:
Supplement protocols (so you stop wasting money on random pills)
Food suggestions tailored to your energy, cycle, and stress levels
Practical tips on foods to help with exhaustion, poor sleep or brain fog
Why women are switching to NOA
Because most of us are tired of...
Guessing what to eat based on a 30-second TikTok
Taking “trending” supplements that don’t work
Trying 3 different apps to help diet, but still feeling stuck
Googling “find a dietitian near me” at 11pm after another bloated day
With NOA, it’s:
Accurate, secure, root cause testing with Inuvi - trusted laboratory experts (bloods and data with thresholds based on women, not assumptions)
Human support (from registered UK nutritionists)
Clear plans, written for your symptoms
Ongoing help so no more being left on your own
Wondering how to find a dietitian near me? Or tired of asking where can I find a registered dietitian who won’t just hand you a food pyramid? With NOA, you can find a UK-based nutritionist who listens, who specialises in hormone health, and who builds your plan from your actual test results.
FAQs: ZOE vs NOA - What Women Really Want To Know
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You could, but if your top concerns are energy, hormones or cycle symptoms, start with NOA. You’ll get faster answers (and more support) from a UK-based private nutritionist and wellness plan.
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Yes, in the best way. You’ll get a precision blood test that’s analysed by registered practitioners, not just algorithms.
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NOA. ZOE is great for glucose curves and food scores, but NOA is built to help with symptoms you feel daily.
Final thoughts: What your body really needs
If you want deep insight into your gut response? ZOE is clever.
But if you want to feel better fast, with real-life support, root cause testing, and a human on your side, NOA is your next best step as a woman.
NOA is built by women for women. The ones who’ve tried the apps, Googled the symptoms, and still felt unheard. You don’t need more data. You need answers. And someone who actually listens.
No stool samples. No algorithms. Just real results.
Explore the Empower Plan and work with a private UK nutritionist who listens to you, and gets results.