Nutrition apps

Healthy eating apps are also called nutrition apps. They may encourage healthy eating by helping you make better food choices. Healthier food choices are mostly ‘whole’ or less processed foods. Choose unsaturated fats instead of saturated fats, foods with little or no added sugar and foods that are low in salt (sodium). Read more about healthy eating.

App reviews – nutrition apps

The following nutrition apps have been reviewed.

App name	Description	Clinical score
Easy Diet Diary NZ	Calorie counter Diet tracker Barcode scanning Exercise tracker Available from iTunes Cost: Free Read more about Easy Diet Diary NZ
FoodSwitch	NZ-based food database Barcode scanning Can be organised around certain diets Country of origin: New Zealand Available from Google Play and iTunes Cost: Free Read more about FoodSwitch
Calorie Counter - Fat Secret	Calorie counter with food database Weight tracking Free recipes Available from Google Play and iTunes Cost: Free Read more about Calorie Counter- Fat Secret
My Fitness Pal	Goal setting- Nutrition, physical activity and weight Food diary Calorie counter Weight chart Exercise tracker Read more about My Fitness Pal
MyPlate Calorie Tracker	Goal setting with food diary Energy tracker and nutrient intake Energy requirement calculator Graphs and reporting Read more about MyPlate Calorie Tracker
Nourish	Meal planning Recipes with estimated cost per serving Grocery shopping assistance Nutritional analysis Allergen and dietary restriction filters Educational information on ingredients, including storage instruction Read more about Nourish
Excluded apps Gluten Free NZ: This app was last updated in 2013. Since it has not been updated recently, it is likely to be missing several foods. Healthy Diet Chart: This app is poorly written, as it shows a selection of pictures under a range of meal names (breakfast, fast foods, vegetables, etc) with no guidance or analysis of portions, ingredients, preparation or suitability. Nutrition information is not consistent with New Zealand recommendations and no evidence or expertise cited.  Nutrition Facts: This app requires significant nutrition knowledge and literacy. It does not use a New Zealand food database and common New Zealand brands are not present. Foodeye

Tips on how to use nutrition apps safely

While nutrition apps have the potential to help you make healthier food choices, they must be used with caution. Here are some tips on how to use nutrition apps safely.

• Avoid getting too fixated and becoming overly obsessed with specific numbers each day, especially with features like calorie counting and portion size. This can lead you to lose sight of the overall nutrition picture. Being healthy isn’t just about the way you look or how much you weigh. Read more: What is healthy eating.
• Although nutrition apps may ask for your age, weight, height and gender, they do not have the sophisticated functionality to give you personalised diet advice best suited to your activity level and health needs. For personalised advice, it is best to seek professional advice from a dietitian or nutritionist. To find a registered dietitian in Auckland, see Auckland DHB nutrition(external link) and for all of New Zealand, see Find a dietitian(external link).
• While weight loss is the main motivator for some people to use nutrition apps, be aware that goals like reaching a target weight within a target date must be realistic. Having unrealistic expectations can be harmful and lead to nutritional deficiencies and eating disorders. It is best to get professional advice about what is the best approach for you.

References

1. Popular nutrition-related mobile apps: a feature assessment.(external link) JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2016 Aug 1;4(3):e85

Disclaimer: Healthify’s app library is a free consumer service to help you decide whether a health app would be suitable for you. Our review process is independent. We have no relationship with the app developers or companies and no responsibility for the service they provide. This means that if you have an issue with one of the apps we have reviewed, you will need to contact the app developer or company directly.

Resources

Related Topics