All apps have their pros and cons. As Nutritionist Jenny Boss says, “A food tracker app can be a useful way of helping you think about what you put into your mouth. So you reduce mindless eating – like eating when you are bored or stressed or tired.It can also help you work out what nutrient gaps you might have. Many women are low in calcium and iron for example. Tracking what you eat can be a way of ensuring you eat a balanced diet over a week.
“But it is not helpful to track every single mouthful of food. Also, many apps are developed by people who don’t have a scientific understanding of healthy food and what supports weight loss.” So choose wisely.
Healthy 365
This mobile application by the Health Promotion Board encourages you and your family to adopt a healthier lifestyle through playing games and earning rewards. You can also sign up for in-app health challenges, including the National Steps Challenge and Eat, Drink, Shop Healthy Challenge.
The app pairs with your fitness devices like FitBit or your pedometer, to help you keep track of your daily steps and the amount of time you spend exercising. You can also book exercises and activity classes on the app and earn Healthpoints that your family can redeem for healthy lifestyle rewards, like drinks or groceries.
ShopWell
This app acts as a pocket-sized nutritionist. You can set up your profile, with your age, gender and medical conditions, as well as the foods you wish to avoid. Your shopping is made easier with a barcode scanner with more than 400,000 food brands that translate nutritional information into east-to-digest information. Free.
Smoothie Recipes Pro
This handy app has more than 200 Smoothie recipes in various categories, such as high-protein, or high fibre so everyone in the family will be sure to find a favourite. It also allows you to create shopping lists, making it easy to pick up ingredients on your next shopping trip. Free, with in-app purchases.
Gorilla Workout
This app has more than 40 bodyweight exercises that you can do easily in a small space, with no equipment. Each workout targets specific muscle groups to help you strengthen and tone. There are four levels and 175 different workouts, from beginner to expert. So you can customise the programme to your fitness level. Free with in-app purchases.
Bauer Syndication/Are Media. Additional reporting by Tara Barker.
