Pick the Right Health App for You

All smartphone users rejoice! Apps, which can be easily downloaded to any smartphone, make daily tasks and finding information easier than ever, and its right at your fingertips. While this highly useful invention has helped humans live easier in many ways, picking the right App can feel like a very difficult decision. Is it user-friendly? Cost-effective? Reliable?

Well, I honestly don’t have the answer to those questions for most options available in your App store. BUT, when it comes to finding a solid nutrition or weight loss App, here are a few worth-trying based on your specific needs:

 

1) Weight Loss & Calorie Counting

  • My fitness Pal: One of the most commonly used and FREE weight loss App available. It tracks your food intake and counts calories, protein, fat, carbs, etc, for you so you don’t need to do much guesswork. The only issue is figuring out correct portion sizes and since not many people walk around with food scales or measuring cups, you’ll need to educate yourself on that first if you want a more accurate analysis. 

  • Lose It: Similar to Myfitnesspal, however, it also has an extra feature that allows to scan barcodes on the foods you purchase for a quick nutrition analysis.

2) Eating Disorder Recovery

  • Rise Up: This basic self-monitoring App helps with eating disorder recovery as it allows you to log behaviors, set reminders, and access coping skills. Information can also be shared with your therapist or dietitian if you choose to do so.

  • Recovery Record: With a lot more available features and automatic text message reminders, this is App is good for people who need extra accountability. Some find it too overwhelming and prefer something more simple.  

3) Dining Out

  • Healthy Out: Finding a healthy restaurant meal just became a whole lot healthier with this zero-cost App. Just enter in your food preferences or needs such as Gluten-Free, Low-Carb, Low-Fat, and it will lead you to the right place. 

  • Food Tripping: Eating on the road is a huge challenge and often an excuse for eating fast-food. That’s now in the past with this GPS-based App which means there is no more excuses for stopping at McDonald’s. It has a growing database of the healthiest food options that are close-by so, whenever hunger strikes, you know exactly where to go for safe, healthy, and good-quality food.  

4) Digestion Issues

  • My Symptoms Food & Symptom Tracker: Your doctor told you all your stomach issues is just IBS but provides no insight as to what you should be eating. Now you can track all of your symptoms, as well as your daily food intake, and get the answers you’re looking for. Record, track, and analyze all of your GI issues from heart burn to constipation and understand which foods are the triggers.

  • My IBD: Another great GI tracking device, this app is more targeted at helping people manage symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Symptoms such as pain, appetite, and bathrooms trips can be shared with your MD in order to direct plan of care and provide the most effective treatment solutions. 


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