The best nutrition apps: how to make eating healthy easier?

According to INSERM (the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research), modern thinking about nutrition focuses on two essential factors: diet and physical activity. An imbalance in these two factors often leads to the emergence and development of a great number of chronic illnesses that are common today. Numerous studies conducted by INSERM demonstrate the impact of nutritional factors on the occurrence of certain cancers, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes.

According to WHO, “Nutrition is a dietary intake that meets the needs of the body. Good nutrition - i.e. a suitable and balanced diet - and regular exercise are all guarantees for good health”.

A diet that is too high in salt, sugar or fat, with too many ultra-processed foods, a lack of fiber, fruit and vegetables, and so on... Today's problem is no longer one of undernutrition, but of dietary imbalance! It is no longer enough to just eat, we also need to eat well!

But how to find our way on our dietary journey? How do we know what is good for our health and what is not?

To begin to get a clear picture, we recommend a few apps that will allow you to tailor your diet to your condition, to recognize whether a food product is good or not and if it meets your specific dietary requirements (allergens, lactose-free, etc.), to prepare healthy and easy meals or to control your calorie intake.

Take a look at our guide!

MyNetDiary:

MyNetDiary is a calorie counter and "nutrition assistant". It serves as an online diary that helps you to track food and exercise. With a database of over 941,000 different foods, it details your macronutrient intake (fat, carbohydrates, proteins, etc.) according to several criteria: age, weight, height and level of physical activity. The app is packed with other tools like an exercise tracker, nutrition facts, barcode scanner and informational charts to help you track your progress. It's available for free on the App Store and Google Play.

Cara Care:

Founded by physicians and supervised by a team of medical experts, Cara Care helps you to monitor your digestive health by tracking food, digestive symptoms, bowel movements, and other symptoms. Originally designed for people with chronic gut conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and IBD (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis), the app can also help with digestive issues related to acid reflux, nausea, bloating, gastritis, the menstrual cycle and coeliac disease, as well as food intolerances and sensitivities (gluten, fructose, lactose, histamine etc.) and special diets such as gluten-free, fructose-free, lactose-free, keto and others. The app is a CE-certified Class 1 medical device in Europe for IBS management.
Cara Care also recently launched a 12-week IBS program to guide you through the low FODMAP diet with access to a personalized dietitian and analysis of your symptoms and diet. The app is free to download with an optional premium subscription for $19.99 per month and is available on the App Store and Google Play.

Yuka:

This app allows you to scan all your food and cosmetic products in order to obtain clear information on their impact on your health. The products are analyzed according to several criteria: additives, saturated fats, sugars, salt, calories... and get a "score": excellent, good, poor, bad. The app then proposes an alternative of the scanned product that is much better for your health. Yuka is free and available on the App Store and Google Play.

Foodvisor:

Foodvisor is a nutrition coach that aims to help you eat healthier and reach your health goals. Simply take a picture of your plate and receive the nutritional information (calories, protein, carbohydrates, fats, fiber, cholesterol) from it! The application is free and available on the App Store and Google Play.

Simple Feast Recipes:

Simple Feast was developed by kitchen experts (chefs and nutritionists). They offer you many original and easy to make recipes based on healthy ingredients and a variety of flavors. These recipes can also be adapted according to your objectives such as weight loss or improving your physical condition. In the free version, a selection of recipes are available which change every month. All recipes are available in the paid version ($8.99 per month or $69.99 per year). The app is partly free and available on the App Store and Google Play.

Seasonal Food Guide:

Fruits and vegetables taste their best when they're in season, but keeping track of those seasons can be complicated and overwhelming as they change from region to region. This free app can help you learn when and where your favorite local produce is available and at its peak flavor! On the app you can choose your state and the time period ("late September," for example) and see a complete list of all the produce available, or you can choose your favorite fruit or vegetable to see when it is at its best in your state. A helpful "Learn & Cook" tool provides an online primer filled with shopping tips, sustainability information and recipes. You can also set a reminder so as not to miss out on your favorite produce. Seasonal Food Guide is free and available on the App Store and Google Play.

Many members are also discussing this topic on Carenity, you can join them by participating in the following discussion:
Can nutrition and food help us to heal?

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Take care!