The use of social media and instant, worldwide technology is now very common. Before, teenagers were the typical examples pictured as having their heads and thumbs focused on their phones. Now, almost anyone of any age can be guilty of walking too slowly because they are texting and not watching where they are going, while using their phones or being guilty of rude social behavior while talking on their phones. Although some can say our phones have hurt society, I believe that they have actually been more helpful and useful for many things other than just social chit-chat and communication. For example, I am particularly interested in the many nutrition-focused apps that can help individuals with food shopping lists, food selections, calories and nutrition tracking, and many more.
One app, Fooducate, gives foods a health grade based on many things, such as serving size, ingredients, and calories per serving. I was amazed to see how easy it was to use. Fooducate caught my interest because it combined the words “food” with the word “educate.” All that I have to do is scan the product’s barcode and the app finds the product and shows it on the screen. If there is no barcode, anyone can easily look up a food product based on categories or just by searching the product’s name. It is so easy for anyone to use and it’s a free, simple download in the app store on a smartphone. If someone does not have a smart phone, then there is a different website that users can access to gain similar information. The Fooducate app doesn’t just say this is a bad food and this is good food choice. It provides reasons and explanations why the food product or company got the rating that it did. Also, Fooducate teaches the user to be on the lookout for ingredients that are hiding in foods. I think this is great because then the app users can learn about the product’s hidden ingredients that they might not have known were included and bad for them.
As a nutrition educator, I would use this material for anyone who is trying to eat healthy. It would be especially good for individuals who are just starting out and do not know how to look for a healthy product. Many times that individual will think something is healthy because of a particular label but it could really be filled with other hidden, unhealthy ingredients. Fooducate also has options where the user can compare or find other alternatives for the food when it is scanned. This is a good way for a novice consumer who is just beginning to eating healthier and to find more food products which are similar to what they are used to but healthier choices. On the screen, the app also lists the nutritional information for the product. As I mentioned before, it’s a free download!!!! This is a great way to encourage others to be more mindful of what they’re eating because everyone has their phone with them and it costs them nothing to purchase the Fooducate app.
Another fun feature about this app is that if you just shake the phone vigorously, it brings up a random product and its nutritional review. This is a super way to just learn more about different products and their health benefits. It’s something that anyone can do while they are just waiting in line at the grocery store or waiting to pick up their child from school. This phone shaking exercise provides information and education with a little mystery and fun because the app user never knows what new nutritional fact will pop up!!
Here is the online link. https://www.fooducate.com