We are nutritionists who love to blog. We write about the nutritional needs of people with diabetes and those who thrive on a plant-based diet. We also document our dietary habits and lifestyle choices through our Instagram account, @nutrionistofdiabetes, so you can get a peek into what we’re up to throughout the day.
We started this blog in 2015 to share our knowledge and passion for nutrition with others. When we first began, we wrote posts about healthy recipes, recipes for special occasions like Thanksgiving, and food that was just plain delicious. But then we got bored. We needed something new! Something fun! Something that would make us laugh out loud when we saw it on our Facebook feed instead of rolling our eyes and sighing in exasperation. We wanted to be entertained by useful information that wouldn’t bore us to tears or cause us to lose sleep over it—like the painstakingly detailed post about which hummus flavors contain the most carbohydrates or how many calories are in a pound of tofu.
So we came up with a list of 20 things that nutritionists hate about being nutritionists, and now we publish them every day as part of our “Best Apps for Nutritionists” series. Each month has its own theme,
Best Apps For Nutritionists
With so many things on your plate, sticking to healthy eating habits sans-assistance is no easy feat. In fact, some days it can feel, dare I say it, impossible. (Think: that half protein bar, half banana combo you had for “lunch.”)
Sure, in a perfect world the next sentence would read something along the lines of, “Enter: a 24-7 (free!) nutritionist who’s always by your side to help heed those healthy habits,” but, alas, I am here to offer no such magic. That being said, what actually comes next is a close second…
Enter: nutrition apps! The 24-7 (inexpensive, if not free!) programs that practically put an RD in the palm of your hand and, even more, make sticking to your nutrition goals a breeze.
“These apps can help users make informed choices and highlight areas for improvement, such as too much sugar or not enough protein,” says Eliza Savage, RD, a registered dietitian at Middleburg Nutrition in New York City. “Plus, they’re accessible, discreet, and provide accountability and structure.”
But they do come with a warning, especially when it comes to calorie-counting apps: avoid getting too fixated. Becoming overly obsessed with specific numbers each day can lead you to lose sight of the overall nutrition picture and contribute to disordered eating, Savage explains.
Ready to start eating and drinking like a health pro? Download one of these nutritionist-approved apps ASAP.
1
Best For Food Tracking: YouAte
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Long gone are the days of written food journals—all you have to do now is snap a pic of your plate via You Ate, a fave app for Savage. “Rather than wasting time and headspace inputting every last bite of food, this visual journaling app allows you to also focus on how foods make you feel and create non-weight related health goals,” says Rachael Hartley, RD, a dietitian and nutrition therapist in Columbia, South Carolina. Plus, it times how long you wait between meals and snacks, which is helpful if you’re trying to get in the habit of eating regularly throughout the day, Hartley adds.
2
Best For Mindful Eating: Rise Up
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Rise Up is great for anyone and everyone trying to build a healthier relationship with food, and better understand how emotions impact eating behaviors, according to Hartley. How? It not only lets you track how you’re feeling around mealtime but it also allows you to export PDFs of your log and notes so you can identify patterns over time and/or share with a healthcare provider.
3
Best For Pregnancy: Yummly
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There’s no denying it: A huuuuuge part of eating and living healthy is frequently cooking at home. But DIY-ing dinner after a long day isn’t always easy. That’s where Yummly, or the self-proclaimed “smart cooking sidekick,” comes in. Offering millions of recipes from your go-to food sites like Smitten Kitchen, this Hartley-recommended app lets you make a shopping list based off the recipe and create a recipe box to easily access your fave finds at a later date. Yummly also allows you to note food allergies, restrictions, tastes, and preferences, making it an easy way to find the right food if you’re, say, pregnant.
4
Best For Athletes: MyFitnessPal
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Odds are you’ve heard of this one before and with good reason: It has an extensive food database, barcode scanner that makes logging food stress-free, recipe importer for adding the nutrition info for meals made from scratch, and so much more (seriously, like tons more). So it makes sense why MyFitnessPal is a top choice for experts like Sammi Brondo, RD, a registered dietitian in New York City, who recommends that you don’t follow the app’s recommended calorie allowance too strictly. Quite simply? “Hunger goes beyond numbers,” she says. 🙌🏻
5
Best For Vegetarians: Harvest
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Fact: Fresh food is the best food. Not only is in-season produce tastier but it’s also cheaper and retains more of its nutritional value, Brondo explains. But awkwardly lingering in the produce section as you try to figure out which are the best fall fruits and veggies? Thank you, next. Help is here however and it’s name is Harvest. “This app is, in Brondo’s words, “an amazing resource,” as it tells you what produce is in season each month based on your location—especially crucial if plants are a huge part of your diet (looking at you, vegetarians!).
6
Best For Sustainable Pescatarians: Seafood Watch
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If you’re someone who’s always seeking out sustainable eating options (tbh, as you should be), Hartley recommends downloading Seafood Watch, stat. It shows you the best choices and good alternatives for sustainable seafood at the market and restaurants. Another bonus? Through the app, you can find nearby eateries and businesses that serve ocean-friendly seafood.
7
Best For Staying Hydrated: Waterlogged
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Just because you know that staying hydrated is extremely important doesn’t mean you always remember to—or even want to—keep on chugging. Waterlogged helps you out, by allowing you to set sipping reminders throughout the day. You can also adjust these reminders depending on the day (think: when temps are higher, or you’re working out more than usual).
8
Best For Sensitive Stomachs: FODMAP App
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If you’re one of the millions of people with irritable bowel syndrome or IBS (raises hand), then odds are you’re familiar with a FODMAP diet. But just in case, here’s a quick refresher: a FODMAP diet essentially involves you avoiding foods with certain short-chain carbohydrates (or FODMAPs). But because figuring out these eats is no walk in the park, the creators of the actual diet (smart folks at Monash University) went ahead and made an app to make it easier. “This app shows which foods are high- and low-FODMAP, provides recipes, and a food diary to write in,” Brondo says. “It even has a resource to find a dietitian that specializes in IBS.”
9
Best Supermarket Saver: Fooducate
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Before your next trip to the market, take a second to download the app Savage describes as “so helpful while grocery shopping.” By rating products on a scale from A (best) to D based on ingredients and nutritional value, Fooducate makes it easy to translate nutrition labels and choose the healthiest items out there. “It’s like a nutritionist taking you shopping,” Savage says.
10
Best For Vegans: Live Up!
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Vegans, rejoice! This user-friendly app is a really good way to get A+ plant-based recipes that use fresh produce, unprocessed grains, healthy fats, legumes, and spices. Also ideal if you’re gluten- and/or dairy-free, Live Up! has filters to make finding your new fave meal even easier. In Brondo’s words? “It’s basically a cookbook on your phone!”
nutrition app for family
It is no surprise that children with special needs and their caregivers juggle over-packed schedules so that eating habits and exercise can easily be overlooked. Yet, we know that nutrition and regular physical activity lead to better overall health. Research has shown that students who make healthier food choices and exercise do better academically, feel better about themselves and have more energy.
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We have compiled some of our favorite health & nutrition apps for children and adults that are educational, but most importantly – fun! These apps can be modified and adjusted according to ability, making them an ideal hook for engaging kids. Use of these apps may lead to behavior change toward healthier eating and physical activity. “The point is not some radical exercise regimen or strict diet, but activities that can be incorporated into a typical week to enjoy together while practicing healthy habits,” says BridgingApps Reviewer and Registered Dietitian Cathy Foreman.
Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker by MyFitnessPal
Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker by MyFitnessPalApp Review:
Nutrition and diet apps for mobile devices have become powerful tools for self-awareness, accountability, and monitoring dietary intake. Many of these apps have tracker capabilities that have replaced the tedious task of keeping food records by hand on paper. Leading the pack of countless nutrition and diet apps is Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker by MyFitness Pal. Designed for adults, MyFitnessPal is a calorie counter and food diary app that is, by design, a fantastic tool to help with weight management goals.
Price: FREE
Learn More: Features & Benefits
Available for IOS
Available for Android
Read Full BridgingApps Review
Map My Ride GPS Cycling Riding
Map My Ride GPS Cycling RidingMap My Ride GPS Cycling Riding is an easy to use bicycling app developed to track your route via GPS while you cycle. We have found that this app can also be used for those who do not or cannot go on an actual bike ride outside. Such users who have difficulty with mobility, but still enjoy cycling on a stationary/recumbent bike (or other non-bike activities) can log and share this information. Logging and sharing of information can be extremely useful for someone with mobility difficulties like hemiplegics, persons with seizure disorders and other disabilities that will not allow for traditional cycling.
Price: FREE
Available for IOS
Available for Android
Read Full BridgingApps Review
Eat & Move-O-Matic
EAT-OEat and Move-O-Matic is an app that teaches the classic concept of “calories in versus calories out” to explain the principles of energy balance as it affects body weight.
The number of calories consumed in various meals, snacks or beverages are highlighted on an EAT spin wheel. Next to the EAT spin wheel is a MOVE spin wheel that displays many different types of physical activity and the energy each activity burns. But, the wheels work together. When the EAT wheel identifies the total calories of a food, drink or meal, the MOVE wheel indicates the amount of time needed in various physical activities to use or “burn” those specific calories.
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For young adults or teenagers needing to monitor or learn about body weight, this app is an excellent visual tool. Its use can help support the understanding of some basic concepts of nutrition, physical activity and body weight for healthier living.
Price: FREE
Available for IOS
Read Full BridgingApps Review
Super Stretch Yoga
SuperStretchSpecifically designed for children, Super Stretch Yoga uses a combination of a friendly animated super hero cartoon character with videos of real children demonstrating poses. It is a great combination that makes the app nurturing, fun, and entertaining. There are twelve different poses demonstrated. Each pose has been translated into kid-friendly, animal-like moves complete with how-to instructions, focused breathing and upbeat music. It is all about fun and doing the best you can while practicing monkey, cat, cow or butterfly like moves.
Price: FREE
Available for IOS
Read Full BridgingApps Review
Super Stretch yoga_screenshot
If you are interested in searching for more apps, creating your own list of apps and sharing them, please go to BridgingApps.org. BridgingApps, a program of Easter Seals Greater Houston, is a community of parents, therapists, doctors, and teachers who share information about using mobile devices (iPad, iPhone, and Android) with people who have special needs.
Cristen Reat is co-founder of BridgingApps and a mother who found success when using a mobile device with her children who have special needs.
Cathy Foreman is a Registered Dietitian, a Reviewer, and involved in special health care projects with BridgingApps.
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Taking Care of Your Child’s Special Food Needs
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Special Diets: Food Allergies
How To Achieve A Healthy You
Conclusion
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