How Apps Can Be Good For Your Health

credit: ivyfield

Many of us would like to be a bit healthier in our lives.  Sometimes the only thing holding us back is that we are not quite sure how to get started.  The great thing about the Internet is that it offers a wealth of top advice on health and well-being.

There are some top apps out there that can help you shop for healthier foods and transform the way you cook and eat.


Healthy Eating

The main principles are healthy eating are actually quite straightforward. Really these principles have remained unchanged for a number of years and include:

• Portion Control – food is widely available these days and this can encourage us to eat more than is really good for us.  You may be surprised at how much you are overeating at each meal.  Portion control can help you keep weight under control.

• Balanced Diet - one of the big problems with modern life is that we can eat far too much sugar, fat and salt.  We should be trying to eat a more balanced diet which is normally illustrated in a pyramid format.  The high fat, sugar and salt products are at the top of the pyramid in the narrowest section (which means you should eat less of these).  As you work down the pyramid the balance of foods increases with vegetables on the largest bottom section (you should eat more of these).

The trouble these days is that there is so much conflicting advice out there about healthy eating.  Some people advocate a low carbohydrate diet and some advocate fasting days.  It seems that every healthy eating plan you read about is based on different theories.  This can make it very confusing when it comes to planning your own healthy diet.

This is also exacerbated by the clever marketing techniques supermarkets employ to target shoppers.  Often the things that are least good for us are on offer or displayed in highly visible locations in stores. This can make it very difficult to stick to a healthy eating plan.

Apps that Help You Shop for Healthier Groceries

The good news is that there are some excellent apps out there that can help you with shopping for healthier foods.  These useful apps will be on hand when you are grocery shopping online or in traditional stores.  This is a great way to keep on the straight and narrow and stick to your new healthy eating plan.  Here are just a few of the top healthy shopping apps that could help you:

• Buy Me Pie – this app is an ideal starting point.  It contains all the basic food shopping rules you need to know about being healthier.  Top tips include planning meals before you start shopping.  This gives you focus to help prevent you being distracted by naughty snacks and treats.   The basic lite version is free and this offers helpful features like virtual shopping lists.

• Seafood Watch – seafood can be a tasty part of a healthier eating plan.  However buying seafood can be an ethical juggling act these days.  Many people want to shop more sustainably but don’t know where to start.  The Seafood Watch app can point you in the right direction and gives you some great alternatives when it comes to sustainable fish and shellfish.  You can also find out more about why some species are more sustainable than others.

• Dirty Dozen – sometimes even the vegetables are against you when trying to eat more healthily!  Some contain more pesticide residue than others and this can be a worry for many people.  The Dirty Dozen app sets you right though by listing a range of fruit and vegetables by pesticide residue.  This is ideal for those that support organic practices and healthier eating.

About The Author:

Jack McKenzie is a freelance bloggers and writes about technology and organic food. He loves trying out new services such as grocery shopping online from Milk & More and download the latest food apps.