How to Use Your Smart Phone to Improve Your Health
Track your daily food intake., Try a recipe app., Find healthier food alternatives., Look up restaurant food nutritional information., Send yourself reminders.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Track your daily food intake.
One of the easiest ways to improve your health with a smartphone is to track your daily food intake.
Writing down what you eat helps you identify unhealthy eating habits, become aware of your daily nutritional intake, and makes you accountable for what you eat.
Many apps, such as MyFitnessPal and MyNetDiary, will allow you to input foods you eat.
The app will compile a daily total of calories, fat, carbs, sugar, protein, and other nutrients.Many of these apps allow you to input weight loss goals.
By giving the app your current weight, goal weight, and number of pounds you want to lose a week, the app will provide you with a daily calorie goal to lose weight.
Most apps let you input food from a searchable database, scan barcodes on food packages, and input nutritional information manually.
There are many apps available for free for both Apple and Android devices. -
Step 2: Try a recipe app.
Recipe apps can be helpful when trying to make healthier food options for your family.
Apps, like Yummly, offer numerous recipes that can help you achieve your fitness goals.
They let you search by type of food, like Italian, Asian, or Mexican, or by main ingredient.
Some apps will also allow you to choose gluten-free, paleo, healthy, quick, or low-carb options.
Some of these apps give you an option to build a grocery list you can consult when you go shopping.
You can also find apps specifically geared towards your health concerns.
There are apps for healthy diabetes recipes, vegetarian and vegan recipes, and low carb or sugar recipes.
Many apps are available for free for Android and Apple. , When you are shopping, your smartphone can help you make better food choices.
You can search online for suggestions to make healthy alternative or to find similar foods with less calories and fat or without certain ingredients., Smartphones are not only great for apps.
Smartphones also give you access to the internet, which can come in handy when you are trying to eat healthy.
Most restaurants disclose the nutritional information of their item menus online.
This is useful when you are tracking your calories or just trying to make healthy options.
Just search for the restaurant’s name and the words “nutritional information” to find calorie, fat, sugar, carbs, and cholesterol content.
Browsing restaurant nutrition information can be an eye opening experience.
Many so-called “healthy” food options, such as salads, have more fat and calories than other menu items because of dressings and toppings.
You can also compare similar item menus, choosing one that has significantly less fat and calories. , Everyone needs extra motivation.
Your smartphone can provide that motivation for you.
Set up your phone so you get daily texts or calendar reminders of your healthy eating goals.
These reminders can have a motivational message, a visualization of your weight loss progress, or even just a message to eat more fruits and vegetables.For example, your text might say, “Making healthy choices today means you are one step closer to a healthier you!” Another text might say, “You can do it! 1500 calories of yummy, healthy food.
How awesome is that?” You might remind yourself of your goals: “Three weeks, three pounds down! Look at how great you are!” Your message could be something simple like, “Make healthy choices!” or “Don’t get fries when you go to lunch with the office” or “Eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies.” -
Step 3: Find healthier food alternatives.
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Step 4: Look up restaurant food nutritional information.
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Step 5: Send yourself reminders.
Detailed Guide
One of the easiest ways to improve your health with a smartphone is to track your daily food intake.
Writing down what you eat helps you identify unhealthy eating habits, become aware of your daily nutritional intake, and makes you accountable for what you eat.
Many apps, such as MyFitnessPal and MyNetDiary, will allow you to input foods you eat.
The app will compile a daily total of calories, fat, carbs, sugar, protein, and other nutrients.Many of these apps allow you to input weight loss goals.
By giving the app your current weight, goal weight, and number of pounds you want to lose a week, the app will provide you with a daily calorie goal to lose weight.
Most apps let you input food from a searchable database, scan barcodes on food packages, and input nutritional information manually.
There are many apps available for free for both Apple and Android devices.
Recipe apps can be helpful when trying to make healthier food options for your family.
Apps, like Yummly, offer numerous recipes that can help you achieve your fitness goals.
They let you search by type of food, like Italian, Asian, or Mexican, or by main ingredient.
Some apps will also allow you to choose gluten-free, paleo, healthy, quick, or low-carb options.
Some of these apps give you an option to build a grocery list you can consult when you go shopping.
You can also find apps specifically geared towards your health concerns.
There are apps for healthy diabetes recipes, vegetarian and vegan recipes, and low carb or sugar recipes.
Many apps are available for free for Android and Apple. , When you are shopping, your smartphone can help you make better food choices.
You can search online for suggestions to make healthy alternative or to find similar foods with less calories and fat or without certain ingredients., Smartphones are not only great for apps.
Smartphones also give you access to the internet, which can come in handy when you are trying to eat healthy.
Most restaurants disclose the nutritional information of their item menus online.
This is useful when you are tracking your calories or just trying to make healthy options.
Just search for the restaurant’s name and the words “nutritional information” to find calorie, fat, sugar, carbs, and cholesterol content.
Browsing restaurant nutrition information can be an eye opening experience.
Many so-called “healthy” food options, such as salads, have more fat and calories than other menu items because of dressings and toppings.
You can also compare similar item menus, choosing one that has significantly less fat and calories. , Everyone needs extra motivation.
Your smartphone can provide that motivation for you.
Set up your phone so you get daily texts or calendar reminders of your healthy eating goals.
These reminders can have a motivational message, a visualization of your weight loss progress, or even just a message to eat more fruits and vegetables.For example, your text might say, “Making healthy choices today means you are one step closer to a healthier you!” Another text might say, “You can do it! 1500 calories of yummy, healthy food.
How awesome is that?” You might remind yourself of your goals: “Three weeks, three pounds down! Look at how great you are!” Your message could be something simple like, “Make healthy choices!” or “Don’t get fries when you go to lunch with the office” or “Eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies.”
About the Author
Harold Sanchez
Harold Sanchez specializes in engineering and technical solutions and has been creating helpful content for over 1 years. Harold is committed to helping readers learn new skills and improve their lives.
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