5 AI apps killing it in healthy eating right now
In this article we cover the 5 key areas we see of AI aps that are making healthy eating easy.
Qina tracks the entire Personalised nutrition industry from prevention to medical nutrition. This means that we keep our finger on the pulse of the hot areas we see growing rapidly. There is certainly no shortage of Personalised nutrition companies companies coming up with new innovative ideas on how to help us eat and live better and healthier.
Healthy food shopping apps, these apps work by creating a personal profile for yourself and any members you live with, it can help you to choose foods that match your dietary preferences and goals through barcode scanning, and even guide you along the healthy food aisles through augmented reality, recommend healthy foods according to your budget, make healthy food swops and suggest recipes. Examples include Smartwithfood and Zoe
Nudging apps for a healthy lifestyle- Changing behaviours is tough and can take a long time. However, recent apps take this into consideration by incorporating a variety of behaviour change techniques that can help you to stick to your health goals by sending personalized reminders, reports and advice at the right time eg Greenhabit
Meal planning apps Covid-19 has meant our shopping trips are now carefully planned. This is a great opportunity to consider healthy and thoughtful meals that can be nourishing your body and boost your immune system. Meal planning apps are great for inspiration and create recommended meals from ingredients you already have in your fridge and cupboard. A great example is EatLove, and app and platform that can take care of your family meals from healthy eating to medical nutrition.You can even drop all the items from your recipe into a shopping cart and have them delivered staright to your door.
Go plant-based – It is now a well-known fact that we don't eat enough plant-based foods that can help to reduce the risk of developing chronic conditions down the road. A simple switch such as including more plant-based foods or meat-free days during your week (note that I did not say switch completely) can do wonders for your health in the long-term. Apps such as Plantevo and Verdify are great apps to help you make those veggie switches.
Meal tracking apps - Tracking meals can be a tedious task, but they can also be educational and motivational. It is easy to underestimate the amount of saturated fat, salt or sugar you consume each day. It is even easier to overestimate the amount of fiber, or water we consume. Therefore, to know and understand what "habitual" dietary intake can mean for you. Food tracking can now occur via image logging or even voice logging which just means it is becoming easier Apps such as Calorimama, Lifesum and Myfitnesspal can assist.
When thinking about how to develop technology to improve your eating habits, think simple and slow. However AI apps are not without challenges and limitations. These we discuss extensively in our white paper on the ethics of AI at the intersection of nutrition and behaviour change.
It is always best to help consumers make one change at a time. This could mean starting off with the one thing that is currently the biggest challenge for them whether that is planning a sumptuous meal, just shopping for healthier alternatives or increasing the amount of fiber in their diet.
For all the woes of technology, it can also be used to make you more efficient, aware and healthier.