Eating healthy has become a much more salient issue in our times, and many experts have made it their job to talk about what foods we should eat and why. Some experts have taken their work to the electronic arena, with apps that provide nutritional information on different brands of different foods. One such app is the free Fooducate, which grades individual foods based on an algorithm. Does Fooducate work?
Overview
Fooducate is an Android and iPhone app that encourages people to eat healthy by providing information on individual products. You can scan a products barcode, and the app provides highlights about the product that will help you make a choice on whether you should buy the product, or look for an alternative.
Fooducate does not endorse dieting or starvation. It provides information on good foods that will help your body get the nutrition that it needs.
How It Works
Fooducate keeps a database of foods, along with information on the foods nutritional value, any preservatives or artificial additives that the food contains, and other information that might be useful to dieters or healthy eaters. This might include the presence of trans-fats, hidden sugars, calories per serving, and even Weight Watchers points. You will simply need to scan a products barcode.
Fooducate compares the barcode information against its database. It will then provide you with information on the food that you scanned, along with alternatives that you can purchase. Fooducate also grades products according to an algorithm that considers the products nutritional value, ingredients, processing, and if it was fortified with nutrients. The app requires a camera phone and works only with products in the United States.
Company
Fooducate was created by both concerned parents and licensed dietitians. It was created by Fooducate LTD, and is staffed by 5 people.
Blog
The apps official website is where there is information about updates and how products are graded. The app also has its own blog which has information on nutrients, a better diet, and which foods to eat to satisfy cravings without overloading on sugar.
Price
Fooducate is available on both Google Play Store as well as the Apple store. It is free. However, Fooducate also has new apps only on the Apple Store: one app shows which products might have gluten or allergens, and the app retails for $4.99; another app for diabetics costs $3.99; and an ad-free Fooducate is also available for $3.99.
Reviews
Reviews of Fooducate have largely been positive, and the app has been featured on Oprah as well as in the New York Times. Reviewers praise how it helps people do away with deciphering product labels, which can often be complicated especially for people who do not know about artificial colors and flavors. Some even claim that the app helped them lose weight because they started eating healthier foods. However, some reviewers have remarked on how the layout and font sizes are sometimes inconsistent across phones and operating systems. Some also report that they sometimes cannot scan certain products even with the large database of Fooducate. Continued below….
Social
Fooducate has its own Twitter account where it has over 18,000 followers. It also has its own Facebook account at which has over 49,000 likes.
