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New Year’s Resolutions–Is There an App Out There For You?

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It’s that time of year again–when people start out with a new set of New Year’s resolutions and then try to actually find a way to implement them. Without a plan and some good tools, that won’t be an easy task. In fact, they may unintentionally be setting themselves up for potential failure.

You can check out a visual way to see what some of these resolutions might typically look like (A Guide to New Year’s Resolutions), by user Lee under Lifestyle at the Infographics & Data Visualization firm’s site known as visual.ly  We can’t store any image from that site on this blog long term, so please check the infographic out yourself!

Another site noted we could embed the graphics on our site, so here’s a little New Year’s sobering up about the fact that as the holidays wind down, most Americans and others around the globe might need to think about what to do next to get “back on track” in the months ahead.

The Tale of the New Year's Fail [Infographic]

 

infographic courtesy of nexercise.com.   *This infographic is being shared only for infotainment purposes since the site does have an app.* All rights belong to nexercise.

Among the many tools out there today that could possibly help anyone move closer to their food and nutrition and/or even some fitness goals are various apps.

So many apps have come out that it is literally mind boggling trying to keep up with the latest releases and read reviews that evaluate their respective quality as compared to a reasonable standard that works with a range of food and nutrition, and/or fitness goals.

Some of the ones that received good reviews in 2011 from a range of consumers and professionals include the following. This list is a smattering of what is available and is not meant to be a comprehensive list by any means whatsoever. Any errors, inaccuracies, or omissions are purely unintentional and we will gladly correct them if they are brought to our attention. Information listed was obtained as of the date the blog post was compiled and information on apps is always subject to change including current price point(s) and version release(s).

Note: please remember that this blog site only provides infotainment and we do not endorse any specific app mentioned here per se, so we leave it up to you, the reader, to decide what makes sense for you in light of your own personal food and nutrition goals, as well as perhaps, fitness goals.  If you have other health & medical considerations, those should also be taken into account.  Please get medical advice from your medical provider.

Caveat: just because another RD gave an app a specific score does not mean all other RDs would give that same app that same score.  Different strokes for different folks!  Consider what works for YOU in your life and make that your bottom line for any personal decision.  Remember that we always respect your right of choice!

RATED APPS

(Ratings compiled by Sarah Krieger, MPH, RD, LDN

 on Behalf of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars:

Rated 4 out of 5 stars:

  • Calorie Counter: Diets & Activities free version 1.1  for iPad, iPhone or iPod from Arawella Corporation http://mobile.viaden.com/calorie-counter-free.html
  • Calorie Counter and Diet Tracker free by CalorieCount.com aka About, Inc. version 2.5.2 for the iPhone http://caloriecount.about.com/
  • Calorie Tracker by Livestrong.com (Partner of the Lance Armstrong Foundation) under $3 USD  for  version 3.0.1 for the iPhone and iPad http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/iphone-calorie-tracker/
  • Sparkpeople Food and Fitness Tracker  free by Sparkpeople (aka Chris “SparkGuy” Downie). Chris and his wife were as they put it “very early eBay employees” and are now using their earnings from its success to make the world a healthier place.  “This is our way to give back and help the world.” http://www.sparkpeople.com/

Rated 3 out of 5 stars:

Rated 2 out of 5 stars:

UNRATED APPS

The apps mentioned below, to the best of our knowledge, have not been given any type of star rating by any RD on behalf of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and they are simply apps we are aware of that might be of some interest to you to quickly check out for yourself:

    • Calorie King free version 1.2.1 by Calorie King http://www.calorieking.com/
    • Fit Day Mobile (diet and weight loss journal) free by vBulletin Solutions, Inc. of Internet Brands, Inc. http://www.fitday.com
    • Go Meals free from http://www.gomeals.com/ http://www.gomeals.com/download.aspx
    • GoMeals version 1.5 for the iPhone,  iPad touch, and iPad  free by Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC.
    • GoMealsHD version 1.3 for the iPad  free by Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC.
    • GoMeals version 1.3 for Android free by Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC.
    • iSteps Pedometer will track your steps if you use an iPhone developed KBMSoft Aps http://www.kbmsoft.com/iSteps/isteps.htm  for under $2 USD
    • Meal Snap ™ – Calorie Counting Magic by Daily Burn version 1.0.5  http://tracker.dailyburn.com/apps   under $1 USD
    • My DS  aka MyDS (My Dietary Supplements) free version 1.1 for both iPhone and iPad available from NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. One feature consumers like is that they can track what supplements they are taking. Some consumers use their phone’s camera to capture any nutrition labels.  Note that “Fact Sheets” are also available.
    • My Food-a-Pedia free available from the USDA (Note that USDA maintains a larger searchable database of foods at its Agricultural Research Service’s Nutrient Data Laboratory site called the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
    • Shroomies Nutrition Menu version 1.26.0 available from http://www.shroomies.com/nutrition_menu/  Under $1 USD
    • Tap & Track Calories version 7.2.1 by Nanobit Software  http://nanobitsoftware.com/?page_id=74   Under $4 USD
    • The Carrot free version 2.6.21 available as a health tracker from http://www.thecarrot.com

You may be familiar with another app that is not on this list, but which you happen to like and use.

Although no advertising of an app for commercial purposes would be appropriate here, do feel free to comment concerning an app you have found helpful in your efforts toward reaching your own personal food and nutrition goals, and/or even your fitness goals, as others might be interested in checking it out as well.

Here’s to a Happy and Healthy New Year 2012 for you and yours!

About Stephanie

Stephanie grew up in an Italian family and Italians are passionate about life! Every aspect of life is important to them: living, loving, family, food, and all things cultural. Stephanie is an American Heart Association award-winning professional and also is a Registered Dietitian (RD)/Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and is a State credentialed certified / Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist.

View all posts by Stephanie

Posted in Apps, Fitness, Nutrition, Wellness