Are calorie counting apps effective?
Ahoy there, fellow food tracking person. If you’re reading this, you’ve likely used a calorie counting app, or are thinking about it.
You’re probably thinking about using one to lose weight, to lose excess fat, to gently lose winter weight while getting lean, to prevent weight gain, to just to be more healthy!
How the apps work (in general)
To calculate the overall number of calories ingested for the day, calorie counting apps work by letting you log foods and the amount of them you ate.
A basic app might give you the running total of calories and macros for the day. However, this data is abstract unless you marry it with weight change and body fat percentage.
I have used Carbon before, which does exactly this - it syncs with your smart scales and sets you a calorie and macro goal based on your desired weight and preferred diet.
While this app is great, it still means some repetitive food data entry and gets a lot harder if you’re eating out and not cooking at home.
What makes calorie counting apps frustrating?
While calorie counting applications might be useful, there are a few issues that some people may find bothersome.
Logging foods
Data entry can be tiresome when logging every meal, snack, and beverage. You’ll need to weigh each ingredient and look it up in the app. Some apps have a barcode scanner which helps for some meals.
Skipping logs
I’ve been here. Maybe if I didn’t eat the cookie it didn’t happen? Or, what’s the difference between a splash or a pour of oil. Or a knob or a chunk of butter. Actually, if you’re trying to limit fat intake, quite a lot.
Feeding an obsession
Calorie counting can develop into an obsession for some people, which can result in disordered eating patterns. It's crucial to utilise calorie counting apps as a tool for awareness and education as opposed to an addiction. Nuff said.
Poor food databases
Some calorie counting apps have a small food database, making it challenging to find precise statistics for uncommon or exotic dishes. I can tell you, flipping the food pack and manually entering macros is sub-optimal. (Especially if you’re hangry.)
Not sustainable
I’ve been here too. The act of calculating calories can be taxing after a while. It’s generally OK if 80% of your meals are prepared by you, but attending a dinner party or having a meal out might just be enough to break your rhythm. Afterall, if you start poor logging, the whole system breaks down and you might as well just give up.
Try counting plant based foods, not calories
At Earthy30, we believe that most of your issues will be solved by simply adding veg! (And other plant-based foods.)
Rather than counting calories, simply try to eat 30 different plant based foods a week. We love it because it's additive, not subtractive. The approach doesn’t punish you for cheating, rather it rewards you for sniffing out healthy additions.
Why 30 plant-based foods?
30 is the number offered by Professor Tim Spector and Dr Megan Rossi (read here) in order to maximise nutrient diversity, get sufficient fibre and feed your gut microbiome.
The benefits of eating 30 plant based foods a week
30-a-week helps you eat more fibre, the food your gut microbes like the most.
30-a-week helps you eat the rainbow! More colourful fruits and vegetables means more nutrient diversity and polyphenol-rich foods.
30-a-week helps you eat less ‘bad’ foods. Just today (a Wednesday), I went shopping for lunch and realised I had only consumed 10 plant-based foods for the week. So rather than a sandwich, I bought a salad. Sounds simple, but if I wasn’t aiming for 30, I would have flunked out today.
Take the Earthy30 challenge
Earthy30 is both an app and challenge. To learn more, watch the video below or register for the app.
How can eating 30 plant based foods a week help your diet and make you feel great? Watch the video to find out.
