The importance of healthy food cannot be stressed enough. We’ve all heard the quote by one of the central figures in the history of medicine, Hippocrates, that goes: ‘Let food be thy medicine’. Already back then he knew that proper food, diversity and moderation were keys to maintaining good health and vitality. Simply through eating. More than 2000 years later we’re still faced with these questions and are trying to solve them on a daily basis.
And technology has certainly gotten us far. So far, that nowadays we can use our own smartphones to check whether there are specialized restaurants in the area that serve the type of food that we might need (if we’re suffering from some particular disease or intolerance), what kind of foods we should evade if we or our children have allergies. Apps that help us deal with the challenges which diabetes presents and even apps that consult us what to do if we’re suffering from cardiovascular complications. Here are a number of these, in each of the above category, that you can use to prevent or cope with already existing complaints.
Find Me Gluten-Free
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Find Me Gluten-Free connects customers with gluten-free restaurants and other eating places. According to statistics, 1 in 133 people suffers from Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine caused by a reaction to gliadin. The app is meant to both raise awareness and help educate people, as well as make it easier for people to eat out, without having to worry about what they will be eating. (iPhone and Android compatible)
Is That Gluten Free?
Is That Gluten Free is another useful tool for managing one’s gluten-intolerance. Apart from also providing information about food chains, it features a large database of gluten-free menu items and ingredients which are safe to be consumed. These are sorted by category, brand or product name. It also provides users with advice on how to make their menu gluten-free. (iPhone compatible)
Cook IT Allergy Free
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Cook IT Allergy Free is quite useful for anyone who suffers from some form of allergy. It contains all major food allergen categories, such as gluten, dairy, nuts and eggs. If any of the recipes you want to cook feature a product which you are allergic to, the app can offer suggestions for an allergen safe substitution option. It also includes over 200 recipes, all of which have beautiful images attached to them. (iPhone compatible)
Foodditive
Foodditive offers a comprehensive look at E-numbered food additives that are present in more or less all of the foods we buy at the supermarket. It is directed at people who are sensitive or allergic to one substance or another but may lack information about which foods feature such an additive. It permits for additives to be marked in different ways, so as to distinguish whether they are ok to be consumed or are to be avoided. (iPhone compatible)
dLife Diabetes Companion
dLife Diabetes Companion is one of the best apps around, designed to help people understand and learn to live with diabetes. It features a huge database of information, answers to questions by experts, recipe and food lists. Users are also able to keep track of their blood sugar levels as well as watch educational videos from by dLifeTV. (iPhone compatible)
Glucose Buddy
Glucose Buddy is another great tool which diabetics can use when monitoring how their blood sugar levels are doing and how they are generally coping with the illness. The app is meant mostly as a data storage utility where one can log one’s glucose numbers, food intake, insulin dosage, etc. The app can display data in graphs and also has an a1c (hemoglobin) calculator. (iPhone compatible)
Lose It!
Though Lose It! is not specifically designed as an app to prevent cardiovascular disease it actually does just that. The app helps users keep track of calories (a calory budget) and exercise in order for them to achieve weight-loss in an easy and balanced way. Obesity being one of the main reasons for cardiovascular complications, the app is very suitable for people who wish to avoid heart disease by simply losing the surplus pounds. (iPhone compatible)
iEat For Life: Heart Disease
iEat For Life, devised by Nutritionist Approved Inc, provides a long list of foods which are advisable in the prevention or treatment of heart disease. It features detailed information about each food and in what way it is beneficial for cardiovascular conditions. It also contains information on how to prepare foods, as well as which foods are to be avoided. Very good resource! (iPhone compatible)
Make sure to check out these apps if you’re suffering from or wanting to prevent any of the above diseases. These apps are sure to provide you with good advice and are generally meant to help you on your way to a healthy lifestyle without undue complexity.
Author: Bianca Banova, writing for AIMS Education and Culinary Depot
