Lecture 17

Question 1

what are diet apps

Answer 1

smartphone or online applications that allow users to enter their food intake and match foods to large nutrient databases

Question 2

my fitness pal has data for how many nutrients

Answer 2

15 nutrients

Question 3

how many foods in the nutrient database of my fitness pal

Answer 3

> 19 million foods

Question 4

what are the issues with some foods in my fitness pal

Answer 4

they are not complete, some foods are missing micronutrients so will underestimate your intake for these

Question 5

how many users are there of cronometer

Answer 5

> 10 million

Question 6

what is different about every food in cronometer compared to my fitness pal

Answer 6

every user entered food is reviewed

Question 7

easy diet diary uses what food data

Answer 7

Australian food data

Question 8

what are the advantages to diet apps

Answer 8

• food is entered at the time it is consumed
• you need little training
• accessible with the right resources
• save time and money as food is not manually coded
• allow individuals to self monitor their diet
• discrete
• more socially acceptable

Question 9

what are the disadvantages to diet apps (10)

Answer 9

• large variations in relative validity
• users enter foods
• limited food descriptions
• not all foods in nutrient database
• nutrient data missing
• nutrient database not from NZ
• limited capacity to add recipes - no nutrient retention factors
• users may have limited knowledge of food composition and data entry
• information may be difficult to interpret
• assumes you follow regular dietary patterns

Question 10

what must be on the NIP panel in NZ

Answer 10

energy
carbohydrates
sugar
fat
saturated fat
protein
sodium

Question 11

in the USA, what is also on the NIP

Answer 11

%DV

Question 12

what are the issues with databases not being from NZ

Answer 12

every country has differences in :

animal husbandry
climate
fortification programmes
soils
tastes and preferences
dominant cultivars
common terms (mince vs ground)

Question 13

what is the issue with goal intakes on diet apps

Answer 13

everyones energy requirements are different = EER set at average requirement

the chance of your ‘goal’ energy intake being right for you is low

Question 14

what are other disadvantages to diet apps

Answer 14

• units or portion size are often not familiar
• changes are difficult to make
• makes assumptions about how recipes are prepared
• not everyone has access to a computer or smart phone

Question 15

self monitoring dietary intake is strongly correlated with

Answer 15

weight loss

can facilitate behaviour change

Question 16

what are other concerns with diet apps

Answer 16

used to perpetuate eating disorders

“monitoring consumption might enhance rigidity and anxiety regarding caloric intake”

Question 17

what are questions to ask in regard to who is using the diet app

Answer 17

• age
• level of food knowledge
• digital literacy

Question 18

what are questions to ask in regard to what they are using the diet app for

Answer 18

• level of accuracy required
• what nutrients are important