CalorieCount just launched a free iPhone app. It that allows users to track weight, nutritional data, exercises and healthy recipes all while on-the-go. It serves as an all-in-one diet coach, nutritionist and workout trainer! It can help you make better diet decisions by searching foods while you're out and about. Some great features include:
- The ability to quickly search and easily log more than 100,000 food items.
- Tools to view current and past food, activity and weight logs including a graph of your weight history.
- More than 150 low-calorie recipes selected by Calorie Count's registered dietitian, Mary Hartley
- Automatic updates of information logged on Calorie Count member accounts through a computer or the iPhone App.
- An offline mode that allows members to view recent logs, view and re-log favorites, and input their weight without an Internet connection.
I was able to do an e-interview with Calorie Count's nutritionist, Mary Hartley, RD, MPH! The interview is below.
What tips do you have for time-crunched parents who want to make healthy snacks besides "just" grabbing fruit?
Little kids need five to six small meals per day just because they can’t eat much at one sitting. But I don’t believe in designating special foods as “snack foods”. If a kid is really hungry, then cereal and milk or peanut butter on a graham cracker or baby carrots dipped in hummus will taste mighty good. I say, “Heat up some of last night’s pasta while it’s still fresh,” and if that doesn’t appeal, then you mustn’t be too hungry and so get out of the kitchen. If all of the food in the house is “healthy”, then you can’t go wrong. If you’re on-the-go, then throw the food in a baggie and leave.
What are your "go-to" snacks when you need something between main meals?
Me, personally?
When I am hungry in-between meals, I eat fruit in season (I’m very particular about that. I find apples and oranges from the supermarket to be mealy and tasteless), dried fruit (especially French apricots and prunes), almonds dipped in honey and coated with sesame seeds (they come that way), Dannon fat-free (not sugar-free) yogurt, peanut butter on a cracker and, of course, leftovers reheated in the microwave or served cold. I try not to eat in-between meals because it will “spoil my supper.”
How can parents get kids involved in the kitchen?
Get them involved in the entire process: planning what to cook, shopping, cooking, serving, and clean-up. Subscribe to healthy cooking magazines like, Cooking Light, Eating Well, etc., and tell everyone (father included) to pick out one dish that they will make with you. (Mom gets to censor suitability.) Choose one kid to cook with you once a week or more frequently. Together, buy the food, cook, serve and clean. The family eats the recipe and decides whether to make it again. If it’s a GO, add the recipe to the “family cookbook” and cook it again within 3 weeks (especially if the ingredients go on sale - smart shopper.) When the family doesn’t care for the recipe but the “child cook” likes it, then he/she should add the recipe to his own cookbook. Also look into enrolling kids in children’s cooking classes and consider buying children’s cookbooks or borrowing them from the library.
Can you share some tips for making healthy choices when going out to eat?
First, consult the Calorie Count iPhone App or Calorie Count mobile to see if a Nutrition Facts label is listed for the menu items in your restaurant of choice. If so, find the foods that have the least amounts of saturated fat, sodium and sugar, and the most fiber, protein and vitamins and minerals. Plan your order before you arrive. Don’t bother with fast food or restaurants that serve mostly breaded and fried foods. As a rule, ethnic restaurants are the best. I’m thinking Thai or Japanese or any country that includes vegetables in its main dishes. Order only dishes that feature vegetables and lean meat or fish, and skip items described as deep-fried or prepared with butter, cream, cheese, or gravy. Use calorie-laden extras such as full-fat salad dressing, butter, sour cream, and mayonnaise sparingly if at all, and do not waste calories on beverages, alcohol, or dessert. Reduce portions by ordering two appetizers or an appetizer and a salad as your meal, or share one entrée with two people or leave half on your plate or take it home. Get the menu ahead of time or online to plan your order before you arrive.
What else can parents do to help their families stay healthy?
It’s all about being a good role model. Parents should buy, cook and eat fresh, wholesome, well-prepared food and avoid routinely snacking as a source of entertainment. They shouldn’t waste money on processed food (e.g. salty frozen and boxed items, snack foods, packaged sweets, soda and fruit drinks, etc.). They should prepare fruit-based baked goods and desserts (e.g. muffins, cobblers, parfaits, etc.) because that demonstrates good meal management skills. Parents should reserve “special foods” (highly tasty food with little nutritional value) to celebrate holidays – personal, civic and religious. The family should focus on active recreation such as bike rides, badminton in the yard, roller-skating and ice-skating, etc. And – this is very important – the parents should follow the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations to discourage all television viewing for children younger than 2 years, limit children's total media time (with entertainment media) to no more than 1 to 2 hours of quality programming per day, and remove television sets from children's bedrooms. Research shows that TV viewing has primary negative health effects on nutrition, dieting and obesity, and body concept and self-image, as well as academic performance, substance use, sexuality and violence and aggressive behavior.
What nutrients do you think most people need to do better at eating, and how can they increase their intake of those nutrients?
Ongoing government sponsored national nutrition surveys show that children’s diets are most likely to be low in calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin B6, folic acid, and vitamin A. That means they need more milk and yogurt, whole grain cereal products, eggs, lean meat, legumes, and all of the fruits and vegetables. Although severe nutrient deficiencies are rare in the US, it doesn’t mean that people consume optimal diets. French fries are the most common type of vegetable children eat and they account for about one-quarter of children's vegetable intake! Juice makes up about 40% of kids' fruit intake. Both French fries and juice are concentrated in calories and not great sources of fiber. Parents have to do better than that. If you’re in doubt about the nutrient breakdown of your favorite foods, go to Calorie Count, your one-stop shop for nutrition information.
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