Do you really need a nutrition tracker?
Nutrition trackers are exploding in popularity across the UK, but it’s good to know when the right time is to use one and why, writes Jennifer Wallis
What do I want to know?
Nutrition trackers are gaining traction as a tool to help consumers better understand how food impacts their health.
But are nutrition trackers a smart choice? What even is a nutrition tracker anyway, and how can it help us better understand our health?
Registered Nutritional Therapist, Katie Shore, explains that the first thing someone should ask themselves if they’re thinking of getting a tracker is ‘what do I want to know?’
“Understanding what information you’re hoping to get out of the tracker can determine how useful it will actually be for you,” she explains.
For someone managing type-2 diabetes, for example, using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) “can be really useful… to help you understand how your body responds to food, which in turn can help you to better manage your blood sugars, leading to longer term health benefits,” adds Shore.
Those who would like to manage their weight, the benefit of a tracker could be as simple as “seeing your food choices in black and white,” providing us with the motivation we need to make healthier choices.
It’s complicated
There’s no denying the popularity of the nutrition tracker is soaring in the UK. Some, however, can leave users feeling flabbergasted. “Nutrition trackers may actually become more of a burden due to the demand of inputting data,” explains Myles Hopper, co-founder of Vitality partner, Mindful Chef.
“Or, in some instances, they can even be demotivating as people aren’t able to effectively track or achieve their nutritional targets.”
This is a sentiment that Shore echoes: “I sometimes see clients feel a little overwhelmed by the volume of information that these trackers provide, leading to further confusion.”
“I see clients becoming frightened to eat, or obsessively checking their numbers, which can lead to disordered eating habits, such as cutting out foods that are healthy (like avocados) because they would put them ‘over’ on their calorie or nutritional tracker for the day,” agrees Shore.
As well as this, Hopper laments that such intense tracking “can remove the joy out of eating and cooking – focusing instead on the data rather than what you’re eating”.
Back to basics
So, is there a better way to watch what we eat? Shore advises that the best thing to do is to make sure we have the basics of healthy eating in place.
One way to ensure our meals are nutritionally balanced is to “eat the rainbow”. This means eating at least three portions of brightly coloured fruit and vegetables each day.
She says that we should be making sure that we are “having protein at every meal and not skipping on healthy fats”.
This is due to certain vitamins only being able to be absorbed by the body with the presence of fat, one of which is vitamin D.
“Our bodies are really clever,” Shore continues, “and unless there is a very specific need – you’re training for a marathon or dealing with a diagnosis of some kind – you should be able to get what you need from a varied diet built on these pillars”.
Portion control for you and your family
Healthy habits
As mentioned, nutrition trackers can be beneficial if you’re looking to manage a diagnosed condition or reduce your weight.
But for those of us who aren’t, it may be wiser to make sure we’re eating a balanced diet. “It sounds boring, but the basics are what our bodies love and respond well to,” says Shore.
“Conditions such as type-2 diabetes don’t appear overnight and it’s easy for bad habits to creep in. There’s nothing wrong with a treat now and again but focusing on health-giving rather than health-depleting foods is your best bet.
“Try to find ways to make healthy eating enjoyable for you and if you can do that, the science says you’re more likely to stick to it longer term.”
5 tips for an enjoyable, balanced diet
1. Eat The Rainbow - eat at least three portions of fruit and veg each day
2. Include a variety of protein sources in your meals
3. Trial a ‘veg box’
4. Use the ‘hand portion’ method
5. Try a new fruit or vegetable each week
