A food-diary iPhone app wants you to document your every bite
A new iPhone application wants to convert those watching their calories into one of those annoying people snapping pictures of her food at New York City restaurants. Only at every meal.
The new Thin-cam, developed by David Edelson, M.D., a weight-loss expert, says the app introduces the concept of food diaries, a common technique to build healthy eating habits, to the digital dieter.
Not only can you keep track of what you eat with Thin-cam, you can photograph and catalog every bite instantly. Photographs can then be sent to a nutritionist (credentials unknown at this time) for a virtual “Thin-alysis” for an additional $29.95.
Soon an additional feature will also allow you to instantly upload your food photos to Facebook and Twitter. Because all our friends and followers are nutritionists, too?
Who's snapping photos at your holiday dinner party?
While taking control of what you consume is a positive thing, logging what you eat does not necessarily lead to a healthy, balanced diet. We’re worried that this app is more useful for obsessive dieting than forming healthy eating habits.
It’s hard to know if this food-tracking app can help or hinder healthy eating, even this time of year. But Thin-Cam says, “It’s perfect for holiday parties, because it’s an inconspicuous way of calorie recording.”
We say holiday parties are better for, well, partying. I mean, how would you react to the electronic click of your guests stealthily logging your homemade pumpkin pie at the table? Let us know in the Comments section, below!
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Yikes! I’m with you, this definitely lends itself to serious dieting OCD.
As a clinical nutritionist, I can tell you that food diaries are the best way to make people accountable for what they eat. And for me to be able to see a photo instead of just a written entry will give me information about portion size and food quality I could never get before. Plus for kids, this could be a huge breakthrough. I’m recommending this to all my clients!
Believe me, I WISH I could just let holiday parties be for partying and forget about my diet. But I’ve been working hard to lose weight for months and don’t want to backslide with all of the holiday treats. It’s so easy for me to not even notice how many calories I’m eating if I’m not vigilant, so this app is perfect for me. And it seems like taking pictures of what you’re eating is a trend now regardless of whether you’re on a diet or not, so I don’t feel weird doing it in public.
Anything that makes me more mindful of what I’m eating is a great thing, especially at holiday parties where it’s so easy to lose track and overindulge. I’m not even dieting, but I don’t like that feeling of being too full of rich food. And reviewing what I’ve already eaten could really help me answer the question, “Do I really want another piece of pie?” As an added bonus, keeping track of drinks at parties is helpful to prevent hangovers. As for annoying my neighbors – why do you care if I’m taking a picture of my food? I already do this when a plate is beautifully presented. Consider it a compliment to the host.
I actually like posting food pics on Facebook and twitter. Not so much the late night Doritos binges, but definitely shots of great meals at cool restaurants and fabulous cocktails on fun nights out!