Food App of the Week: Eat This?

Eat This? for healthy weight loss etc
Developer: PICKKA
Cost: $0.99
Runs on: Android, iPhone
Website: www.pickka.com

It should come as no surprise that Americans are having trouble with their weight. A main reason is that we make very poor choices in the food we consume. An app called, rather cumbersomely, Eat This? for healthy weight loss etc makes the process of choosing healthy options as easy as pointing your camera phone and “beep.”

When you open the app you’re presented with an “Objectives” list of your dietary needs, including diabetes, prediabetes, weight management, healthy eating, cholesterol and high blood pressure. You’re able to select all that apply. Once your selections are made, click the “Scan” button, point your camera phone at the UPC code on the food packaging and “beep”–you’re taken to a page showing a picture of the item scanned along with an animated face (hopefully smiling) with a rating scale telling you if the item is a good choice for your diet.

Clicking on the rating takes you to the product’s nutrition label and includes footnote(s) to help explain the rating. Below the health rating are taste ratings by consumers. Last on the page is a button to view healthy alternatives—clicking any of these items offers the same information as if you had scanned them.

If you find that the UPC code isn’t scanning, which happened during testing, you can instead manually enter the 12-digit code. For future convenience, you can save items into your own list. This list offers access to the same information that’s mentioned above and also includes checkboxes to use when you’re out shopping to keep track of what you need to grab.

The design and layout of this app is straightforward and very easy to use. What you see is what you get. Want to enter the UPC code? Click the “Enter UPC” button. Want to see your saved list? Click the “View list” button. This is an app that you’ll want to show your friends because it’s helpful and so easy to use—maybe you’ll want to first clear your saved list so they don’t see all the junk food.

As mentioned, the UPC scanner isn’t perfect, but does a pretty good job. Not everything on the grocer’s shelf is in the Eat This? database. However, there are over 130,000 grocery products. The alternatives also aren’t always a perfect match, but they are very serviceable and should satisfy your craving.

If you’re looking to monitor and improve your food consumption choices, this app should be in your pocket below your slimming waistline.

Toque Rating: 5/5