Like a lot of fellow Collegiettes, I’m pretty cautious when it comes to my eating habits. But, nowadays, with every other product at the grocery store labeled as “all natural” or “healthy choice,” it’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish healthy snack options from snacks that are merely advertised as healthy. Let’s be real, if something like a yogurt (a seemingly safe snack option, right?) is labeled as “all natural” and has a low calorie content, a lot of us will be quick to buy it, even if said yogurt might have a high sugar content and laundry list of not-so-natural added ingredients. So what do you do when you need to stock up on snacks and have no idea how to pick out healthy snacks? Download Fooducate.
What is Fooducate?
Last fall during my freshman year at BC, a friend from home, away at college herself at the time, brought the Fooducate app to my attention. With Fooducate, you can either scan a product, search for it by its barcode, or search for it by its name. A grade (A, A-, B+, B, etc.) is then generated for the food product and an explanation for the grade is explained (e.g. food is low in fiber). Bonus: In case the food product you entered might have received a low Fooducate grade, you can tap “alternatives” on the screen to pull up healthier options
Why You Need to Download Fooducate:
1. Some food products aren’t as good for you as you think.
Special K was invented for dieting, so it must be healthy… right?
2. Some food products aren’t as bad for you as you think.
3. It can be hard to make a decision between similar products.
Is there any difference between buying a Chobani and a Yoplait Greek Yogurt?
4. Nutrition labels aren’t always completely honest.
Okay, so it’s pretty obvious that Chewy bars aren’t the healthiest snack option around, but with only 100 calories per serving, they aren’t that bad for you… right? The label says it doesn’t contain trans-fats… except the label is lying!
Photo sources:
http://inspiredhealthylivingno…