BeFinallyFit

Is Your Apple iPhone Going to Help you Lose Weight?

Sure, there are plenty of apps for both iPhone and Android phones that can help you track calorie intake. Personally, I have used MyFitnessPal several times in the past to track my food and see how many calories I was consuming. Apart from the awareness of the calories, it also helped me know if my diet was balanced enough (nutrients).

Hurdles with Calorie Counting Apps

Remembering to enter data every time you eat something.
The challenge of finding the right food entry that accurately represents your food.
Guesstimating the amount of each type of food or ingredient.

Over time, the variation of food available in such tracking apps has improved dramatically. So picking the food is much simpler with local products being available in the apps directly. The ability to scan a QR code for a recipe is also a great feature that is supported more and more.

Number 3 is a common problem. Being aware of the amount of food you consume is difficult. It is easy to underestimate (or overestimate) the portion size.

But could it even be simpler? In the recent past, researchers came up with FitByte. That is a solution that makes use of a wearable solution (eyeglasses) to detect and monitor food intake. Audio and movement are used to detect food intake, while a camera is used to register the actual food. Initially, the user would still identify the food and drinks consumed, but with image analyses, even that could be automated.

Apple’s Patent Idea

This idea is now what Apple has been granted a new patent on. The iPhone has a microphone, gyroscopes, and a camera, so why not consider the idea of measuring food intake with a device again? The solution described in the patent could be using iPhone electronics, but also a headset could be used. The glasses would be an augmented reality headset (let’s call it Apple Glasses), containing the same sensors to capture audio, movement, and video.

The food intake solution will be triggered using the sensors to detect food intake (chewing, swallowing, moving something toward your mouth). The camera will take one or more pictures of the food and using AI, it will be analyzed to automatically determine portion size, food type, ingredients, and as a result, calories and nutrients. There you have it an automated calorie counter!

So, what’s the catch?

Well, it is a patent, so just an idea for now. Although, some R&D must have happened already! But we do not know if the solution will ever be completely developed and released. There are quite a few challenges in making this process of detecting food intake and analyzing the calories in the food reliable.

Another biggie is the privacy issue. Apple would probably want to couple this with Apple Health to register data. What users are willing to share is an important requirement to make this AR calorie counter work. To detect food intake, the microphone would need to be listening all the time. Maybe some users already have this to use Siri, but not everybody is willing to trust Apple with that.

The potential benefits can be huge though. Obesity is becoming a bigger problem worldwide, so any help tech can offer to fight this problem could be valuable. And for people wanting to lose weight sacrificing some privacy (maybe just for a limited period) could be worth considering.

Let’s see what the future brings!

Healthy Fruits

When you focus on weight loss, it is important to make sure that you keep eating healthy. Although this may sound like an obvious thing, it is easy to focus on eating fewer calories without realizing that the nutritional values are insufficient.

Besides getting sufficient nutrients, keep an eye on your body’s antioxidant input. Eating fruits that have anti-inflammatory compounds can help protect your body against sickness. Studies have shown that eating anti-inflammatory food can reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s.

And the great thing about eating fruit is that it is easy because so many are very tasty! My personal favorite? Berries! Berries are not only rich in vitamin C and fibers, but they also contain plant pigment phytochemicals. Those are known for their antioxidant functions and preventive medicinal benefits.

Of course, it is best to eat with the season, so get your berries fresh from the market or supermarket. Organic is best as nothing makes berries taste better when they have had actual sunlight! Seasonal fruits are generally also cheaper than out-of-season fruit. If you can even consider growing your fruit at home.

What Fruit to Eat

I grow strawberries and raspberries, both are easy to grow with a little sunshine during the summer and they don’t take up much space. But the berries I eat most are blueberries. They are one of the best sources of antioxidants, which help the body protect against damage from free radicals (a waste produced by body cells). Blueberries are delicious and easy to eat as a snack at breakfast or in yogurt.

Apart from berries, there are other fruits that are good choices. One of the best and most available everywhere is apples (and pears). The fibers are great for gut health.

Grapes are a good choice as well. The resveratrol present in grapes is seen as responsible for grapes’ cardioprotection. And considering the risks associated with alcohol, grapes are a better choice than red wine…

Purely for maximum vitamin C intake, citrus fruits are a good choice. Oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and lime can also be ingredients in many dishes, as they are not everyone’s favorite to eat as-is. With oranges, make sure to brush your teeth properly afterwards, their acidity can harm your teeth!

Whatever your favorite fruit, make sure to include it in your regular eating routine. As with weight loss in general, it is important to develop healthy habits.

What Fruit Not to Eat

It is easy to think that all fruits and vegetables are healthy, but unfortunately, that is not the case. Some fruits are healthier than others, even all fruits have some good aspects.

The first thing to consider is the amount of sugar in many fruits. Fruits like cherries and mangos for example are high in relative sugar content.

A second consideration is the number of carbs. Bananas are a favorite for many athletes since they provide quick fuel. But if you want to focus on your weight, be considerate of how you eat them. A healthy option: the banana avocado smoothy!

Calory-rich fruits are the last category I mention here. Coconut and cranberries are an example of fruits that have such high calories, it is better to choose an alternative.

Switching to a Natural Sweetener – Manuka Honey

Being fit includes being healthy. So, as part of efforts to get exercise and eat healthily, it is also a good idea to avoid unhealthy food. Sugar is one of those unhealthy foods. It is linked to things like obesitas and diabetes, to name a few. But in some cases, a little sweetness is required, and it is better to use a natural sweetener rather than artificial sweeteners.

There are multiple alternatives to refined sugar. Think of stevia, dates, natural sugar alcohols, allulose (natural sugar in fruits), but also: honey.

Honey has been studied a lot over the years, and clinical research has shown a lot of useful health benefits, including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties.

There are hundreds of different types of honey. Although all honey is made by bees and originates from flowers, the type of bee, type of flower, and the location of the plant can make a lot of difference.

Recently I learned more about a specific type of honey, which I would like to share here.

Manuka Honey

Manuka honey is a type of honey that originates in Australia and New Zealand. It is made by bees that visit the tea tree bush.

Although honey is often used for wound (and burn) treatment, the antibacterial quality helps the body protects against bacteria. So consumption is a good idea as well.

The thing about Manuka honey is that it has an extra antibacterial component called methylglyoxal (MGO). The stronger the concentration of MGO, the stronger the antibacterial effect.

The rating of the MGO component in Manuka honey is expressed in Unique Manuka Factor (UMF). You guessed it, get a version with a high UMF for maximum benefits!

One of the reasons I like it is that, unlike regular antibiotics, Manuka honey, as a natural product, does not seem to lead to resistant bacteria. For me, the trigger to try the honey was to fight some persistent inflammation in a joint of a family member. Together with eating other highly anti-inflammatory foods, a teaspoon of this honey with breakfast, and the inflammation seems to have subsided greatly.

As with any health and food aspects, please consider your personal situation. The amount to be consumed can vary depending on your height and weight, as well as your personal situation. Too much honey is still a lot of calories… And rather than eating a teaspoon full, consider drizzling the honey over a salad or include it in your favorite yogurt recipe!

Even though it originates in Australia and New Zealand, luckily you can order it online in most places. The disadvantage of the special qualities and limited origins is that Manuka honey is a bit more costly than regular honey.

If you are looking for more replacements in your diet, check out the article on food swaps.

Better than Fake Sugars?

Your first reaction to using honey instead of sugar might be “it is still sugar and calories”. And that is true, of course. So why not use artifical sugars, or fake sugars instead?

There are plenty of options, equal, splenda, sweet ‘n low, and truvia, for example. These are all created in a lab from chemicals. And since they have no calories and sugar, they have been the go to solution for people that need to watch their weight or blood sugar levels.

Although fake sugars can be a good alternative, there is also controversy over their use. The studies on these fake sugars have been on aniumals, but they show that eating fake sugars can actually lead to overeating and weigth gain.

The body associates sweetness with a certain amount of calories. If no calories are present when consuming sweet flavors, there is confusion. This can then lead to overeating to compensate for the missing calories. Especially when these fake sugars are included in processed food, you want to be aware, since they can trick you to eat more of it.