An app to track all the things we don't eat
February 22, 2016 7:46 PM Subscribe
My son is currently undergoing a fairly stringent diet plan through his very nice (and not quackery oriented) doctor. I'm looking for some way to track what he is eating that provides a breakdown of nutrition/vitamins/minerals etc.
I see a lot of apps that offer calorie counting or meal tracking geared towards adults, but nothing great for the under 18 set. My son is 4 and I would like to be able to track his eating and see if he is getting the right blend of nutrients since his diet is currently so restricted.
This would not actually have to be an app as long as it tracked his food accurately and appropriately for his age.
He is currently pretty repetitive about what he eats so it is ok if I have to enter in individual ingredients as long as I have the option to save specific meals.
Please assume that his doctor is making the right choices regarding food restrictions and that so far we haven't had access to a nutritionist through our insurance although we may pay for one out of pocket eventually.
I see a lot of apps that offer calorie counting or meal tracking geared towards adults, but nothing great for the under 18 set. My son is 4 and I would like to be able to track his eating and see if he is getting the right blend of nutrients since his diet is currently so restricted.
This would not actually have to be an app as long as it tracked his food accurately and appropriately for his age.
He is currently pretty repetitive about what he eats so it is ok if I have to enter in individual ingredients as long as I have the option to save specific meals.
Please assume that his doctor is making the right choices regarding food restrictions and that so far we haven't had access to a nutritionist through our insurance although we may pay for one out of pocket eventually.
Best answer: Can you explain what you mean by age appropriate?
posted by pintapicasso at 9:02 PM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by pintapicasso at 9:02 PM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
you might have to compare intake to age-appropriate RDA values separately.
Sorry - here they are - see the pdfs under DRI Tables. Online form here. (I've briefly tried but don't use Cron-O-Meter because of the data entry issue, so can't speak to the age thing. But if you need very precise nutrition tracking, I think it's the most complete, and I think you can still do your analysis. You could input using the app (or the desktop standalone), export the data, save it in Excel, insert a column with a little formula in each row to convert adult target values to the values you need, and make whatever tables or charts you'd like.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 10:05 PM on February 22, 2016
Sorry - here they are - see the pdfs under DRI Tables. Online form here. (I've briefly tried but don't use Cron-O-Meter because of the data entry issue, so can't speak to the age thing. But if you need very precise nutrition tracking, I think it's the most complete, and I think you can still do your analysis. You could input using the app (or the desktop standalone), export the data, save it in Excel, insert a column with a little formula in each row to convert adult target values to the values you need, and make whatever tables or charts you'd like.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 10:05 PM on February 22, 2016
Response by poster: Pintapicasso, age appropriate just means the amount of vitamins, minerals and calories that make sense for a four year rather than an adult.
posted by aetg at 3:40 AM on February 23, 2016
posted by aetg at 3:40 AM on February 23, 2016
MyFitnessPal allows you to customize daily requirements (you might need the pro verion for this) as well as save custom meals.
posted by Brittanie at 3:49 AM on February 23, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Brittanie at 3:49 AM on February 23, 2016 [3 favorites]
I'll second Cronometer. You can adjust what your RDAs are on the website - and probably in the app as well.
posted by backwards guitar at 6:22 AM on February 23, 2016
posted by backwards guitar at 6:22 AM on February 23, 2016
Oh ok, thanks. On myfitnesspal you can get VERY specific wrt calorie, macronutrient and (I believe) micronutrient goals. So although it is by default an adult nutrition tracking program, if you research the nutritional requirements for your kid you can input them and the app will give percentages based on that.
posted by pintapicasso at 11:49 AM on February 23, 2016
posted by pintapicasso at 11:49 AM on February 23, 2016
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You have to enter non USDA-listed foods manually, though. Also not sure about age restrictions; you might have to compare intake to age-appropriate RDA values separately. But it tracks everything.
posted by cotton dress sock at 8:00 PM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]