MyFitnessPal

Valerie Paz

Professor Parks

Health 302/ Section 004

25 November 2019
 I would highly recommend MyFitnessPal application to other users. I think this

application is very user friendly and it is so awesome to see your daily intake. The application

has many great features that one doesn’t even know that they need until they start utilizing them

first hand. The application makes it really easy to track your calories, instead of most

applications where you have to type and search for the product yourself, MyFitnessPal allows

you to scan the barcode and it tracks the rest. I also enjoy the fact that when you scan the barcode

it not only calculates how many calories you have remaining, but it tells you the nutritional value

of what you are consuming. This application not only simplifies the hassle of calorie tracking,

but allows the user to see the importance of understanding the nutritional value of the produce

they are consuming. The application also keeps a food diary, making it easy for the user to go

back and see what they previously consumed and so forth. When you begin to use the application

and see how many calories and carbohydrates are in the items you are consuming you, without

knowing, begin to become self conscious about the items you are consuming but in a good way.

As a full time college student and employee I am constantly on the go and tend to gravitate

towards fast food because not only is it convenient but it’s easy. According to

alliedacadamies.org , “college students are at risk for making poor dietary choices that can cause

significant health problems.” When I began to utilize the application I noticed that the food that I

was consuming was not only high in sugars and fats but it had little to no nutritional value. When

I started to see this repeated pattern I knew that I had to quickly change my diet because if I

carried on this road I would have serious health issues later. Another great thing about this

application is it tracks your physical activity and re-calculates your allotted calories per day
based on your exercise. This feature is also very easy to use, all you have to do is choose what

type of exercise you did and put for how long and the application does the rest.

The application definitely did not take any time out of my day which was another reason

why I really enjoyed using it. The application was able to track what I needed in seconds. I

simply just had to open the application and scan the barcode on the foods I was consuming. This

application should be utilized by more people, it is a small step in the right direction to try and

help steer you into better healthy habits. I believe applications like this can help our country put

an end to this obesity crisis that has erupted and make more people aware of what it is that they

are consuming. Often times we are so caught up on the labels that are put on our foods we miss

reading the nutrition facts label. “The Nutrition Facts Label can help you make choices

for overall health. But some nutrients can also affect certain health conditions and

diseases” (fda.gov) For example, I believe that if a label has sugar as the first three ingredients

listed, it’s a high chance that it holds little to no nutritional value. Small things like this is what

will also help people make better choices.

I believe this application did help my health improve immensely. I never thought about

what I was eating, because I thought just as long as I get my three meals in a day it should not

matter. When I began utilizing this application it showed me that I was very much wrong and yes

even though I was eating my three meals a day it was doing more harm than good to my body. I

began to do more research and homework on what is best to fuel my body and what holds the

most nutritional value. For example, my breakfast cereal soon got replaced with eggs and

vegetables. This small change has helped me feel so much better in the mornings, since making

the change I don’t feel as sleepy or tired and I feel ready for the day. Another change that was
made was my snacks where soon replaced by edamame and fruit instead of my occasional chips,

which also made a huge difference. Small changes like this have helped me not only lose weight

but made me more aware of what I should and shouldn’t be putting in my body. For these

reasons I encourage everyone and anyone to try this application out, because it really does make

you think twice about what you are putting into your body, and besides the application is free.

I would definitely enjoy using MyFitnessPal long term. The application not only is super

easy to use but it is very educational in the aspect of letting you know what you are consuming.

The application will start changing the way you go grocery shopping and what you order at

dinner. I enjoyed learning more about my body and I especially enjoyed making the changes I

did to better myself. I hope that more and more people will start using this application whether

it’s to lose weight or just for fun. I think health applications will definitely be in demand in the

near feature, and I hope this will be one of many solutions to help end the obesity crisis that is

occurring in our country. “Currently, about one in three Americans of all ages— or more than

100 million people—have obesity” (tfah.org). This statistic is almost scary to hear, and according

to the website obesity is only continuing to increase.

 References:

Abraham, S., Noriega, B. R., & Shin, J. Y. (n.d.). College students eating habits and knowledge

of nutritional requirements. Retrieved November 25, 2019, from https://

www.alliedacademies.org/articles/college-students-eating-habits-and-knowledge-of-

nutritional-requirements-9188.html.

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. (n.d.). Guide for Older Adults on Using the

Nutrition Facts Label. Retrieved November 25, 2019, from https://www.fda.gov/food

nutrition-education-resources-materials/guide-older-adults-using-nutrition-facts-label

The State of Obesity: Better Health Policies for a Healthier America 2019. (2019, September).

Retrieved November 25, 2019, from https://www.tfah.org/wp-content/uploads/

2019/09/2019ObesityReportFINAL-1.pdf