Today, our options when it comes to food are more extensive than ever before. It wasn’t even 100 years ago that we were limited to eating local foods that were in season in our unique areas. Today though, food is shipped from all over the world, meaning there isn’t much that we can’t eat at any one time. While this can help us stay healthy, it can also have the opposite effect; more choices, in general, can mean more healthy options, but it can mean more unhealthy ones, too. This is especially true when considering that food is shipped far and wide, as this means that more preservatives are added to ensure that food stands the test of time.

In fact, a number of cultures and religions really champion the health benefits of fresh food, which is something so many of us are deprived of these days. For instance, Eid al-Adha in Islam is a time in which fresh meat is distributed among the poorest members of society. This is to ensure that they have access to a nutritious meal during the celebratory days.

Tradition and advancing technology go hand in hand, and advancing technology, specifically, has meant that there have been a number of digital innovations to help us track our food intake, as detailed below.

Food Chatbots

A large struggle in maintaining a healthy diet is simply not knowing what options are available to you. Yes, you want your food to be healthy, but you also want to enjoy eating it. Fortunately, food chatbots have been developed, which are capable of bringing up recipes based on a specific ingredient. For instance, you might send a tomato emoji, to which the chatbot might respond with a simultaneously tasty and healthy recipe for spaghetti Bolognese. Sometimes a little inspiration is all you need to push forward in your healthy eating journey.

Calorie Counters

Calorie counting is a relatively new dieting trend, and it’s surrounded by much controversy. While it’s common knowledge that reducing your calorie intake results in weight loss, you’re not necessarily forced to make the healthiest choices when reducing your calorie intake. Despite this, there are a number of calorie counting apps on the market to ensure that people are consuming enough calories to maintain themselves, but not so much that they’re putting on weight. These apps do all the analysis for you, meaning you’re not putting yourself at as much risk of underfeeding yourself.

Nutrigenomics

Everybody is different, and that means that diets aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. This is where nutrigenomics comes in to combine nutrition and genetics science after your DNA is sequenced. DNA sequencing could reveal what you should eat and what should be avoided at all costs. Our genetics play a huge role in our response to certain foods, so it’s important to get this information and not compare yourself to other people.

Food Scanners

As previously mentioned, we have more choices about our diets than ever before, meaning it can be difficult to know what it is that we’re actually eating. Fortunately, food scanners have been developed, which inform users about the specific macronutrients and ingredients that their foods are made from. This way, in a world of uncertainty, individuals can have more confidence about what’s in their food more so than ever before.

Smart Utensils

Quantities play a huge role in food’s nutritional value. Today, there are a number of smart utensils on the market which have the capacity to tell you exactly just how much you should be eating. Thanks to digital advancements, healthy eating has become a whole lot easier in a world of tempting foods.