Best, free apps to make you feel, look healthy

 

An engineering student jumps as she celebrates her health in the Arizona dessert. Photo taken by me.

MyFitnessPal by Under Armor

MyFitnessPal is the ultimate meal planner. When using the application, you log your current weight and your future weight goal (the weights may be the same if you wish to maintain). The app then tells you what you should be eating in order to meet your goal. When I use the MyFitnessPal Diary, I record everything I eat. The app also counts calorie, carbohydrate, fat and protein intake.

For example my daily nutrition plan consists of:
1, 500 calories
50 percent carbohydrates
30 percent fat
20 percent protein

There is even a social media aspect of the app where you can celebrate and share your progress with friends who also use the app.

Is It Vegan?

It is week seven of my vegan journey, and I am still learning. With the “Is It Vegan” application, I scan the bar code on a specific food or beverage item and discover all its ingredients. The app then states if the item is vegan, vegetarian or neither.

Since some vegans consider sugar a vegetarian ingredient, the app allows the user to set their personal preference on if they view sugar as vegetarian or vegan. Some view sugar as vegetarian because certain refined sugars are filtered using animal bone char to reduce impurities.

Overall, I am happy with these apps because they help me lead a health conscious lifestyle.