Snacking apps will be our tummy’s saviours in a post lockdown world. Let’s be honest, one of the worst parts about lockdown wasn’t the loneliness, cabin fever or even the fact that you just could never reject a phone call with the excuse that “you were out”. No, the worst thing was the continual snacking on comfort food because the world is ending and you just needed to feel good about something. Well, now that feel good moment has passed and maybe you’re a little annoyed with the extra poundage. There’s nothing wrong with picking up a spot of weight so don’t feel bad about yourself but if you’re keen on losing weight (which is also fine!) we’ve got some handy tips for you to consult.
When you want a spot of healthier eating, reach for one of these apps instead of that stockpile of snacks you bought for the coronapocalypse. They’re cheap, easy to use and should have you ready for the beach come December holidays.
Green Kitchen – R60 / iOS
We could all stand to each some more vegetables. They’re healthy, fairly easy to come back and let’s be honest they do wonders to make a dish look way more appealing. A traditional cookbook in your phone, this app has hand-picked recipes designed to get you eating more greens. There’s enough choice to keep you going for weeks, but not the kind of deluge that’ll lead to choice paralysis. Each dish has a mouthwatering snap, an ingredients list and steps to check off. And for those with limited diets, gluten-free and vegan recipes are clearly marked.
Paprika – from Free / Android, R80 / iOS
You can save recipes from the web in Kitchen Stories, but only if you pay a hefty annual fee; so Paprika is a better bet for stashing clippings of dishes you discover that fit your lifestyle. And because the app lets you edit what you store, you can tailor pretty much anything to make it healthier. Well, perhaps apart from that
deep-fried pizza burger… we’re all for some adventurous eating but seriously, take a long look at that monstrosity and ask yourself whether or not it’s worth it.
Deliciously Ella – from Free / Android, iOS
You might think all this healthier eating’s not going to make much difference if you sit there like a
lump all day. In which case, grab Deliciously Ella. This app will happily suggest you add a mixed bean salad or chocolatey peanut protein smoothie to your weekly meal planner, but it’ll also urge you to do some yoga. And if all that doesn’t manage to relax you, there are meditation recordings too. Remember, a fit body is one thing but you have to make sure your mind is in fighting shape if you really want to be healthy.
MyFitnessPal – from Free / Android, iOS
This industry giant helps you track everything you eat – when used well, it can act as a useful
sanity check on your intake. A barcode scanner helps you log quick snacks, but even full meals aren’t a chore to get into the app. Over time, you’ll build a full picture of your eating habits, stash favourite recipes, and take on board useful advice from a video feed starring sickeningly healthy presenters. Which is fine, just do it it prove to those hosts who’s actually fitter. All goals should be built on a premise of revenge, right?
Streaks – R80/iOS
Want a less prescriptive means of recording what you’re shoving into your gob? Try a habit tracker. Streaks is useful in enabling you to define both positive (ate some greens!) and negative (but also a bag of chips!) habits. These can potentially be logged multiple times per day (actually, two bags of chips!), and you can peruse how your stats have changed over time. On Android? Try Productive or Habitica.
Kitchen Stories – from Free / Android, iOS
If you demand more choice, try Kitchen Stories. It’s still curated, so not a complete free-for-all, but has a wide variety of dishes to explore. Select something yummy and you’ll see the dish’s difficulty, ingredients and prep time, along with related how-to videos. Each step has a photo too, so you can check whether you’ve made a terrible error or you were really supposed to set fire to the broccoli.
