Unveiled at the American Dietetics Association's annual meeting in Philadelphia, the new database lacks flash and has a clunky name: USDA Nutrient Database for the Palm OS Standard Reference 15.
But it downloads to a desktop computer in just about 30 seconds from the USDA Web site www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp. The transfer to your hand-held will take longer — about 10 minutes based on our experience, so be patient — and you will need at least 1.5 megabytes of available memory on your hand-held computer. The program is not compatible with Microsoft's Pocket PC operating system.
The program is a slimmed-down version of the comprehensive USDA list. But you probably won't miss the more technical aspects, such as listings of grams of individual amino acids.
Instead you can focus on the more relevant basics: calories, carbohydrates, protein and fat (saturated, mono-unsaturated, polyunsaturated), cholesterol and sodium as well as vitamins and minerals for every food in the USDA list. In short, there's more than enough to make you an educated eater when you're on the go.
Tracking food key to weight loss
Experts say it's just the kind of tool that can help hold the line against expanding waistlines. "It's great, because it's putting information at one's fingertips that can be used in a very, very positive way," says registered dietitian Leslie Bonci, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetics Association and director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh.
Studies show that keeping track of food is key for both achieving a healthy weight and long-term maintenance. For example, a 1998 study of 59 men and women enrolled in a program at the University of Minnesota found that weight loss increased in direct proportion to the consistency with which participants monitored their food intake.
"When people track what they eat, they are much more accountable to themselves," Bonci says.
"Research has shown that people who are tracking and monitoring their food are more likely to be successful" at weight loss and at keeping off unwanted pounds.
Of course, just knowing how many calories are in a slice of cake doesn't result in weight loss. You still have to make smart food choices, watch portion sizes and make sure that the calories eaten are less than the calories burned by physical activity.
Options for doing the math
The new USDA program doesn't offer any help with recording food and calories. For that, you'll have to either use paper and pencil and do the math or log on to the USDA's Healthy Eating Index Web site (147.208.9.133), which will add things for you and keep up to 20 days of meals that can be tracked against the U.S. Food Pyramid. A similar free service is also available at www.fitday.com, but you must register first.
Another option: Fork over $49 to $69 for HealtheTech's BalanceLog program, which works on both desktops and hand-helds. The downside: There's no easy way to import USDA figures into BalanceLog.
It's important to underscore that you need to be computer-savvy to use these systems and have the financial means to buy a hand-held computer, which can run anywhere from $99 for a reconditioned model to $500 for a new color version.
And counting calories in such a technical way is not for everyone. A paperback calorie counter will also do, along with a small food diary.
Next year, it's free
For those who like the technical approach, however, there's more good news: Next year, USDA and HealtheTech plan to unveil a similar free service for desktops, according to HealtheTech's chairman and CEO, James Mault.
The goal, Mault says, "is to create a software application for hand-held formats and desktops that can allow everyone to be able very easily to see nutritional information in everyday foods." |
