Nutrition Health Center

An Expert’s Guide to Nutritional Analysis Software

By Terry Dunkle*

Because my company has been developing nutritional analysis software for more than 20 years, I’ve watched dozens of competitors appear. Some are good; most are bad. I’m not here to sell you mine, but to describe the five most important things to watch when you’re shopping:

Calorie counter try free or buy Download and run DietPower's free trial Purchase DietPower risk-free

General Approach

The most effective nutrition software works like a diary. You log your foods and exercise each day, and the program continually shows how your choices affect your calorie and nutrient balance. At the end of each “eating day,” it deposits uneaten calories in a “bank” you can use for extra eating on subsequent days. Charts and graphs depict your progress through time.

Food Data

Don’t bother with nutritional analysis software that covers fewer than 20,000 foods -- and make sure those are distinct foods, not dupes under different names. You should also be able to add your own foods by keying in data from labels. Avoid online programs that let other users add foods, however, as these are often inaccurate.

Based on 20 years of research by DietPower, Inc., this calculator is accurate to 5 percent for most users. (It's not for people who are pregnant or have metabolic disorders. Always see a doctor before starting a diet.)

Birth Date

Sex

Tobacco user?

Height

Weight

Goal Weight

Target Date

Email Address

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?

ft. in.

lbs.

lbs. ?

- - ?

?

Close Goal Weight
Your Goal Weight is the weight you want to achieve. (If it's a lot different from your current weight, you might want to set a goal that represents only the first step. Even a 10-percent weight loss will significantly improve your health.)
Close Target Date
Plan on losing no more than a pound or two per week.  Otherwise, you may eat too little for good nutrition and your weight loss may be temporary.
Close Lactating?
If you are breastfeeding, check this box and the calculator will add calories for producing milk.
Close Tobacco User?
Nicotine speeds your metabolism, making you burn calories faster. (That's why people who quit smoking gain weight.) Check this box if you average more than one cigarette, one-half pipeful, one-quarter of a cigar, or one dip of snuff or chewing tobacco per day.
Close Email Address
Once a month, DietPower will send you the most important nutrition news of the past 30 days, selected by national award-winning editors covering hundreds of medical journals. You can cancel this free, no-obligation service anytime with a single click. We produce it only to promote our weight-loss software. It won't put you on other mailing lists—We're Not That Kind of Company™.

Exercise Data

Similarly, choose a program that covers at least 500 forms of exercise, including workout machines, sport activities, leisure pursuits, occupational tasks, and household chores. It should incorporate your current body weight into its calculations, as well as the speed or intensity of each activity.

“Smart” Capabilities

The very best nutritional analysis software can do things like tweaking your calorie budget every day to allow for fluctuations in your metabolic rate (as DietPower does), and identifying your Smart Second™ -- the food that will improve your nutrition the most if you double the amount already eaten (another DietPower feature). Read the features and functions chart for each program very carefully -- you may find something that matches your interests perfectly.

Price and Guarantees

For personal nutritional analysis software (as opposed to professional programs), expect to pay $30 to $50. Don’t purchase without first using a free trial, and make sure the company offers a money-back guarantee and free phone and email support.

Founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief of DietPower, Inc.