MyNetDiary was invited by Indiana Dietetic Association to share experiences and best practices leveraging apps in RD work. Katherine Isacks, MyNetDiary's advisor presented on April 19, 2012.

1. Presented by MyNetDiary.com
Speaker: Katherine Isacks, MPS,RD
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2. About
 One of the first calories tracking apps on the market,
since 2008
 Over 2 million users worldwide
 Available on iPhone, iPad, Android, and Blackberry
 Diet tracking syncs online at www.MyNetDiary.com
 Online food, exercise tracking, planning, reporting
 Community
 Data sharing
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3. Agenda
 Identify pros & cons of smartphone
calorie tracking apps
 Provide criteria for assessing quality of a
calorie tracker app
 Provide best practices leveraging apps
in RD work
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4. Pros
Low cost to RD and client
 Free and/or paid apps
 Free and/or paid subscriptions
Clients can usually afford even the highest
subscription price ~ $60/yr
Price of drinking one can of discounted soda
everyday = $84/yr ($0.23/can)
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5. Pros
 Educational
 Dietary choices  kcal and nutrient intake
 Net calories  weight control
 Tracking works with all eating plans
 Interactive
 Forum and friends allow for sharing and
support
 Anonymity helps the shy share too
 Empowering
 Client “drives” – builds confidence and skills
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6. Cons
 Requires some start-up time for learning
 Requires use and comfort with
smartphones and computer
 Not appropriate with eating disorders
 Supervised use with minors and those
with medical conditions
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7. Criteria for Assessing
Quality
 Goal setting
 Food database
 Speed & efficiency
 Summaries & reports
 Forum & community
 Support & upgrades
 Other features
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8. Goal Setting
 Evidence-based equations?
 Default % Kcal from
macronutrients?
 DRIs for nutrient levels?
 Goal setting clear to client?
 Can client customize goals?
 HELP screens available?
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9. Food Database
 Size matters!
 Look for a good mix of generic, brand, and
restaurant foods
 Has both company-entered and contributed
foods
 Company-entered foods are quality-controlled
 User-contributed foods help grow the database
 User-contributed foods clearly identified
 Allow for custom entered foods & recipes
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10. MyNetDiary
PhotoFood Service
 If something is missing or
not up to date: send nutrition
label photos from the app
 User-driven – photos are
taken by users
 Company-entered, quality
assured
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11. Speed & Efficiency
 How does the food search work?
 Have to type complete words?
 Auto search function as you type?
 Favorites and commonly used items?
 Barcode scanning capability?
 Flexible units of measure for
entering serving sizes?
 Easy to custom-enter foods,
recipes, or meals?
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12. Summaries & Reports
Lose It!
 How is information
summarized?
 How is information
shared?
 Within the system
 To outside sources
 Privacy
 More reports on web?
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13. Sample Web Report
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14. Community & Forums
 Access to forum via app?
 Expertise of forum
moderators?
 Groups & teams
 Facebook and Twitter
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15. Support & Upgrades
 Does app have regular updates to
improve functionality?
 Do buggy system problems get fixed?
 Can you contact anyone for help?
 Among top-ranking from your
smartphone app store?
 Be aware of brand power
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16. Other Features
 Fun and enjoyable to use?
 Attractive colors, large enough font?
 Reminders built in?
 Does it track the important nutrients?
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17. Best Practices in RD Work
 Practice settings: private practice,
outpatient clinic
 Avoid trap of becoming client’s app support
 Great for some clients, not for others
 Calorie tracking apps are tools
 Adjunct to care, not a replacement
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18. Best Practices in RD Work
 Experiment with trackers first, before
trying to include them in your practice
 Will you use the tracker for entering
client data and reporting?
 Will you simply recommend the tracker
for client’s use?
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19. What’s Next
 Diabetes Tracking
 Powerful MyNetDiary
functionality
 Blood glucose, insulin,
medications tracking
 Reports
 Charts
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20. Parting Thoughts
 Questions?
 Thanks for showing an interest in this
exciting new field.
 Good luck and best wishes!
Katherine Isacks, MPS, RD
Consulting Dietitian for MyNetDiary
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