Using technology to eat smarter

>> this morning on small steps to a healthier you, using technology to eat smarter. we offer you some motivation to get healthy, slim down, yahoo! editor is here with some cool tools to help us out at the grocery store or when we're dining out.

>> good to see you.

>> these apps are all kind of interesting.

>> the first one is shopwell. you know, before we get into it, just real quick to note, one of the things you're seeing on yahoo is people are looking for heart healthy, gluten free. they want to know how to find these products. frankly reading labels is overwhelming. this first we're going to talk go is shop well. it's also an iphone app. you can use, it as a bar coder on it. it will give you information about the various products that you want to put in your cart. basically what it does, if you personalize it for you and your family, so for example, i have 6-year-old twins. they're very active. when i'm shopping for them, maybe i don't want a lot of sugar, maybe i don't want a lot of fat so when i look up something like granola bars it will grade the various products that i'm interested in. so for example, i might like chewy granola bars and i may not realize quaker also makes a low-fat version. so it will tell me that. it will tell me whether it's a red, yellow or green food and give it a score so that i know without having to sit there and read the label. kids are putting stuff in the cart. and i can do it beforehand. it also has an iphone app that you can use in the store.

>> is it best to do something like this before you get in the store? it seems like, you would be in the grocery store --

>> you can do it before. you can print up the list. but if you're in the store, can you use it on your phone and actually i think --

>> what's with the nutella?

>> the nutella is actually the top searched food that people search on shop well. the second, our second are energy bars and that's why we showed these, as well. what i wanted to say also with the app people are spending 25 minutes on shop well when they're in the store. so they actually are using it in the store.

>> okay.

>> which you probably wouldn't want to do it while you've got your kids there running around putting stuff in the cart. the next one we're going to talk about a game for kids to help them understand why we're not putting certain things in the cart. really fun ipad app called smash your food. it definitely appeals to the grossout factor that kids love.

>> okay.

>> and basically it's a quiz for the kids, and you get to move up levels based on how accurately they get how much sugar cubes , how many shakes of salt, and how many teaspoons of oil. so why don't we take the quiz. this is set for my son ian who is very active. so for him, per meal his max would be two cubes of sugar, two shakes of salt and three teaspoons of oil. what do you think? do you think that a can of cake would have more than two cubes of sugar?

>> i think yes.

>> what should we say?

>> i say five cubes.

>> let's do five. how about salt?

>> three shakers.

>> and how about oil?

>> no oil.

>> okay. so let's do zero. and -- now we get to smash our food. now watch what happens. this is why kids love this. this, by the way, won the first lady's contest.

>> very cool.

>> for healthy apps for kids.

>> isn't that fun?

>> wow.

>> so as you can through this game the kids are learning what they're actually putting in their bodies.

>> i've seen this done at a frat house .

>> exactly. so it's really fun. and as you move up, there are 40 different kinds of foods that can you smash. and they're just really crazy foods, too, like a stack of jelly doughnuts.

>> what is out there for when you're dining out at restaurants?

>> i know. that's always a real, i think, tough one for a lot of people. especially if you have allergies, as well.

>> sure.

>> so there's a website called healthydiningfinder.com. they also have an iphone app called young power. you put in your zip code or the town that you're in and it tells you all of the healthy options that are within a five-mile radius. for example say we're in canton, ohio. we want to know what restaurants we should go to and order there. top on the list might be red lobster . it will tell me. this is based on registered dietitians who have partnered with the national retail -- the national restaurant association to come up with healthy meals for people.

>> and chew your food?

>> yes, chew your food. that's on the phone here. we didn't get to mention goji which is a fabulous one.