Don't Trust Diet Apps - Do Your Research

I recently searched in the app store to find some apps to help keep me on track with the keto diet. I previously used MyFitnessPal to track my diet and exercise, but it’s not really catered to fit the needs of the keto diet since it doesn’t track net carbs. I’ve tried quite a few different apps, actually, and the two I like most are Carb Manager (but required paid subscription to use the useful features) and Keto.app (everything I need to use is free, including customized meals and recipes). I can also link both to Apple Health.

So I got my diet and exercise tracking down, now onto some other useful apps to help me along my keto journey. I found some good apps for grocery shopping. One lets you scan items you are interested in buying and tells you if it is keto-friendly or not (Shopwell). Another one shows you a list of items (you can search for a particular item instead of scrolling the list) by color, (green-safest, yellow, orange, or red-worst), and the macros for each item (KETO – picture of an X with K-E-T-O on each side of the X). I still double-check the info from the product labels, as I don't rely on the apps to be 100% accurate.

But what about if you want to eat out? What if you and the hubby want to go on a date, but you’re not sure if the place you want to go has Keto-friendly food? Wouldn’t it be cool if there was an app for that? So I searched it. I found what I thought was a really great app. It came with a diet tracker, recipes, as well as a list of keto food items from various restaurants. So I downloaded it.

Boy, was I ever disappointed! I opened it up, and immediately shook my head after reading ONE food item. FALSE, FALSE, FALSE! Literally, almost every single word was false! Just to be sure, I went on these restaurants’ individual websites to look up the actual ingredients and nutrition facts, and as I suspected, I was correct. All the info on this app was false.

This really got to me because what if I didn’t know any better? What if I hadn’t done my research, like hundreds of thousands of other people, and was relying on this app to give me helpful guidance? What if I believed what this app told me and ate out all the time because “the app said it was okay”? What if I gave up on the keto diet because following this app’s information led me to gain more weight and become less healthy? THIS is why you need to do your research! THIS is why you need to be properly informed instead of relying on false information to guide you.

1. Check your sources. Make sure the information you are reading is from a reliable source, not some off-the-wall company looking to make a buck off you.

2. Know your facts. Read, read, and read some more. Learn everything you can about what you’re doing for your body, and what you’re putting in it! Learn the different ingredients and how they affect your body and help it function (or the opposite). Learn what you can and can’t have on the keto diet. Know everything you can possibly know!

3. Learn the science behind keto. Doing this can help you figure out exactly how each ingredient you consume is affecting your body, how it digests it, how it uses it, how it helps or doesn’t help you. Learning the science behind keto can help you maintain ketosis and achieve greater results.

4. Track everything. Logging diet, exercise, water intake, ketone levels, etc. can help you learn when your body is at its highest state of ketosis. You can then adjust your macros to help you stay on track.

And not to slam this app or anything, but I was so in shock by the misinformation, that I just have to share HOW bad it was. Plus, you can see the “true” information, as well.

The first restaurant I looked at was McDonald’s. I clicked on the Egg McMuffin, surprised to see it on there in the first place. This is what it showed:

As you probably figured out, these nutrition facts are way off! They also don’t go into details on the ingredients. Just to be sure, I went on the McDonald’s website to check. THESE are the REAL facts (taken directly from McDonald’s website):

I was thinking to myself, “Hmm, they must’ve had a few typos on this page. I’ll check another restaurant.” So I went on to Wendy’s. Out of curiosity, I looked at the Baconator, also surprised to see this on there. As I guessed, the information was wrong on this, as well. How many calories do you think a Baconator has?

390?

Wrong! A Baconator, as is, has 950 calories! That’s almost HALF of a 2,000 calorie diet! But here’s where it throws people out of ketosis. It tells you there is only ONE carb, when in reality, there are 38 net carbs! (40 carbs – 2g fiber) That’s a 37-carb difference! That makes or breaks a keto diet. But that’s not all, let’s go on, there’s more…

Next, I looked at Burger King’s regular cheeseburger. Not only does it claim there is ONE carb, but the ingredients are completely off, stating there is sausage and egg but mentioning nothing of the bun, beef patty, pickles, mustard, or ketchup. Obviously, this had to be mixed up with a different item.

This sandwich actually contains 27 carbs, HOWEVER, if you were to remove the bun and ketchup, it could become keto-friendly, with less than 1 carb.

Here’s where I was really disappointed. I clicked on the Oven Roasted Chicken sub sandwich from Subway, thinking, “This one has GOT to be more accurate!” Nope. Not only did they list just the ingredients for the bun (incorrectly, and not even keto-friendly), but they inaccurately listed the nutrition info, once again, AND used the WRONG PHOTO! The photo they used was of the Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki sandwich, not the Oven Roasted Chicken.

Of course I checked the facts on this one, too. FIRST, I would like to mention that the Subway website states that the nutrition information refers to a 6-inch sub prepared on 9-grain wheat bread with lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, onions, green peppers, and cucumbers (two servings of vegetables), with up to one Fresh Fit® sauce. Keep in mind as most people usually order a different type of bread and add cheese and a bunch of toppings and dressings. This ADDS to the totals you see on the website.

While the app claims this sandwich has only 8 carbs, it in fact has AT LEAST 35 net carbs and almost twice the calories. BUT, do you know what ingredients are actually in your sub? Thankfully, Subway has provided this information, and it’s not all as you might think. Some of the veggies are fresh, while some contain additives? Why? I’m not sure. Breads are obviously out, and most of the condiments are out, but check out the meats. Almost all of them contain ingredients other than meat?!?! Huh??? Why would natural flavors, colors, and CORN SYRUP need to be added to meat? Just when you think you’re eating healthy…

So this is the reason why you should do your research before eating out. You could order a bunless sandwich with ingredients you believe to be keto-friendly, but in reality, they’re loaded with artificial ingredients, sugar, oils, and other crap. Before you dine out, I suggest NOT relying on an app to tell you what’s in your food. Instead, look on the company’s website directly and read all the ingredients to ensure you’re staying keto.. I also suggest doing this with meat markets, grocery stores, and any other products you purchase. If you can’t find the ingredients, ASK for them. If it’s not natural, grass-fed, cage-free animals free of any additives, DON’T buy it!

Be smart, educate yourself, do your research, and don’t rely on info from anywhere other than the company or brand itself!

Keto on!

~Amanda T. – The Boss Panda