“Don’t Eat That” iPhone App
Sometimes it’s almost impossible to read the nutrition information labels on the prepackaged food in the grocery store. Even my favorite, seemingly healthy, cereal lists ingredients like tocopherols and calcium carbonate. Not being able to pronounce these ingredients is worrisome. Not knowing what they are is downright frightening. What am I eating every morning anyway?
If you’re worried about the ingredients in your favorite foods, then you might want to invest in the “Don’t Eat That” iPhone app. With the app, you can search questionable ingredients, find out what they really are, and see if you should be avoiding them at all costs. (Really bad stuff gets highlighted in red.)
As it turns out, tocopherols and calcium carbonate are actually not too terrible—tocopherol is a form of vitamin E, a natural antioxidant, and a preservative, while calcium carbonate is a white dye and acidity regulator. Neither makes the “Problem Ingredient” list in the app.
The app also gives you access to lists of ingredients that are known carcinogens, harmful to kids, bad for people with allergies, and bad for people with asthma. It’s a valuable tool—especially for parents who want to protect their children from all the scary things that can end up in processed foods—and makes it infinitely easier to feel like an informed consumer as you cruise the aisles at the supermarket.
If you want to see how the app works before making the $1.99 investment, this video will give you a quick tour:
Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bchai/ / CC BY-ND 2.0
—Stephanie Kinnear, web editor
