Platform and Price
Apple iOS, free
RD Score
4 out of 5
Synopsis of the App
Pocket Dietitian provides menu plans and recommendations for people who have some combination of kidney disease, hypertension and diabetes.
Pros
- Developed by a registered dietitian and nephrologist team.
- Offers a custom, easy-to-use diet plan and food log.
- Accounts for a variety of health conditions including diabetes, kidney disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome and congestive heart failure and includes the ability to adjust for weight loss and general healthy eating.
- Recommends foods that work for all conditions checked eliminating the guesswork that comes with finding foods that work for kidney failure and diabetes, for example.
- Provides a running tally of key nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, sodium and potassium on the main screen.
- Delivers at-a-glance graphic display of daily nutrient levels from the dashboard.
- Displays a warning if a meal will exceed set limits for the eating occasion or the day and offers alternative meal suggestions.
- Built-in capability to email food logs and nutrient data reports to the doctor or dietitian directly from the app.
- Provides resources to help estimate food portions and serving sizes with common reference items like a tennis ball for 1/2 cup of rice, and a fist for a cup of pasta.
Cons
- The app uses the Harris Benedict equation for calorie estimates, which may not be the best predictor of calorie needs for individuals.
- The app takes a rather bare bones approach to presentation which may leave some wanting more.
Bottom Line
After working with a registered dietitian, the Pocket Dietitian app can help support and encourage healthful meal planning and tracking. Patients may be more likely to continue to use the app if it were more engaging.
Marisa Moore, MBA, RDN, LD, is a nutrition consultant based in Atlanta and adjunct faculty at Georgia State University. Follow her at MarisaMoore.com, on Twitter or Instagram.
