The Food Analysts Review

On November 22, last year; we, at A Journalist Reveals, received a mail from the PR of The Food Analysts that the service has been launched in India. We requested that we would like to do a service review and soon received the link to register for the trials. I registered on the website and I got included in a chat room on Whatsapp.

Harle, the admin, welcomed me into the group and told me about the service, “We are a human-powered macro calorie counter. We calculate your macros on the basis of food that you have consumed throughout the day. For this, you just need to click a photo of your meal along with a short description of it (to send us on the WhatsApp group created for you) and we will generate an instant report for you which will show you the total calories consumed in every meal in the form of different macros (carbs, protein, fats, etc.). We will also send you reports at the end of the day to make sure you have consumed enough macros required by your body.”

The day I registered everything went well. But, the evening came and my pc gave me some trouble. For some reason, I already couldn’t upload pictures from my cell. With the pc also out of service, I could not follow all the instructions. But, Harle told me to describe the meals, so that the analysis could continue. I not only described the meals I had, I also wrote to them everything about myself and the medicines that I am having, which I could not mention on the registration form. Harle found the description good enough to begin and said, “That’s quite descriptive Gayatri, thanks for such details, it will help us guide you well. Do you know all these concerns are related and linked to each other?”

I told them my problem that I could not concentrate on exercise due to my work timings. They were very positive that with diet and exercise I would be able to conquer all the stumbling blocks on the way to the best health possible. They said, “Nutrition plays 80% of the role as it shapes up your health, exercise is 20% which is important too. As you send us your meals tomorrow, we will help you understand where you are going wrong and correct them to help improvise your eating pattern altogether. You do yoga. Yoga is good and it cures you internally. I understand your concern about the work timings, but as mentioned Nutrition plays 80% of the role, so we will get you on track with your nutrition first and we can then gradually improve the exercise part. At least you are stepping up all the people sitting on the couch – so it’s a progress. Look at the brighter side and together let’s get your eating habits on track first.”

Before beginning to analyze my meals they first calculated my unique macro requirements for my type of body. They always reminded me to share pictures of my food every morning. They are also well-versed with cuisines all over the world.

By the next afternoon, the pc was repaired and I sent the pictures taken till then. On the day after that, I was traveling and again could not connect my cell phone to my pc, due to network issues. My cellphone did not recognize the QR code on my laptop. Harle and the other experts were very patient with me. Patience is a virtue that needs to be appreciated.

Tips and Myths Explained:

1. Breakfast being the first meal of the day, should be king size meal – both in quality and quantity! Heavy breakfast often puts some people to sleep at the wrong time. This can be taken care if the quality is good.
2. They suggested us to begin the day with the fruits of our choice. Then, we could have the breakfast after one to one and a half hours.
3. Bananas are one of the most nutrient-rich fruit always cursed for making you fat. But the truth is opposite.
4. They suggested having small but frequent meals. The trick is to eat most of the quantity during the daytime!
5. Vegetarians often experience reduced protein intake. Indian foods are high in carbs and fat. They suggested that we have low-fat curd/yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese (paneer), low-fat milk, etc. Soy products are also a very good source of protein for us. (Soya chunks, soy milk, tofu). Always try to have protein in every meal.
6. Keeping ourselves hydrated is very important. The optimum amount of water-intake is essential for all.
7. 2-3 cups of curd induce good sleep. At the same time, the food intake and the type of food that we have does not have an impact on our sleeping pattern.
8. Pots and pans with Teflon coating are non-toxic. It helps cook with a negligible amount of oil.
9. Coffee drinkers, good news. Coffee boosts alertness, improves concentration and makes you feel focused. But, it is acidic too. With a ph level of 5, avoid having only coffee or tea. Have something along with it. Acidity is also one of the reasons for not feeling comfortable throughout the day.

Our Take: The service is actually very good. Making use of technology, they are doing a good job. Really commendable! I got to learn so many things. They dispelled many of my worries, regarding diet. Most important thing is that they were very patient with me with all d problems I was undergoing.

Website: www.thefoodanalysts.com