Comfort Eater Beater - Mobile phone app designed to help combat comfort eating
Last updated 11/4/2011 2:41:20 PM
Comfort Eater Beater - Mobile phone app designed to help combat comfort eating
A new iPhone app has been developed that's designed to help people tackle the habit of comfort eating and reduce the amount of high fat, high salt and high sugar snack food they consume.
The Comfort Eater Beater app has been produced with expert input from Dr Jacqueline Blissett at the University of Birmingham.
It's decribed as the first smartphone app to help people to tackle comfort eating.The light-hearted, easy-to-use app is on hand for when the urge to snack strikes, enabling people to identify when and why they are comfort eating, and then providing solutions to help them to deal with their mood without using food. It also links with social media to create a virtual network of support to further encourage people to overcome their habit.
Dr Blissett said: "So many people turn to eating when they are stressed, bored or anxious. All those extra calories can add up. We've designed this app to get people thinking about how they are using food to deal with their emotions, and to try to suggest simple alternatives that may get people through those moments when a chocolate biscuit seems irresistible."
Being depressed and boredom are the most frequently cited emotional triggers for eating, but other triggers include feeling irritated, upset, lonely, disappointed, worried, anxious or tense. The eating habits of people who are overweight are more influenced by emotional triggers than those of people of a healthy weight.
The app is not intended for people with a clinical eating problem, severe depression or extreme moods, who should seek help from a medical professional. It is designed to help the average person to make small changes towards a healthier diet.