Do you hear that? That host of angels lifting their voices to the heavens in praise? Mama certainly does… but that’s because she just got the Fooducate App for her iPhone and all of her prayers have been answered.

Well, maybe not all of them… she’s still waiting for that big shiny black BMW to appear in the driveway, and for the kids to start cleaning their rooms without threats of bodily harm.

But once again, I digress.

There are a lot of Food Apps out there, designed to help you analyze what you are eating… everything from counting calories to tracking the water content in food. But there’s nothing like the Fooducate App (or at least I haven’t found it)… my own personal grocery advisor.

Download this FREE App and next time you are shopping for food, point the camera on your phone at the UPC barcode. What pops up is info about what’s good and not so good about the product and more info about healthier alternatives. This is an easy way to eliminate nutrition label confusion. The App can even compare other products side by side.

I know there are Apps out there that also scan barcodes to track how many calories you eat, or alert you to possible allergens in the product. But Fooducate allows you to dig deeper… to find out what’s actually in a product, like excessive sugar, trans fats, food coloring, additives and preservatives. Besides, most of them cost something (.99 or more), but this is free (I know I already mentioned that, but still…). 

For example, I scanned box of Barilla Penne Pasta. It got a grade of B+, a serving size calorie count of 200 and info about the points value (5.5) for dieters. Fooducate suggested Pastato Potato Pasta Gluten Free Spaghetti as an alternative (A- grade, 191 calories, scoring better on ingredients and nutrients).

Fooducate’s blog, written by a team of dieticians, parents and techies, offers up tips and info on how to sort through the healthy food-hype to become a more informed nutritious food shopper. It’s not affiliated with any food manufacturers or vitamin or supplement companies. Right now it is only compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Android and requires iOS 4.0 or later.

See… even mama needs some guidance now and then to navigate the grocery aisles… but that’s why she’s getting Fooducated!

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