| Wirefile Health Informatics |
The Last Word – Clodagh Finn |
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We already know that the mobile phone is the work of Satan. It has spawned obsessive text messagers, killed spontaneous conversation and infected public spaces with a range of ring tones from hell.
There isn't even any point in getting too annoyed about it because the Sony Symphony in B Flat that is disturbing the peace is probably coming from your own phone. (Just be thankful it's not Crazy Frog or a tinny-toned version of Mozart).
But just when you thought that mobile-phone culture could not get worse, it goes and gets worse. Much worse. Those who want to ride the hyphen of this sea-son's must have will be downloading the "virtual dietician" to their mobile so that they can count their calorie intake anytime anyplace, anywhere. It's like Phone Watch for your body.
All you have to do is key in your height, weight and "body target." Then, each day, you enter (honestly) what you have eaten. Your phone tells you whether or not you are meeting your target. If you are sailing too close to your daily limits, it will send out a red-flag warning.
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As the company behind the venture, Handheld Health, chirpily says in its web site. its like having your own dietician or personal trainer with you - all day.
But who wants to go about there daily life with a dietician attached at the hip? Isn't it bad enough that we have produced a generation that can't look at a morsel of food without breaking it down into calories and carbohydrates? Earlier in the year, I was struck by a story which claimed students had been buying up "brain foods" like salmon spinach and blueberries in the run-up to their exams in an attempt to boost grades.
Brainstorming on blueberries in itself is not a bad thing, but it does give an indication of how this generation looks at nutrition. I reckon the Class of '05 would be able to recite, off the top of their heads, a periodic tables of vitamins.
It is no exaggeration either to say that most teenage girls are well -versed in the advantages of Omega 3s, antioxidants and the finer workings of the GI Diet.
But it's not just about fat anymore, just as it is not really about the people at the extremes. We should be concerned that there are young girls joining anorexia clubs in schools to lose weight, but we should be equally concerned that we are becoming neurotic about nutrition.
There isn't a cereal box in Christendom that comes without guidelines about the recommended daily allowance of fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals.
Have you seen those panels? You'd need a dietician to decode the information and another to plan your intake for the rest of the day. You might just find time to punch the calorie details into your phone.
Alternatively you could just get on with life -- and forget about the menu. |
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