Nutrition Apps Use Gaming Features, Sparking Debate Over Potential Harms

Nutrition tracking applications often incorporate gaming features, such as digital rewards and notifications, to encourage user engagement. However, some researchers are raising concerns that these gamified elements may pose risks for certain individuals, particularly those predisposed to disordered eating behaviors.

Features like virtual trophies, confetti for good performance, and streak notifications are common in many popular nutrition apps, mirroring tactics used in mobile games. These tools are designed to keep users returning to their calorie and macronutrient tracking. While many users find these features motivating for achieving fitness goals, experts caution that they can also reinforce unhealthy obsessions with food and body image.

Isabella Anderberg, a psychologist researching digital dieting behavior at Flinders University, noted that while not all users experience harm, certain factors can increase risk. "Approach with caution," she advised. She acknowledged that these apps can be valuable tools for health professionals, assisting patients with chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes in meal planning, and that physical activity apps can encourage movement.

Angela Drury, an English professor, has used various nutrition apps for over a decade, including MyFitnessPal and Nourish. She found the apps helpful for tracking intake and guiding food choices. While a badge for maintaining a logging streak provided a small boost, a notification about missed meals felt like a reprimand. "Then it felt like it was scolding me," Drury said.

The typical user enters personal data and sets a goal, with the app then dictating daily calorie or macronutrient targets. Gamified elements aim to reinforce adherence. Critics point out that the food databases used by these apps can be inaccurate, with variable portion sizes and calorie estimates.

Courtney Simpson, a behavioral psychologist and director of eating disorders at the Evidence-Based Treatment Centers of Seattle, warned that some apps encourage excessively low calorie goals, which can be unhealthy and lead to failure. She stated that gamification promoting unrealistic goals can foster shame, potentially contributing to binge eating or other behaviors users aim to change. "It’s not that gamification itself is bad. It’s about what it is promoting," Simpson said. "Is that actually going to be beneficial?"

Experts suggest that individuals who already hold a belief that thinner is better may be more susceptible to misusing these apps. This can lead to obsessive tracking and negative feelings when daily goals are not met. Anderberg encouraged users to critically evaluate app recommendations and rely on their own body cues. "We are sort of losing that ability to read our body cues," she said.

Simpson also highlighted that focusing on weight as the primary measure of health is inaccurate and can lead to a cycle of weight loss and regain, which is associated with worse health outcomes. "If you really want lasting change, then you need to be doing behaviors that are feasible and sustainable for you over time," she said.

Drury emphasized the importance of setting realistic goals and listening to one's body. "I’ve ultimately learned that you cannot starve yourself into being in the shape you want to be in," she stated.