Focus on Nutrition with DRI Calculator for Healthcare Professionals App

For those of us who need to get our diet under control—and keep it that way—we surely have noticed the recent explosion of health apps and wearable fitness trackers. No doubt we’ve all thought about buying one of those at $100 to $150 bucks a pop even if we didn’t know for sure exactly what it did.

My personal two-week obsession in wristband form came in sporty neon orange and provided me plenty of numbers to keep me busy making sense of it all.

Consider another approach in conjunction with your healthcare professional. The USDA’s “Dietary Reference Intakes Calculator for Healthcare Professionals” app allows users to keep track of nutrient calculations and recommendations that are based on the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) values. Through the app, healthcare professionals can streamline the nutrition care process for patients and clients with access to credible nutrition information.

DRIs are recommended amounts of each nutrient a healthy person should consume to prevent deficiency or harmful health effects. The National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine developed the DRIs in the mid-1990s for healthcare professionals to assess and plan diets for groups or individuals.

The DRI app includes user-friendly features such as pregnancy weight gain charts, DRI glossary terms, bookmarking and note saving options. Bookmarking and note saving allow users to personalize the app and organize information for later reference.

One caveat: Although the DRI recommendations are based on current scientific knowledge, they are not appropriate for everyone. Underlying illness and vitamin deficiencies are just two reasons why your nutrient needs might be different from the recommendations. To figure out your nutrient needs, talk with your healthcare provider or find a registered dietitian near you.

The app is available for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.You can download this and other cool mobile government apps with just a few clicks from our USA.gov Federal Mobile Apps Directory. Federal agencies can get their apps in the directory by using the Federal Mobile Products Registry.