Social media is full of people showing off the food they ordered or cooked, usually accompanied by a satisfied expression on the consumer’s face.
While the person posting the image could be accused of narcissism, the accuser could equally be guilty of hypocrisy. But isn’t that what makes social media so fun?
If nothing else, writing this article has taught me to doubt my initial prejudices.
New research from Curtin University, published in the prestigious American Journal of Clinical Nutritionreveals that photographing food isn’t just about creating “look at me” content for your social media feeds, it could be the key to improving your diet.
The study saw researchers measure the weight of meals, which were then provided to participants throughout the day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Participants compared different technology-assisted methods for remembering what they had eaten in the past 24 hours.
One method asked participants to take photos of their meals using the method Food log app on your phone. These photos were then analyzed by a research dietitian.
The study found that accuracy of nutritional intake was much higher for the group who took photos of what they ate, compared to participants who were simply asked to remember what they ate.
The study’s first author, Clare Whitton, said it could significantly help understand what people eat.
“Accurate and reliable data on what the population eats is critical to helping people optimize their health,” Whitton said.
“People may have trouble remembering what they ate, but this study shows that dietary assessment can be accurate, particularly when you take the weight off the person when you ask them to take a photo of what they ate.”
While the study involved experts analyzing food photos, the team is collaborating with Purdue University in the US to use artificial intelligence to do this work automatically.
Professor Deborah Kerr, co-creator of the Food Record app, who led the Curtin study, said technological advances could better capture what populations eat and offer more accurate dietary advice for people wanting to eat healthier.
