Iron Counter and Tracker 2.12.7

Iron deficiency is a prevalent concern, particularly among pregnant individuals, menstruating women, vegetarians, vegans, and those following low-protein or ultra-processed diets, as well as restricted diets such as gluten-free and dairy-free. Symptoms associated with iron deficiency can encompass excessive fatigue due to anemia—which may lead to heart and muscle damage—impaired mental and physical development, and compromised immune function. Conversely, excessive iron intake from dietary sources and prolonged use of iron supplements may elevate the risk of chronic kidney disease, especially in individuals with hypertension, along with other chronic conditions. Additionally, this app is beneficial for individuals with hemochromatosis in helping to prevent iron overload.

Users can tailor their daily iron intake goals based on app-guided recommendations along with their preferred weight measures for food (grams or ounces) and various methods of displaying iron content in foods and beverages (such as percentage of target per serving, milligrams per 100 grams or per ounce).

The app facilitates tracking of food and beverage intake via a barcode scanner. It is important to note that only manufacturers in the United States are mandated to include iron content on nutrition labels readable by the scanner. Additionally, users may log their consumption through dictation, searching, or by favoriting items while adjusting serving sizes as needed. A notepad feature is available for users to add personal notes.

Users can monitor both daily and long-term progress and have the option to export data for sharing with healthcare providers. Furthermore, data synchronization is possible with other nutrient counter applications from First Line Medical Communications Ltd., as well as integration with Apple's HealthKit.

The app permits users to incorporate their own foods and recipes while modifying serving sizes to customize an extensive database of 400 items according to personal preferences. Food popups provide clear indications regarding whether items are plants, prebiotics, probiotics, or ultra-processed foods (UPFs), alongside information on FODMAP content when available, particularly aiding individuals with irritable bowel syndrome.

This application offers nutritional insights into numerous healthy foods, emphasizing a diet that nurtures a healthy gut microbiome through a systematic use of color-coded text and icons:

1. Foods rich in iron (more than 3 mg of iron per serving) are displayed in maroon.
2. Plants recommended for inclusion in the suggested weekly variety for a healthy gut microbiome—those containing less than 3 mg of iron per serving—are highlighted in green (with a green leaf icon). Notably beneficial prebiotics are marked in dark green.
3. Probiotic foods containing less than 3 mg of iron per serving are denoted in gold text accompanied by a gold microbe icon.
4. Foods identified as potentially ultra-processed (UPFs) that contain less than 3 mg of iron per serving appear in red text alongside a red warning triangle for emphasis.
5. Items presented in black text contain less than 3 mg of iron per serving and do not fall into UPF, plant, prebiotic, or probiotic categories; these are considered healthy when consumed judiciously within a balanced diet.