How Personalised Digital Solutions Can Help You Eat Healthier and Feel Better

Overview

We all want to feel our best and be in good health. But sometimes it can be hard to know what to eat or how to get started on the path to better nutrition and wellness. That's where personalised digital solutions can help! These tech tools are customised just for you and can provide guidance, monitoring, and support for achieving your health goals.

In the rapidly evolving landscape of healthcare and wellness, personalised digital solutions are emerging as transformative tools that tailor health interventions to individual needs. In this article, we will explore the myriad ways these innovative technologies are enhancing nutritional wellness.

What are personalised digital solutions?

Personalised digital solutions encompass a broad spectrum of technologies, including:^1,4

• Mobile applications 
• Games (e.g., video games) 
• Smart devices 

These tools are designed to offer customised health and wellness guidance. By leveraging individual health data, these digital tools facilitate targeted interventions, thereby significantly improving health outcomes and enhancing overall wellness.

Digital health platforms combine a number of tech tools.⁵ These platforms are revolutionising the way we approach diet and health, enabling the collection and analysis of dietary, genetic, and microbiome data. Such platforms facilitate the provision of personalised nutrition advice directly to users.

Technological advancements have been pivotal in pushing personalised nutrition forward. Innovations include:¹

Deep learning for food image recognition

Deep learning has been a significant advancement for nutrient intake assessment. It involves the use of deep neural networks to classify food items from images, enabling more accurate dietary tracking.

NutriNet

A novel deep learning architecture specifically designed for food and drink image recognition, improving the accuracy of dietary assessments for personalised nutrition programmes.

Advancements in genomics have also contributed to the development of personalised nutrition. Incorporating genomices has enabled more precise and individualised dietary recommendations based on personal health data and dietary intake analysis. Examples include:¹

Nutrigenomics

Nutrigenomics explores the interaction between our genes and nutrition, offering insights into how our genetic makeup affects our response to different nutrients. This knowledge can guide the development of personalised diet plans that cater to individual nutritional needs.

Microbiome sequencing

The gut microbiome refers to the complex ecosystem of bacteria within your gut. Microbiome sequencing allows scientists to gain a deeper understanding of your microbiome’s impact on your health and nutrition. This analysis helps in tailoring dietary advice to support a healthy gut microbiome.

These technological and scientific advances represent the forefront of nutrition science, offering the possibility of dietary recommendations that are highly specific to each individual's genetic and microbial profile. By considering these differences, personalised nutrition has the potential to significantly improve health outcomes, marking a departure from the one-size-fits-all approach to dietary guidance. 

How effective are digital solutions for nutrition?

Researchers reviewed 20 different studies to see if tech tools could make a difference in how well people eat.² Most of the studies, 18 to be exact, focused on smartphone apps. They found that these apps can help people choose healthier foods and eat better. Out of all the studies, 14 showed that people who used these apps started eating healthier.

However, when it came to buying healthier groceries, the results were mixed. One study found that an app helped reduce the amount of salt people bought, but another study didn't see any difference compared to just getting advice in the usual way.

The apps seemed to work best for younger adults and women. They offer personalised tips, track your progress, and give feedback to encourage good eating habits. Regardless of whether the app was used alone or with other health tools, it was shown to still help people eat more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains while cutting down on fats and calories.

So, what is the final verdict? Apps can be a useful way to make better food choices and stick to a healthy diet, especially if they're fun and engaging. But, for the best results, these apps need to be tailored to fit each person's needs and keep them interested over time. The research studyalso mentions that it's important to consider different types of users when designing these apps, but it doesn't talk about how these apps are created or any theories behind them.

In short, this review suggests that with the right features and ongoing interest, smartphone apps can be a handy tool in improving what we eat and our overall nutrition.

Personalised digital solutions for youth nutritional wellness

A 2023 systematic review showed that video games and other digital methods can help kids learn about healthy eating.³ They can start to eat more fruits and vegetables, but this effect may not last without ongoing support. It also points out that these digital methods might need adjusting for overweight kids. The article suggests more research is needed for long-term success.

A 2019 study reported positive digital technologies can have a positive effect on teenagers’ knowledge and behaviour towards healthy eating.⁴ The different types of digital technologies studied included, games, web-based nutrition interventions, and multimedia nutritional advice. These technologies serve as innovative educational tools that fit into teenagers' daily lives, offering interactive and engaging methods to promote better dietary practices. 

Case studies and possible applications

Digital platforms like DigiHEALTH facilitate active and healthy living by integrating recommendation systems and personalised nutritional guidance into users' daily lives.⁵ These platforms exemplify how digital tools can support long-term health and wellness by addressing individual preferences and requirements.

A 2022 research study demonstrated how these tools can improve the management of specific conditions, such as post-bariatric hypoglycemia, by providing access to relevant data and enabling informed decision-making.⁶

Tailored prehabilitation for cancer patients

Personalised approaches are particularly beneficial in developing individualised prehabilitation programmes for cancer patients. A 2023 study highlighted the potential of digital technologies to enhance treatment outcomes through customised interventions.⁷

Imagine a patient recovering from cancer treatments. Their digital health coach will create a personalised programme to help rebuild the patient’s strength and energy before surgery. The programme may include:

• Nutritious high-protein smoothie recipes to help heal tissue
• Low-impact exercise videos to improve mobility and stamina
• Guided meditation sessions to reduce pre-surgery anxiety

FAQ’s

What are personalised digital health solutions?

Personalised digital health solutions include:

• Mobile apps, websites, and wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches or fitness trackers) that use your personal health data to provide tailored recommendations and feedback
• Other examples are calorie/food trackers, exercise programmes, and health coaching apps

How can personalised digital solutions help catch health issues early?

Digital tools can:

• Monitor your health data and alert you of potential problems sooner so you can take quick action
• Screen for health risks before they become too serious. Preventive care is so important!

How can personalised solutions help me get ready for medical procedures?

If you need surgery or treatment, personalised digital programmes can:

• Create customised fitness and nutrition plans tailored to your needs to help you prepare
• This "prehabilitation" helps you recover faster after the procedure

How do personalised solutions make healthy living easier?

Apps and websites can provide:

• Personalised healthy recipes, workout routines, and lifestyle tips matched to you
• This makes adopting nutritious eating and an active lifestyle more sustainable since it fits your preferences

How can personalised solutions improve my nutrition? 

Digital programmes can:

• Give nutritional recommendations customised to your health status and goals
• Help manage conditions like blood sugar levels or create meal plans

Summary

Personalised digital solutions represent a paradigm shift in nutritional wellness, offering customised health interventions and monitoring based on individual characteristics and needs. From enhancing early detection and health monitoring to improving dietary and nutritional management, these technologies support improved health outcomes and foster active and healthy living. As the digital health landscape continues to evolve, the integration of personalised solutions in nutritional wellness will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in advancing healthcare and wellness practices.