Wuchopperen Health Service Limited will celebrate the Dietitians Association of Australia Smart Eating Week (12 – 18 February) by promoting the GOOD TUCKER app which gives food items thumbs up, thumbs across, or thumbs down depending on how healthy they are.
Members of Wuchopperen’s Allied Health team including Community Dietitian Matthew Topping, Coordinator Allied Health Service Michelle Dougan, Diabetes Educator Tony Pappas, Dietitian Sue Charlesworth, and Exercise Physiologist Myles Hardy will wheel a trolley of common food items around Wuchopperen clinics next week, show clients how the app works, and spark conversations about why particular foods get a thumbs up, across or down.
Community Dietitian Matthew Topping said the app was a useful tool to help people make healthy choices around what to eat.
‘Your smart phone can help you make smart choices,’ Matthew explained.
‘Sometime the nutrition panels on food items can be complex – using the Thumbs Up app gives people a quick rating to help them make a better choice.’
‘There’s no need to up end your diet, the key messages are around scanning a couple of your regular items and if they come up thumbs down or thumbs across, scanning another one to see if it’s a thumbs up. Small changes are all that’s needed. The other thing to remember is that the healthy choice is not always the expensive choice – a home brand bag of rolled oats for example, is only a few dollars.
‘We are looking forward to taking our trolley into the clinics and having a chat with clients about the ratings, and why common foods may be rated thumbs up or thumbs down. This app is all about giving people the knowledge to make good choices.’
App demonstrations will take place across Wuchopperen clinics on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 February and at Wuchopperen’s Edmonton Clinic on Thursday 15 February.
Find out more about Smart Eating Week here
Find out more about the GOOD TUCKER app here
The GOOD TUCKER app was developed by Uncle Jimmy Thumbs Up!, The University of South Australia and Menzies School of Health Research in partnership with The George Institute, to provide a simple way for people to identify the healthiest food and drink options available in stores.
