Digestion Obsession: MyFitnessPal Introduces a Gut Health Nutrition Plan, Recipe Collection, and New In-App Features

No. 1 nutrition and food tracking app launches nutrition plan, recipe collection, and new features including daily check-ins, in-app quizzes, and Food Group Insights to help users fuel better to feel better

NEW YORK, May 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- From cringey to cool, the once private conversations around gut health now dominate social media feeds and news headlines. But as people become aware of the important role gut health plays in overall wellness, there remains a knowledge gap in what, exactly, contributes to better gut health. In response, the no. 1 global nutrition and food tracking app, MyFitnessPal collaborated with MyFitnessPal Scientific Advisory Council Member Dr. Janese Laster, to create the Gut Health Nutrition Plan, available now to all members for free in the MyFitnessPal app. The week-long plan includes nutrition ideas and suggestions, quizzes that test knowledge and assess current eating habits, and daily check-ins that encourage reflection on progress and current knowledge to help enable behavior change and fuel motivations.

According to a recent MyFitnessPal survey¹ 86% of people say they're aware of the importance of maintaining gut health and 43% actively seek out gut health-related information. However, only 18% consider themselves to be "very" knowledgeable about what contributes to gut health. "It's no secret that what you eat plays a huge role in gut health, so developing better eating habits and focusing on nutrition can ultimately enhance focus, energy, mood, sleep, and weight," ^2,3,4,5 explains Dr. Laster, MyFitnessPal Scientific Advisory Council member and founder of Gut Theory Total Digestive Care.

For example, one study recommends that a way to improve gut health is to eat 30 diverse fruits and vegetables in a week.⁶ MyFitnessPal's survey found that despite 85% of people trying to incorporate a variety of fruits and vegetables into their diet to improve gut health, only 2% are consuming more than 20 fruits and vegetables each week. To bring even more awareness to a person's food intake, MyFitnessPal introduced a free feature, Food Group Insights, which gives members an overview of the number of foods they logged in a week categorized by food groups. And to support members in reaching their gut health goals through nutrition, MyFitnessPal introduced a new gut health recipe collection featuring high-fiber recipes that include a variety of fruits and vegetables.

"People are starting to hone in on their gut health in an effort to improve and boost their energy levels or reach certain health goals like weight loss, and as our members become more educated and aware about their own gut health, we want to empower them with the appropriate resources like our nutrition plan," explains Katie Keil, MyFitnessPal Chief Marketing Officer. "By also incorporating 'daily check-ins', we further support users by helping them become more aware of their habits and putting the power in their hands to develop and nurture behavior change."

For more information on MyFitnessPal, visit www.myfitnesspal.com or download the app for free via the App Store or Google Play.

About MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal is the #1 global nutrition and food tracking app for achieving health goals, especially weight management. Since 2005, MyFitnessPal has empowered over 200 million users in over 120 countries to improve their health by tracking their food, recording exercise activity, and logging their weight. As one of the world's most trusted resources on nutrition, MyFitnessPal's mission is to help people around the world reach their health goals through better food choices by providing knowledge, motivation and a sense of progress. With one of the largest food databases in the world comprising over 19 million foods, access to over 500 recipes, more than 50 workout routines and exercise demos, and over 40 connected fitness partners, MyFitnessPal provides users with tools for positive healthy change. The MyFitnessPal app is available on the App Store and Google Play store. To learn more, visit www.myfitnesspal.com or follow MyFitnessPal on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and Twitter.

¹ Survey fielded in April 2024 with 4000 people across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia.
² Zhang YJ, Li S, Gan RY, Zhou T, Xu DP, Li HB. Impacts of gut bacteria on human health and diseases. Int J Mol Sci. 2015;16(4):7493-7519. Published 2015 Apr 2. doi:10.3390/ijms16047493
³ Hu S, Li A, Huang T, et al. Gut Microbiota Changes in Patients with Bipolar Depression. Adv Sci (Weinh). 2019;6(14):1900752. Published 2019 May 15. doi:10.1002/advs.201900752
⁴ Smith RP, Easson C, Lyle SM, et al. Gut microbiome diversity is associated with sleep physiology in humans. PLoS One. 2019;14(10):e0222394. Published 2019 Oct 7. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0222394
⁵ Byrne, C., Chambers, E., Morrison, D. et al. The role of short chain fatty acids in appetite regulation and energy homeostasis. Int J Obes 39, 1331–1338 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2015.84
⁶ Knight R 2018. American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research. mSystems. 2018: 3:10.1128/msystems.00031-18. https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00031-18

SOURCE MyFitnessPal