The See How You Eat app, a Finnish food diary tool, lets users capture their daily meals through photos. Thanks to a new partnership, the app is now used by over 200 athletes in sports academies.
Laura Manner, Nutrition Specialist at the Finnish Olympic Committee: “The See How You Eat food diary provides a comprehensive overview of an athlete’s nutrition.”
This photo-based diary app helps athletes and their support teams, including nutrition specialists, observe meal patterns, the adequacy of nutrition, and its variety.
– “Few of us can recall exactly what we ate or drank even a week ago, making it challenging to form an accurate picture of our eating habits,” says Laura Manner, a nutrition specialist at the Finnish Olympic Committee.
The See How You Eat food diary offers a vital tool for monitoring and assessing athletes’ diets. The photos athletes upload to the app are accessible to Manner in real-time through the app’s PRO version.
– “Traditional written food diaries require estimating or weighing food quantities. In contrast, with a photo-based diary, portions can be assessed visually, making it much easier to use.”
A Unique Food Diary App Without Dietary Recommendations
Unlike most food diary apps that provide data interpretations and guidelines based on general dietary recommendations, Manner wanted an app that offered none.
– “Such recommendations are usually tailored to the average person’s energy needs. However, we’re all individuals, and few of us fit the ‘average’ mold, especially athletes whose energy demands vary greatly. I wanted a tool that avoids directing the user. The See How You Eat app provides athletes an easy platform for reporting and communicating with their nutrition experts.”
– “Using the See How You Eat PRO version designed for professionals, I can view athletes’ food diaries directly and in real-time. Each licensed athlete’s account is linked to my professional account, so sending images separately is unnecessary.”
Challenges with Adequate Nutrition Among Athletes
Manner gains a comprehensive view of an athlete’s diet and quality through See How You Eat PRO.
A one-week diary period is ideal. Training and rest days, as well as weekends and weekdays, often differ, but weeks tend to follow similar patterns. Diaries are typically scheduled during training periods unless the goal is to analyze competition season nutrition.
– “Certain basics are central to an athlete’s diet, with adequacy of food being a common challenge. On demanding training weeks, there can be days when nutrition doesn’t match the workload. I often use a portion size guide alongside the food diary, which helps assess whether, for instance, the amount of pasta on the plate provides enough energy.”
– “Another important aspect is meal timing. In the busy lives of athletes, there can be long gaps between meals. Instead of three meals, five would be better.”
– “We also talk a lot about the variety of food. Photos make it easy to see whether meals include vegetables, dairy, whole grains, or healthy fats. Together with the athlete, we work on solutions for improving fiber intake or adding carbohydrates.”
– “The food diary helps athletes practice becoming aware of their eating habits. Once the basics are in place, they can approach eating more flexibly and easily. A healthy, straightforward relationship with food is a good foundation for athletes.”
A Supportive Tool for Top Performance for Athletes
Manner is pleased to have found an effective tool for her work as a nutrition specialist.
– “See How You Eat ” is easy for athletes and nutrition professionals. Since it’s a Finnish app, it’s easier to communicate development requests.”
Supporting Top Performances with the New PRO Service
Mia Karlsson, the app’s developer, is excited to contribute to building success stories for Finnish athletes.
– “We joined this collaboration with the Olympic Committee to support Finnish athletes in achieving top performances through diverse and nourishing eating. From time to time, the media has highlighted the insufficient eating habits of female athletes, which have led to various issues in their athletic careers.”
This user-friendly and visual app naturally guides athletes toward sufficient, regular eating.
– “Maybe one day we’ll read about the results achieved thanks to successful nutrition. Providing our See How You Eat PRO service to coaching teams is the least we can do to support Finnish elite sports,” Karlsson celebrates.
For more information:
Laura Manner, Sports Nutrition Specialist, MSc, Finnish Olympic Committee, High-Performance Unit laura.manner(at)olympiakomitea.fi
Mia Karlsson, Founder & CEO, See How You Eat, Health Revolution Oy Ltd
mia(at)seehowyoueat.com