Popular pregnancy apps ‘encouraging eating disorders’
POPULAR pregnancy apps could be wrongly telling women to cut foods from their diet and could encourage eating disorders, health experts have warned.
An investigation by The Daily Telegraph found that a number of smartphone apps, which have been downloaded thousands of times, are offering advice inconsistent with NHS guidance on what to eat while pregnant. Items wrongly included on lists of ”foods to avoid” were camomile tea, tuna sandwiches, eggs and pepperoni pizza.
According to the NHS, pregnant women should avoid raw meat, mould-ripened soft cheeses, alcohol, certain types of fish, liver and pâté. Canned tuna is safe to eat but should be limited to four cans per week.
Sarah Walford, a Londonbased nutritionist, described the apps’ advice as “ridiculous” and warned that giving women lists of “unsafe” produce could lead to them developing unhealthy relationships with food.
She said: “I am very concerned about these apps leading to eating disorders such as orthorexia or anxiety in pregnant women.
“Lists of food to avoid may lead to women endlessly checking ingredients in their foods. The advice for women to be cautious to drink camomile tea is ridiculous. Camomile tea especially is soothing.”
Dr Abigail Easter, an expert on eating disorders during pregnancy, said lists of foods to avoid could be very confusing for pregnant women with a history of eating
‘Lists of food to avoid may lead to women endlessly checking ingredients’
disorders and lead to anxieties.
“I have spoken to women with a history of eating disorders who find long lists of foods to avoid very difficult. They become confused by all the information, leading to anxieties,” she said.
“For such women, it is really important to speak to a health expert before cutting out any foods from their diet or look at targeted information available to them.”
Health experts have raised concerns about the reliability of nutritional advice included in the apps.
“Many of these apps include information on nutrition but there is concern about the scientific validity of the nutritional content spoken about in these apps because the apps haven’t been evaluated to their scientific quality or the evidence,” said Angela Flynn, a research associate from the Department of Women and Children’s Health at King’s College London.
Apps developed in other countries, such as the US, could be giving nutritional advice that is different to UK standards, Dr Flynn said.
The NHS is developing an official list of quality approved health apps but for now it only includes two pregnancy apps, which do not offer food safety advice.
The Food Standards Authority cautioned against following the apps’ advice. It said: “We would always recommend that expectant mothers follow the evidence-based general advice on the NHS Choices website.
“If pregnant mothers have specific conditions, they should contact their GP or midwife for advice.”