There has never been more awareness about the food we eat. Many people are careful about the choices they make when it comes to food, whether it’s choosing the latest “superfood,” tracking calories or carbs with a fitness tracker, or considering the health benefits of a vegan diet. Each bite is a deliberate decision for many of us.

According to lead author and new app developer Katherine Appleton, “almost everyone knows they should eat five a day.

But when they looked a little further, as explained by her, “it was clear that a lot of people did not know what counts towards the target, they did not know what a portion size is, and many did not realise that they needed to eat five different things.

The findings of the study “also showed that lower knowledge was associated with lower consumption of fruits and vegetables,” adds the author.

Previous research conducted at Bournemouth University indicated that while the majority of individuals in the UK are aware of the message that they should consume five portions of fruit and vegetables every day, they have limited knowledge of how to achieve this goal.

According to Public Health England data, just one-third of adults and 12% of children aged eleven to eighteen consume the recommended quantity.

The free SMART-5-A-DAY app was designed to help users understand portion sizes and see how the fruits and vegetables they consume contribute to their daily objectives. The user chooses the fruit or vegetable they just ate and is then asked how much of it they ate.

When they enter that amount, the app will let them know whether it made up a full or partial portion and how much more would be required to make it a complete portion. Additionally, it keeps track of how many steps they have taken toward the five-per-day goal.

“What is unique about this app is,” according to Professor Appleton, “that as well as tracking daily fruit and vegetable intake, it teaches people about portion size, so they get to the point where they know what they need to eat themselves. 

“We think this will be an effective tool to improve people’s diets for the long term, rather than simply for the short period that they use the app,” adds the professor.

A study of an earlier prototype version that was reviewed by experts found that it helped users change the way they ate and understand what they needed to do to get the daily recommended intake.

The version launched today features a number of revisions based on user input from the prototype trial, which the researchers think will result in greater dietary changes among its users.

Beginning on December 29, SMART 5-A-DAY will be available for Android phones in the Google Play Store.