Mindfulness and nutrition apps

Do mindfulness and meditation apps help with stress?

They may help a little, but the effects tend to be small and short-lived. Most electronic mindfulness programmes were effective for stress reduction, though only a few of them were mobile apps⁴. Mindfulness apps have also been linked with small reductions in symptoms of depression and anxiety¹.

The picture is mixed. Mindfulness apps made no clear difference to distress or general well-being⁵, and they were no better for stress than other structured activities, such as a communication-skills course⁶. Where stress did improve, it is best read as a short-term improvement, not a lasting change in how easily you feel stressed².

If you'd like to try one, here is how to approach it:

• Keep sessions short. One guided session a day is one option, with sessions of about 6 to 12 minutes².
• Treat it as a trial run. If it isn't helping or you've lost interest after a few weeks, it's fine to stop. Many people drift away from these apps, most often because they lose interest or are short of time⁶.
• Keep other things you enjoy. Mindfulness is one way to unwind, and it sits alongside walks, hobbies and time with people rather than replacing them.
• Notice how you feel. Mindfulness doesn't suit everyone. If it leaves you feeling worse, ease off, and get advice if that persists.

Are nutrition tracking apps worth using?

They can be worth trying if you keep it simple, though there is little good evidence on food-tracking apps themselves. Most of what is known comes from weight-loss programmes for adults with overweight or obesity. In that setting, tracking digitally was linked with greater weight loss on 50 of 68 occasions (74%)³. That is a link, not proof: people who track more may differ from people who track less in other ways³.

Keeping going is the hard part. Of programmes that asked people to weigh themselves daily, 11 of 17 (65%) reached at least 50% of days, but only 1 (6%) reached 75% of days³. Drifting away is common and says nothing bad about you.

What may make it easier to keep up:

• Start small. Log one meal a day, or a few days a week.
• Let the tool do the work. In 10 of 12 programmes, engagement was higher for something recorded automatically, such as a scale that syncs by itself, than for something typed in by hand³.
• Choose tools with feedback and your own small goals. Inactive adults were more likely to accept and keep using these⁷.

Tracking doesn't suit everyone. Some people felt bad when their activity numbers dropped⁸. If it starts to feel stressful, switch it off or simplify it.

For advice about what to eat, especially with a long-term condition, ask your doctor or a dietitian rather than relying on an app.

When to check with a health professional

If you're starting exercise after a long break, it's always a good idea to see your doctor first. This matters especially if you have a long-term health condition⁹.

For an injury or a health condition, see a health professional, such as your doctor or a physio.

Mindfulness apps are a way of managing everyday stress, not a treatment for a mental health condition. Use them alongside professional care, not instead of it. If you have ongoing low mood or anxiety, talk to your doctor or a mental health service. If worry about food or eating persists, see a doctor or contact an eating disorder support service (findahelpline.com lists them by country).

Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure (or pain spreading to the arm, neck, jaw or back, especially with sweating or feeling sick), severe breathlessness, fainting or collapse, signs of a stroke, a serious injury, or someone who isn't safe. If you have thoughts of self-harm, contact a local crisis line (findahelpline.com lists free services in every country) or call your local emergency number.