We recently sat down with Fitness Professional, Abbie Appel to dive into some interesting facts about nutrition and the benefits of using an EatSmart Digital Nutrition Scale. Abbie, tell us about yourself. I've been in the fitness industry for many years. I develop fitness programs and courses for a few different fitness companies and I teach these programs to instructors and trainers at conferences and workshops. I'm also in the trenches as a trainer and instructor and have the opportunity to counsel my clients with their fitness needs and weight-loss issues. When did your passion for health and fitness begin? It started in college, when I began to gain weight in my freshman year. I loved the way working out made me feel and look and began teaching classes and training clients as a way to make extra money during summer break. You’ve been using our EatSmart Digital Nutrition Scale out for over four months now. What are some of the benefits of using this particular food scale? I love how precise it is. This scale allows my clients and I to learn exactly what we’re eating. There is no ambiguity. I’m back in school getting another degree in dietetics and one of my courses required me to measure exactly what I was eating. I found out after using the scale that I was eating almost 1000 kcals more than I originally thought. What’s more, I also found out that I was eating around 35% fat. I was completely shocked. So, now I’m able to modify my caloric and fat intake and it’s easier to monitor my weight. People seem to be interested in knowing the calories, carbohydrates, total fat, protein and sodium in their food, but many ask how necessary is it to know the Fiber, Potassium, Magnesium, Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, Calcium, Vitamin K? It’s extremely important. Many people are measuring kcals, carbs, fat, protein and sodium because they have an illness caused by obesity, such as hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol. However, all the micronutrients as well as Fiber and Saturated Fats have an impact on these diseases. Potassium is good example. Research has shown Potassium can lower blood pressure. So people with hypertension might want to eat food with potassium such as potatoes and bananas. The scale can tell you exactly how much is in each food item and if you’re getting the RDA of it. Would you consider the EatSmart Digital Nutrition Scale a “must have tool” for a person who is trying to lose weight? Absolutely! Most people who are trying to lose weight are eating more or less than they should to actually lose weight or lose weight safely and keep it off. This scale and guide provided with the scale, can tell us precisely how much we are should eat based on our current weight, activity level and weight-loss goal. Who would else benefit from using this scale? Anyone with any fitness/health goal. Whether you are measuring calories to lose weight or macronutrients such as carbs, proteins and fats to gain muscle for a sport or improve your ability to play that sport, the scale could help because it tells you exactly what you’re eating and what your needs are. Is the scale easy to use? Did you find any neat features? Super easy to use. It gives you hundreds of food items, so there is no problem, finding the food you need to weigh. If you do have access to a food label the Instruction manual even gives you a place to record it for future use. Another thing I love about the scale is that it’s sleek in design. Many scales are ugly and I need to hide them in my cabinet. This one is really attractive; I can leave it on my counter. This is great, because it’s easily assessable and makes it easy to weigh EVERYTHING! And last, but not least, Abbie, how do you yourself ‘eat smart’? My EatSmart Nutrition Scale is an invaluable tool. I love it for my clients. It makes it very easy for them to eat healthfully. In the past, it’s been challenging trying to figure how much you’re eating and then lose weight. Many of my clients get frustrated when they don’t lose weight after trying so hard to estimate what they’re eating. Now the guess is over, the food scale tells you exactly what you eating and helps you live a healthier life. Story by: Karen Welby, Marketing Director of EatSmart Products For more information on Abbie Appel, please visit her website by clicking here.