Over the past two months I’ve been brainstorming ideas for startups. I’m increasingly anxious to get some of my work out into the public eye so I can really get a feel for what caliber of programmer I am.
One of those ideas is loosely based on Fitocracy, an application which uses game mechanics to encourage efficient workouts. It’s a winner because while few people know which exercises are better than others anyone can look at a points total and see how the exercises they chose measure up against someone else’s. I figured if someone can make it that easy to see which exercises you can do then there is a niche for someone to come along and do the same thing to show which food is better than others.
The goal of this system would be healthy eating as opposed to weight loss and would assign higher point values for healthier foods. The methodology of diet plans which use points like a cost is flawed. Why? People don’t like to spend things but we love to collect them: especially points!
The unique position such a service would be in would allow calculations based on what else you have eaten that day, week and month as well. Been having too much sugar from juice, for example? We can give you point penalties based on the combination of food you’ve been eating. Have you eaten a lot of really good food recently? We can reward you with badges and recognition from your friends.
Oh yeah, did I forget to mention friends? That’s another thing that traditional nutrition systems don’t take into consideration. Keeping your friends in the loop to the general status of your eating habits can let them congratulate you, or serve as a warning ;)
Obviously there is a lot to flesh out and a lit of work to be done getting proper information on food. I’m still amazed at how much work the Fitocracy team goes through to get the numbers crunched for any given exercise. But I’d still love to do it and I think it’s about time I stopped wishing.
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