SmartPlate Review - 10 Things You Need to Know

SmartPlate – an app and food tracking device recognized by Forbes magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and more. The device was even on the ABC television show Shark Tank. There aren’t many products on the market like this one, so this may have its growing pains.

Our research team jumped on it and took a long look at the app to see how it measures weight and ingredients and how it presents the data. Here’s what they found.

SmartPlate can be purchased through their Official Site.

What is SmartPlate?

SmartPlate is a product that connects to a phone app allowing users to instantly analyze and process up to three separate food items. It provides accurate measurements of calories, carbohydrates, protein, fat, sodium, and more, which is why elite athletes and coaches use the technology.

It is an original plate that can analyze everything you consume. Its food recognition technology can explore combinations of foods, single foods, and mixed foods. To assess the food, it uses a camera, weight sensor, and algorithms to find the plate’s nutritional value.

• Journal of Health and Medical Informatics – The idea for the SmartPlate evolved as a solution to the laborious task of manually logging food intake on a diet.
• Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society – There’s some research to indicate that once establishing the weight of food in each section, you can also determine individual bite weight.
• Obesity Science and Practice – It looks like some research claims portion-controlled plates may be an effective alternative. “This study revealed some potential moderators for the plate‐size‐effect, such as the type of dish, and its associated appeal and familiarity, and provided useful indications about the effectiveness of small plates for food reduction.”

The SmartPlate app is ideal for those who are on the go as it allows for mobile functionality. It is a simple program that works by holding your phone up to your plate and snapping a food picture. It is considered the world’s first intelligent nutrition platform. SmartPlate is compatible with operating programs such as Android and iOS.

How Did SmartPlate Start?

Anthony Ortiz designed the SmartPlate. Ortiz created the plate after his father fell ill. According to Ortiz, his father had to undergo triple bypass surgery, and the doctor told him, “you know, your father could have avoided this if he ate a bit better and was a little more active.”

It was then that Anthony started to read health books continuously. He says that one book stood out to him more than the others, The China Study by Dr. Colin Campbell. It was within this book Ortiz read something that sparked the beginning idea behind SmartPlate. Dr. Colin Campbell mentions in his book that proper nutrition could be a key to better health.

Scroll below for one of the best products we’ve seen over the last year.

SmartPlate Claims

SmartPlate claims to be “backed by science.” The technology has also won the “American Heart Science Research Award.”

SmartPlate claims that people, even those who are “health-conscious,” tend to misestimate food portions.

They also claim that people estimate their portion sizes wrong by as much as 40 percent. However, the SmartPlate offers three partitions to correctly measure the suggested combination of protein, carbohydrates, and fats.

SmartPlate Goals

Just like a supplement, or a diet, SmartPlate offers a distinct set of goals. These goals include helping users maintain general health by reducing large portions of carbohydrates and balancing them.

Some specific goals stated include:

• Weight Management
• Strength and Power
• Energy and Endurance
• Hydration
• Portion Control

Does SmartPlate Work?

So, does portion control work in terms of weight loss and general health? According to the International Journal of Obesity, maybe. The studies say, “Although portion control is important for weight management, urging people simply to ‘eat less’ of all foods may not be the best approach. A more effective strategy may be to encourage people to increase the proportion of foods low in energy density in their diets while limiting portions of high-energy-dense foods.” The SmartPlate not only helps with portion control, but it analyzes nutritional content, a win-win in our eyes.

According to the International Journal of Obesity, “The approach involves teaching people to select appropriate portions and to use tools that facilitate portion control.” This quote directly says that portion control plates prove to help lose weight.

There are many studies specifically addressing portion control and weight loss. This article, supplied by the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health, shows that portion control can be effective for women. According to the report, “A pilot study was conducted to determine if a nutritional intervention aimed at portion control leads to significant weight loss in a community of low-income Mexican American women.”

The study continues into the effects of portion control, “The mean weight loss in the intervention group was 6.57 pounds (2.9 kg) compared to a mean weight loss of 2.8 pounds in the standard care group.”

In a real-life setting, media and news outlets, like ABC News,  are beginning to recognize the potential smart technology like this can have for weight loss and weight maintenance.

SmartPlate Benefits and Results

A benefit of the SmartPlate is reassurance that, as of now, it isn’t going anywhere. SmartPlate won $100000 in flash funding in 2017. SmartPlate and the Indiegogo campaign have made future developments obtainable. Indiegogo’s Arrow Certification program made bringing products to market also accessible.

Thanks to funding from Indiegogo, SmartPlate is looking to have a future. This is especially important because of the outcome on the show Shark Tank as none of the experts picked up on the deal.

Other benefits of the SmartPlate include that you no longer have to worry about calorie counting, calculating portion sizes yourself, and the fear of overeating. SmartPlate allows people to eat less, without much thought.

According to the CDC, most people overeat unintentionally, which can make room for some benefits of portion control. Additionally, the International Journal of Obesity found that, “If people lower the energy density of their diet, they can eat satisfying portions while managing their body weight.” The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute found that testing yourself on portion control can be an effective tool.

Details on SmartPlate and Weight Loss

SmartPlate reviews are mixed. Some revere the intelligent plate, while others think it is a waste of their money. That’s exactly how you’d expect results to be with any tech product. The real answer to whether or not SmartPlate can help you lose weight is in the science and real-life results.

More than a decade ago, researchers started looking into portion control plates. At that time, the technology to provide detailed nutrition data hadn’t been developed, yet, the results of the study showed people who watched portion control lost more weight, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

According to the journal Appetite, and the Portion-Control Strategies Trial, “results further demonstrate the robust nature of the portion size effect and reinforce that reducing meal ED [energy density] is an effective way to moderate energy intake in the presence of large portions.”

Today, innovation allows you to analyze portion size and nutrition from the comfort of your home by snapping a picture. This is an exciting development that has sparked quite a bit of research, including publications on modern health technology in the British Actuarial Journal, Trends in Personalized Nutrition and Trends in Food Science & Technology.

How to Use SmartPlate

According to the official website, “Just load the microwave-safe plate with your favorite food items, snap a photo with your phone, and get all your nutrition information instantly. SmartPlate will accurately identify, analyze, and track your entire meal, giving you a level of accuracy and convenience that has never been possible before.”

What Users Are Saying

“I’ve been using SmartPlate for 3 months and I am blown away! Tracking my meals and macros used to be such a pain — but now it’s finally easy. I don’t have to spend 15 minutes tracking each calorie — SmartPlate does it for me.”

“The app is clumsy and the product scale is not accurate.”

The Bottom Line on SmartPlate

We have to say, we’re impressed with SmartPlate. Portion control has a ton of research showing it helps with weight loss, as does the impact of lowering the energy density (calories) of a meal. We know these things work. SmartPlate provides access to information about the foods you eat that once required measuring, counting, tracking – basically tons of time – in seconds. We like that and this product.

Are you looking for long-term weight-loss? If so, we suggest going with an affordable program that supports you through your weight-loss journey and beyond.

Among the best products we’ve seen this year is one called Noom. This doctor-designed program is unlike any other on the market. You get real human coaching, not some automated responses. Your meal plans are personalized base on what you like and the amount of weight you want to lose. Plus, you get food tracking, exercise tracking, expert articles and more – all in a clinically-proven program.

As an excellent sign of confidence in their program, the makers of Noom are Dietspotlight readers offering a free trial offer.