Get healthy with help from these 12 apps

I once heard a man say we should change our thinking from what we want "to do" to what we want "to become." I like that.

For example, in my quest to "become" a few pounds lighter, I can choose to try some new foods.

I can also choose to become healthier with these free smartphone apps:

ShopWell: Scans barcodes to help me decide if a food is a good match for my dietary needs. Creates grocery lists and helps me avoid ingredients I don't want.

Fooducate: Scans barcodes to provide detailed nutritional content of food products.

Food on the Table: Helps me find healthful recipes create menus and grocery shopping lists. Also locates nearby grocery stores.

Big Oven: Plans meals and menus and offers ideas on using leftovers.

Lose it! Helps me set up a calorie budget and tracks my calories, protein, carbs and fat each day. Also tracks daily exercise and helps me set goals.

My Fitness Pal. Measures my nutrient intake and physical activity each day and monitors my progress.

Runtastic: Tracks every detail of more than 20 physical activities including time, speed, elevation and distance. Can be linked to My Fitness Pal.

Pedometer Free GPS Plus: Tracks my walking (or running) distance and pace and monitors my heart rate and calories burned. Even creates a map of my walking or running route.

Instant Heart Rate: Uses my smartphone camera lens to detect my heart rate from the pulse in my fingertips. Then shows it on a graph.

CardioBuddy: Another free app that measures my heart rate with my smartphone.

Glucose Buddy: For people with diabetes; tracks glucose readings, carbohydrate intake, medication, and physical activity.

Diabetes Log: Another free app for people with diabetes. Tracks blood sugar readings, food intake and medication use.

Barbara Quinn is a registered dietitian. Email her at bquinnchomp.org.