What is the Daily Dozen?
Dr Michael Greger and the team at NutritionFacts.org have compiled a list of twelve things they believe we should eat, do, and take daily to thrive. This list, known as the Daily Dozen, is based on evidence gathered over time.
The purpose of the Daily Dozen is to encourage healthy eating. It does this by encouraging people to increase their consumption of whole-plant foods. As the name of the app suggests it encourages you to eat particular foods in your daily diet. It also promotes healthy lifestyle habits. Improving your plant intake matters. To make the list easier to remember, I have made an infographic.
List of Foods Promoting a Healthy Diet
Beans (three servings)
Berries (one serving)
Other fruits (three servings)
Cruciferous vegetables (one serving)
Greens (two servings)
Other vegetables (two servings)
Flax seeds ground (one serving)
Nuts and seeds (one serving)
Herbs and spices (one serving)
Whole grains (three servings)
Beverages (five servings)
Exercise (one session)
B12 (one serving)
Health Benefits of the Daily Dozen
Eating a plant-based diet can have numerous health benefits. According to Dr Greger and the NutritionFacts team, some of the health benefits of the Daily Dozen include:
Better Heart Health: Soluble fibre from foods like beans and flaxseeds can help reduce cholesterol and control blood sugar, lowering the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Heart disease is a leading cause of death, as highlighted in Dr Greger's book, "How Not to Die."
Improved Digestion and Gut Health: Following the Daily Dozen increases your fibre intake, which can improve digestion and gut microbiome health. Increased fibre can initially cause digestive upset, so increase gradually and drink enough water.
Increased Energy and Well-Being: A well-nourished body leads to better energy levels and overall mood.
Weight Management: The Daily Dozen focuses on low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods that help with weight management. It promotes whole food plant-based options and excludes processed foods.
Reduced Inflammation: Chronic inflammation can lead to disease. The Daily Dozen includes foods that help reduce inflammation, such as cruciferous vegetables and berries.
Lower Risk of Chronic Diseases: The Daily Dozen encourages the consumption of a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and regular physical activity, which can lower the risk of chronic diseases. Dr Greger notes, "The primary reason diseases tend to run in families may be that diets tend to run in families." The Daily Dozen helps break this cycle.
Daily Dozen App Review
Some of us work well with lists. I use them almost every day at work and frequently at home. They help us keep on track, focus, and prioritise our time. The Daily Dozen checklist is like a to-do list, but for eating and activities.
When this blog was written, the Daily Dozen app had over 500,000 downloads on Google Play and a score of 4.8 out of 5 with nearly 9,000 reviews. The general feeling from reviewers, including myself, is that the Daily Dozen app is user-friendly and convenient. You simply open the app and check off items as you complete them.
Having the app makes tracking your progress easier than remembering what you've eaten or keeping a food diary. The app is free and available for both Android and Apple devices.
How Does the Daily Dozen App Work?
Here's an example of how the app works: For breakfast, I have rolled oats with plant milk, defrosted blueberries, cinnamon, ground flax meal, and two servings of kale. This covers several servings on the Daily Dozen checklist. By tapping the 'i' icon in the app, you can find serving guidelines and more information.
For one meal, I can check off boxes for berries, flax, herbs and spices, cruciferous vegetables, greens, and whole grains. Adding a banana, a glass of water, and a coffee covers even more boxes. It's easy to check off items when you plan meals thoughtfully.
Daily Dozen App Tweaks
The app includes a Tweaks section for those managing their weight, based on Dr Greger's book, "How Not to Diet." This section includes checkboxes for:
Preloading
Vinegar
Mindful eating
The twenty-minute rule
Spices
Nutritional yeast
Green tea
Hydration
Deflouring your diet
Front-loading your calories
Time-restricted eating
Exercise timing
Weighing yourself twice a day
Intentions
Fasting
Sleep
Mild Trendelenburg
What I Like About the Daily Dozen App
The Daily Dozen app is perfect for those of us who like to be challenged or need help thinking about making our meals whole food plant-based. It gamifies meal planning, encouraging you to add healthy foods to increase your score. The app educates you with examples, serving sizes, and video links, helping you make informed decisions.
You can use the app as a food diary, and if you use it regularly, you can track your progress with helpful graphs. It's a tool to help you develop and maintain healthy habits, focusing on improvement rather than perfection.
Pros and Cons of the Daily Dozen App
Pros:
Encourages you to build a daily routine and positive habits
Includes the healthiest foods known to research
No calorie counting; focus on adding healthy foods
Gives a simple way to track food intake without complication
Provides plenty of choices about food
Notifications to remind you to update your list
User-friendly and includes a weight loss section
Promotes unprocessed, whole foods
Provides nutritional education
Encourages mindful eating and positive habits
Progress tracking with graphs
It promotes a vegan diet with no animal products making the list
It makes vegan food interesting to people who may be averse to trying it
Evidence-based-nutrition
Encourages you to increase your activity level
You can eat carbs! A slice of bread is not off-limits nor is a sweet potato
Graphs for those of us who like data
Cons:
Pressure to check all boxes
Technical issues with updates
Exercise requirements may be demanding
A one-size-fits-all approach to servings
Limited to three servings of whole grains
There are no meal plans, you have to get creative
Some Areas For App Improvement
Expand on App Features
The Daily Dozen app could benefit from more detailed explanations of its functionality. A how-to-use the app for new users might help people to access all the functions. Adding recipe examples and daily updates can help users make better-informed decisions about their dietary choices.
Include User Experiences
Incorporating testimonials or user experiences can provide real-world context and credibility to the app. At the moment Dr Greger is the face of NutritionFacts.org, which we love, but it would be nice to hear from some 'ordinary people'. Hearing from others who have successfully used the Daily Dozen app to improve their health can be motivating and inspiring for users.
If you decide to try the app, let me know your results. Do you have anything to add to my review? For more on plant-based dietary theory read: G-Bombs Foods Explained and Listed. Thank you for reading. If you found this post helpful, please save and share.