Smash Your Food for the iPad is available until September 5 for $1.99 but I was able to get it on a FREE day. This game makes kids, ages 5 – 12, and parents aware of the sugar, salt, and oil content of common foods  – in a fun way. Kids can choose 40 different foods to smash in the 5 levels of the game. A child starts by entering his/her name, gender, age, and activity level. The app then generates the maximum amount of sugar, salt, and oil that child should have per day. A food is put into the “smasher” and the child guesses how much sugar, salt, and oil are in that food. Then the food is literally smashed (sound effects included) and points are awarded based on how close the guesses are to the actual content. As the child progresses through the levels, his/her parents are emailed personalized nutrition tips and advice.

This app has received a lot of press. It was chosen as one of the winners in the “Michelle Obama’s Apps for Healthy Kids” competition. It was featured on the Today Show. Here is link to an article about it from CBS News: “Smash your food” app breaks down sugar, salt and oil content of kids’ meals – HealthPop – CBS News. This app helps make kids aware of what’s in the food that they are eating – a step in the right direction towards making our kids healthier!

Highly recommended!