14 DAY TRIAL // You don't need to know math in order to eat something, nor to know which foods are healthier than others (like vegetables vs. junk food), but basic arithmetic can be a big help if you base your diet on the number of calories you consume each day.
Unfortunately, as helpful as diet guides are, and as accurate as estimates are in regards to what food types have this or that many calories, you can never know for sure.
Or, rather, this was the case until recently. Now, though, microwave ovens can gain the ability to count the calories in whatever meal you put inside them.
GE Global Research are the ones that invented the calorie-counter technology. It's a sort of foil to the technology featured in wearable electronics, like wrist bands that count how many calories you've burned during your jog or workout routine.
"We are developing advanced sensor technology to make estimation of dietary calories in food as simple as the touch of a button," said Matt Webster, a cell biologist at GE working on diagnostics, imaging and biomedical technologies.
The new microwave oven being developed by GE Global Research measures fat content, water content and the overall weight of the food you're preparing for consumption. The different ways that water and fat interact with microwaves allow for an easy distinction.
The researchers believe that having the information always available will allow users to start modifying their diets and daily lives according to it.
It will take some time before the public is swayed en masse, however, if it ever happens, because microwaves can only do so much.
Defrosting something, or heating up a hamburger or pizza slice, is good for a quick snack, but actual food isn't made with help from the microwave at all. People with healthy lifestyles, especially families, will use such an oven only a third of the time, if even that often. Besides, you don't use the microwave for, say, a bow of cereals, or to boil a stew.
Nevertheless, the GE Global Research team believe they could integrate calorie sensors inside plates and cups. Eventually, by combining the readings from food “scanners” with those taken by fitness trackers, everyone will be able to manage their health in real time.
Unfortunately, long-term benefits might not be a strong enough incentive for people to pay attention to these readings even if all ovens and other kitchen appliances integrate the sensors at no extra cost. We'll have to wait and see if any short-term benefits like tastier meals, easier preparation and quick cleanup are added to the mix somehow.
