KFDA - NewsChannel 10 / Amarillo News, Weather, SportsFederal government fights obesity with free food tracker

AMARILLO, Texas - The new year can be the perfect time to turn over a new leaf.  For those resolving to lose weight, now is the perfect time to take advantage of the Super Tracker.

The Super Tracker is an online food tracking device just launched by the U.S. government. It can track how much a person eats, exercises and provides a nutritional index for more than 8,000 food items.

Over the years, these kind of tracking devices have been big money makers for major weight loss companies but now it's available online for free. It is the government's latest push to fight obesity. Eat Rite nutritionist Tim Cunningham says it is a much safer alternative to a fad diet.

"Whether it's fat-free or whether it's high protein or low carbohydrates, sugar free or a 500-calorie starvation kind of diet, I think when somebody sits back and thinks... You know, is that really safe? I think most people would probably answer, "No, it's really not,"' Cunningham said.

You can access the Super Tracker on the link provided. The U.S. government is also in the process of creating a mobile app.