Sante. (nutritional software) (evaluation)
by Karen Lee Siepak

Can't afford the services of a registered dietitian to put you and your menus in a healthful frame of mind? Sante puts one in your kitchen. The government's nutritional guidelines come build in and make eating for optimum health less troublesome.

Developed by Hopkins Technology with the assistance of a registered dietitian, Sante describes the nutritional content of over 2000 foods and analyzes how your meals measure up against the U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowances (USRDA) for your age and gender. The program offers analyses of food, which check specifically for 29 nutrients, compare saturated and unsaturated fats, and calculate the percentage of protein, carbohydrates, and fats in your diet.

Analyze a single food, recipe, meal, day, or range of days; the results are displayed or printed in easy-to-read reports and bar charts. Some discoveries prove unpleasant: Your Sunday eggs, bacon, and biscuits give you double the maximum USRDA for cholestrol.

You say you want healthful alternatives to you old standbys? Try the 12 included recipes and the hundreds you receive once you've registered as a Sante owner. All recipes are dietitian tested, and you can import them - and your own recipes - with the touch of a key.

Plan a week's worth of meals and make adjustments to reduce the fat or increase the calcium. See how you've done over a month's time - some days you may not do well, but over the long haul, Sante keeps you on track, nutritionally speaking.

The program's friendly interface features pull-down menus you navigate with the arrow and Enter keys. Online help nearly makes the manual dispensable, explaining program functions and providing information about each nutrient.

If you consume something not in the database, you can personalize the food list. You can also enter ingredient prices; Sante calculats the cost of meals.

Hopkins promises to provide personal replies to all questions about the program and nutrition. Believe the promise. I found a bug, and tech support went to work, fixed it, and had a new version in the mail in no time. Sante is inspirational. I'm more conscientious about my diet, and I know I'm eating better now than before I installed Sante. After all, now I have a dedicated dietitian looking over my shoulder.