Everybody has got to eat. We do it multiple times every day, year in and year out. So why are so many of us so bad at it? We pick the hamburger when we know we should be eating vegetables; we lose track of how much junk food we’ve eaten in the day; and we drink caffeine, even when it is later in the day and we should be thinking about our sleep.

But thanks to the rise of wearables and food-related apps, at last we are gaining better options for keeping track of our health and eating habits. We no longer have to rely on vague estimates and hazy recollections; now we can track what we eat as we go—and, just as importantly, what we should be eating.

Keeping Records of What We Consume

The first step in improving what we eat is knowing what we eat. And tracking our food intake is an area where devices like the Gear S2—along with Samsung’s signature smartphones, the Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note5—excel.

Using apps like S Health, we can keep track of everything we eat and drink during the day. No more fooling ourselves by underestimating how many treats we eat or how few calories they contained. Now each day’s calorie count and nutritional profile can be easily and clearly calculated and tracked. And the Gear S2 even has a function for tracking our caffeine and water drinking, to make sure you’re getting enough of the latter and not too much of the former.

Sensors Understand Your Body

People have different levels of health. Some of us are in great shape and exercise all the time, while others struggle to find the time or willpower to exercise much at all. Some people need a lot of sleep, but other people seem to do just fine with just a few hours. If we can fully understand our bodies, our ability to maintain our health would improve a lot.

Fortunately, the Gear S2 has built-in sensors that can keep track of your body throughout the day. Heart rate is measured around the clock by the wearable, so we can know, minute by minute, what is happening to our bodies. This can then affect our diet—if your energy is flagging, maybe you take some time to stretch your legs and walk around, or have a healthy snack. (Of course, always check with your doctor first for all health advice).

Personalizing Your Diet

Too often, nutritional advice comes in a one-size-fits-all format, like people were all the same. But we aren’t the same. Some people are vegetarian or vegan, while others are focused on avoiding gluten or carbs in general. Some people need to avoid sodium or foods high in cholesterol or fat, and need to be careful about what they eat.

This is another area where technology can be a huge help. Not sure what’s in a certain dish? Your smartphone makes it easy to look up the ingredients online. More and more food companies are providing ever better data about the nutrients in their dishes, so details about calories, ingredients and more are available at our fingertips.

And in many locations (Korea, the United States and the United Kingdom), S Health can even offer health tips based on personalized user interests.

Setting the Table

Making the Gear S2 more effective is the large ecosystem of partner companies that make health apps for the device—many of which are integrated with S Health. There is a wide range of products available at the Galaxy App store, specializing in calorie counting, tracking carbs, diabetes-related health checking and more. And more food apps are continually appearing, giving people ever more options.

Food for Thought

From the individual level to society as a whole, food culture is undergoing major changes, and Samsung Electronics’ latest mobile devices and their health-related apps are a major part of that transformation. When it comes to health, living better begins with a better understanding of what we eat, and these apps provide all sorts of food-related help, just right for each person’s needs. As always, these benefits are the sort of innovations that come from Samsung’s relentless focus on meeting the needs of consumers.

Atmosphere

Setting the mood is an important first step for having a successful TV viewing party. Start by taking inspiration from the show of your choice to theme your party. Incorporate small props—a chemistry beaker here, a poster of the periodic table there—to create a fun atmosphere and get your guests excited about the show you’re screening.   Up the ante by incorporating the program’s setting into a dress code. For example, if the show you’re screening is all about inmates at a prison, have guests wear orange, or jumpsuits, if they happen to have them lying around the house. Creating a photo booth where guests can snap selfies in front of a themed backdrop, such as a mugshot lineup, will break the ice among attendees, and set the tone for the remainder of the evening.

Seating

While a room decked out in show-themed décor will no doubt impress your guests, it’s important to remember that the real focus of your party is in fact your television. It is essential that all guests be able to watch the show comfortably, so be sure to set up the viewing room beforehand, utilizing cushions and pillows if necessary, to create a cozy viewing environment.     Also, consider the angle of the TV when arranging seating to ensure the screen is visible and the image is clear to all. With curved TVs, like Samsung’s 4K SUHD TV, viewers can get drawn into the action with off-angle viewing, making any seat the best seat in the living room. Do note that image isn’t everything, however, so pair your TV with an omnidirectional speaker, such as the Wireless Audio-360, so your guests don’t miss a word of the dramatic dialogue or stellar soundtrack, regardless of where they are sitting.

Food

When preparing a menu, do your homework and stick to the show’s core characters and central storyline to make the party theme consistent. Is there an episode where a specific type of food is discussed, or an epic medieval feast is served? Take cues and use the internet to find simple recipes to recreate these dishes.     As is usually the case in party planning, less is more, so don’t feel pressured to overdo it with your spread. Finger foods work best for a viewing party, especially when space is limited to a single room, so sticking to a few simple specialty snacks and a signature cocktail is ideal.   Give your culinary creations catchy names (think “Walkers’ Blood” or “Underhanded Underwood”) and serve them in an accessible area, keeping a few extras on the coffee table so guests can snack throughout the show.

Wrap-up

Party attendees will most likely want to gab about all the show’s OMG moments, so while things wrap up, use the AllShare Play app to wirelessly display the photos and videos you took with your Samsung mobile device during the party on your Smart TV.     You can also use the app to share the photos with your guests effortlessly via a Wi-Fi connection so they, too, can relive the best moments of your viewing party again and again. Or, at least until the season finale viewing party.