Many methods have been
proposed to generate meal plans, but most of them only consider proximates.
However, the human body requires a combination of proximates and several
macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Furthermore, the models
designed to generate these meal plans do not take into account an individual’s
specific nutritional needs. These needs are often expressed as a combination of
lower bound amount (LBA), ideal amount (IA), and upper bound amount (UBA)
necessary for the human body to thrive. The aim of this project is to generate
an algorithm to produce a list of food items that will meet specific
nutritional requirements. With the proposed algorithm, each nutrient receives a
score based on the amount of nutrient contained in the food list in relation to
the LBA, IA, and UBA. These scores are aggregated to give the meal plan an
overall score.
References
[1]
Aetna (2008) The Facts About Rising Health Case Costs.
http://www.aetna.com/health-reform-connection/aetnas-vision/facts-about-costs.htm
[2]
Ogden, C.L., Carroll, M.D., Kit, B.K. and Flegal, K.M. (2014) Prevalence of Childhood and Adult Obesity in the United States. The Journal of American Medical Association, 311, 806-814. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2014.732
[3]
World Health Organization (2015) Global Databose on Body Mass Index. http://apps.who.int/bmi/index.jsp
[4]
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (2012) How Can Overweight and Obesity Be Prevented?
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe/prevention
[5]
Finkelstein, E.A., Trogdon, J.G., Cohen, J.W. and Dietz, W. (2009) Annual Medical Spending Attributable to Obesity: Payer-and Service-Specific Estimates. Health Affairs, 28, 822-831. http://dx.doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.28.5.w822
[6]
Tippett, K. (2009) Transcript for Mark Hyman, James Gordon, and Penny George—The Evolution of Medicine.
http://www.onbeing.org/program/mark-hyman-james-gordon-and-penny-george-the-evolution-of-medicine/transcript/8187#main_content
[7]
Rayner, M., Scarborough, P., Stockley, L. and Boxer, A. (2005) Nutrient Profiles; Further Refinement and Testing of Model SSCg3d. Final Report 2005. http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/npreportsept05.pdf
