U.S. patent application number 11/823389 was filed with the patent office on 2009-01-01 for personalized nutrition advisor.
Invention is credited to Mory Bahar.
Application Number | 20090006127 11/823389 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40161658 |
Filed Date | 2009-01-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090006127 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bahar; Mory |
January 1, 2009 |
Personalized nutrition advisor
Abstract
The instant invention describes various computer program
products and methods of using the same in order to provide
personalized nutritional advice to end users.
Inventors: |
Bahar; Mory; (Georgetown,
MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Saul Ewing LLP (Baltimore);Attn: Patent Docket Clerk
Lockwood Place, 500 East Pratt Street, Suite 900
Baltimore
MD
21202
US
|
Family ID: |
40161658 |
Appl. No.: |
11/823389 |
Filed: |
June 27, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09B 19/0092 20130101;
G06Q 10/10 20130101; G16H 20/60 20180101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/2 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 50/00 20060101
G06Q050/00 |
Claims
1. A method of providing personalized nutritional advice to a
subject in need thereof comprising: obtaining the subject's medical
condition, querying a database for at least one of goodness and
badness of particular foods and nutrients as they relate to said
condition, quantifying said at least one of goodness and badness of
particular foods and nutrients as it relates to said condition;
producing at least one of a quantified goodness list and a
quantified badness list of foods and nutrients, transmitting at
least one of the said lists to the end user.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one list is
transmitted through input-output devices.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the input-output device is a
personal computer.
4. The method of claim 2 wherein the input-output device is
selected from a group consisting of: cellular phone, smart phones,
personal digital assistants, and a self-contained portable hand
held computer device.
5. A method of providing personalized nutritional advice to a
subject in need thereof comprising: obtaining the subject's medical
condition, querying a database for goodness of particular foods and
nutrients as they relate to said condition, querying a database for
badness of particular foods and nutrients as they relate to said
condition quantifying said goodness as it relates to said
condition; quantifying said badness as it relates to said
condition, producing a quantified goodness list of recommended
foods and nutrients, producing a quantified badness list of foods
and nutrients to avoid, transmitting said two lists to the end
user.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the lists are transmitted through
input-output devices.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the input-output device is a
personal computer.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein the input-output device is
selected from a group consisting of: cellular phone, smart phones,
personal digital assistants, and a self-contained portable hand
held computer device.
9. A method of providing personalized nutritional advice to a
subject suffering from multiple medical conditions comprising:
obtaining a list of the subject's medical conditions, querying a
database for goodness of particular foods and nutrients as they
relate to each condition, querying a database for badness of
particular foods and nutrients as they relate to each condition;
quantifying said goodness as it relates to each condition,
quantifying said badness as it relates to each condition; producing
a quantified goodness list of recommended foods and nutrients as it
relates to each condition, producing a quantified badness list of
foods and nutrients to avoid as it relates to each condition,
re-ranking said quantified goodness lists and deriving a single
list of recommended foods and nutrients; re-ranking said quantified
badness lists and deriving a single list of foods and nutrients to
avoid, transmitting said two single lists to the end user.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the lists are transmitted through
input-output devices.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the input-output device is a
personal computer.
12. The method of claim 10 wherein the input-output device is
selected from a group consisting of: cellular phone, smart phones,
personal digital assistants, and a self-contained portable hand
held computer device.
13. A method of altering behavior and improving lifestyle in a
subject in need thereof comprising: obtaining the subject's desired
nutrition and fitness goals, querying a database for goodness of
particular life style choices as they relate to the health and
fitness goals of the subject, querying a database for badness of
particular life style choices as they relate to the health and
fitness goals of the subject, quantifying said goodness as it
relates to said health and fitness goals; quantifying said badness
as it relates to said health and fitness goals; producing a
quantified goodness list of optimal foods and activities; producing
a quantified badness list of foods and activities to avoid;
transmitting said two lists to the end user.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the lists are transmitted
through input-output devices.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein the input-output device is a
personal computer.
16. The method of claim 14 wherein the input-output device is
selected from a group consisting of: cellular phone, smart phones,
personal digital assistants, and a self-contained portable hand
held computer device.
17. A method of providing a rating on a specific food item selected
by the subject based on his unique health profile comprising:
obtaining the subject's desired food item, querying a database for
goodness of that particular food item as it relates to the
subject's unique health profile, querying a database for badness of
that particular food item as it relates to the subject's unique
health profile; quantifying said goodness as it relates to the
subject's unique health profile; quantifying said badness as it
relates to the subject's unique health profile; producing a simple
rating of Very Good, Good, Neutral, Unknown, Bad and Very Bad for
the selected food item, transmitting said rating to the end
user.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the lists are transmitted
through input-output devices.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein the input-output device is a
personal computer.
20. The method of claim 18 wherein the input-output device is
selected from a group consisting of: cellular phone, smart phones,
personal digital assistants, a self-contained portable hand held
computer device.
21. A method of providing suggestions within a desired group of
foods as selected by the subject based on his unique health profile
comprising: Obtaining the subject's desired group of food items,
querying a database for goodness of all food items that are members
of the said group as it relates to the subject's unique health
profile, quantifying said goodness as it relates to the subject's
unique health profile sorting the list of said members based on
their goodness rating, producing the optimal short list of food
suggestions from within the desired group, transmitting said rating
to the end user.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein the lists are transmitted
through input-output devices.
23. The method of claim 22 wherein the input-output device is a
personal computer
24. The method of claim 22 wherein the input-output device is
selected from a group consisting of: cellular phone, smart phones,
personal digital assistants, and a self-contained portable hand
held computer device.
25. The method of any of claims 1, 5, 9, 13, 17 and 21 wherein the
lists or ratings are transmitted using a W3C protocol including
Hypertext Transfer Protocol.
26. The method of any of claims 1, 5, 9, 13, 17 and 21 wherein the
lists or ratings are transmitted using an xml format including
xhtml and wml formats.
27. A computer program product for implementing, in a system
including at least one processor and at least one data store
configured to store one or more entries and configured to enable
one or more end users, where each end user can invoke one of
several methods to manipulate and eventually enable the end user to
view one or more entries via the computer program product
comprising: a computer readable medium carrying computer executable
instructions for implementing the method, a computer readable
medium containing the data stores of one or more entries, and the
computer executable instructions, when executed, causing the system
to perform a method of providing personalized nutritional advice to
a subject in need thereof comprising: obtaining the subject's
medical condition, querying a database for at least one of goodness
and badness of particular foods and nutrients as they relate to
said condition, quantifying said at least one of goodness and
badness of particular foods and nutrients as it relates to said
condition; producing at least one of a quantified goodness list and
a quantified badness list of foods and nutrients, transmitting at
least one of the said lists to the end user.
28. A computer program product for implementing, in a system
including at least one processor and at least one data store
configured to store one or more entries and configured to enable
one or more end users, where each end user can invoke one of
several methods to manipulate and eventually enable the end user to
view one or more entries via the computer program product
comprising: a computer readable medium carrying computer executable
instructions for implementing the method, a computer readable
medium containing the data stores of one or more entries, and the
computer executable instructions, when executed, causing the system
to perform a method of providing personalized nutritional advice to
a subject in need thereof comprising: obtaining the subject's
medical condition, querying a database for goodness of particular
foods and nutrients as they relate to said condition, querying a
database for badness of particular foods and nutrients as they
relate to said condition quantifying said goodness as it relates to
said condition; quantifying said badness as it relates to said
condition, producing a quantified goodness list of recommended
foods and nutrients, producing a quantified badness list of foods
and nutrients to avoid, transmitting said two lists to the end
user.
29. A computer program product for implementing, in a system
including at least one processor and at least one data store
configured to store one or more entries and configured to enable
one or more end users, where each end user can invoke one of
several methods to manipulate and eventually enable the end user to
view one or more entries via the computer program product
comprising: computer readable medium carrying computer executable
instructions for implementing the method, a computer readable
medium containing the data stores of one or more entries, and the
computer executable instructions, when executed, causing the system
to perform a method of providing personalized nutritional advice to
a subject suffering from multiple medical conditions comprising:
obtaining a list of the subject's medical conditions, querying a
database for goodness of particular foods and nutrients as they
relate to each condition, querying a database for badness of
particular foods and nutrients as they relate to each condition;
quantifying said goodness as it relates to each condition,
quantifying said badness as it relates to each condition; producing
a quantified goodness list of recommended foods and nutrients as it
relates to each condition, producing a quantified badness list of
foods and nutrients to avoid as it relates to each condition,
re-ranking said quantified goodness lists and deriving a single
list of recommended foods and nutrients; re-ranking said quantified
badness lists and deriving a single list of foods and nutrients to
avoid, transmitting said two single lists to the end user.
30. A computer program product for implementing, in a system
including at least one processor and at least one data store
configured to store one or more entries and configured to enable
one or more end users, where each end user can invoke one of
several methods to manipulate and eventually enable the end user to
view one or more entries via the computer program product
comprising: a computer readable medium carrying computer executable
instructions for implementing the method, a computer readable
medium containing the data stores of one or more entries, and the
computer executable instructions, when executed, causing the system
to perform a method of altering behavior and improving lifestyle in
a subject in need thereof comprising: obtaining the subject's
desired nutrition and fitness goals, querying a database for
goodness of particular life style choices as they relate to the
health and fitness goals of the subject, querying a database for
badness of particular life style choices as they relate to the
health and fitness goals of the subject, quantifying said goodness
as it relates to said health and fitness goals; quantifying said
badness as it relates to said health and fitness goals; producing a
quantified goodness list of optimal foods and activities; producing
a quantified badness list of foods and activities to avoid;
transmitting said two lists to the end user.
31. A computer program product for implementing, in a system
including at least one processor and at least one data store
configured to store one or more entries and configured to enable
one or more end users, where each end user can invoke one of
several methods to manipulate and eventually enable the end user to
view one or more entries via the computer program product
comprising: a computer readable medium carrying computer executable
instructions for implementing the method, a computer readable
medium containing the data stores of one or more entries, and the
computer executable instructions, when executed, causing the system
to perform a method of providing a rating on a specific food item
selected by the subject based on his unique health profile
comprising: obtaining the subject's desired food item, querying a
database for goodness of that particular food item as it relates to
the subject's unique health profile, querying a database for
badness of that particular food item as it relates to the subject's
unique health profile; quantifying said goodness as it relates to
the subject's unique health profile; quantifying said badness as it
relates to the subject's unique health profile; producing a simple
rating of Very Good, Good, Neutral, Unknown, Bad and Very Bad for
the selected food item, transmitting said rating to the end
user.
32. A computer program product for implementing, in a system
including at least one processor and at least one data store
configured to store one or more entries and is configured to enable
one or more end users, where each end user can invoke one of
several methods to manipulate and eventually enable the end user to
view one or more entries via the computer program product
comprising: a computer readable medium carrying computer executable
instructions for implementing the method, a computer readable
medium containing the data stores of one or more entries, and the
computer executable instructions, when executed, causing the system
to perform a method of providing suggestions within a desired group
of foods as selected by the subject based on his unique health
profile comprising: obtaining the subject's desired group of food
items, querying a database for goodness of all food items that are
members of the said group as it relates to the subject's unique
health profile, quantifying said goodness as it relates to the
subject's unique health profile sorting the list of said members
based on their goodness rating, producing the optimal short list of
food suggestions from within the desired group, transmitting said
rating to the end user.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Currently, when a patient is diagnosed with a particular
medical condition, the physician provides him with a list of
foods/nutrients to avoid and sometimes with a list of foods that
would help treat the ailment. Given the internet culture, patients
can often find more information and more lists of good vs. bad
foods or nutrients online. However, patients' other possible
medical conditions do not normally play a role in the physicians'
"recommended foods or nutrients" list nor "foods or nutrients to
avoid" list. As such, the patient might know what foods or
nutrients to eat for the betterment of one of his medical
conditions, but does not know if that same food or nutrient is
beneficial or detrimental to a second or third medical condition
from which he might be suffering.
[0002] This invention addresses a long felt need in the nutritional
arena in that it provides a method for personalization of
nutritional recommendations by taking into account the multitude of
medical conditions from which a patient may be suffering.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The invention is a novel method of providing nutritional
guidance to people suffering from one or more medical conditions.
The invention provides a method of ranking different nutrients
according to their beneficial or harmful properties to a particular
medical condition. The method can further take into account a
multitude of different medical conditions and produce lists of good
and bad nutrients by taking account of each medical condition
separately and then combining the results to produce a master list
of good vs. bad foods or nutrients for the person suffering from
more than one medical condition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0004] "Food": As used herein, food encompasses both natural foods
and prepared dishes. Natural foods encompass dairy products, fish,
poultry, meat, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, herbs, spices,
vegetables and fruits. Prepared dishes encompass processed foods
such as sausage, lunch meat, as well as canned or frozen TV
dinners, fast food such as hamburgers, fries, treats such as ice
cream, pies, pastries, candies or foods prepared at home.
[0005] "Nutrient": As used herein, a nutrient is an element in a
food item. It can be a vitamin, mineral, or any subpart present in
a food item whether taken in its natural form in natural foods or
as a nutritional supplement.
[0006] "Medical Condition": Any ailment, disorder or illness is
considered a medical condition. Hypertension, Dyslipidemia,
autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular
conditions, hereditary disorders and cancer, are only a few of the
well-known examples. Desired life style changes such as following
various weight loss programs and diets, training for sports and
endurance events, and stress reduction are also examples of
conditions.
[0007] "Database": For the purposes of this invention, database is
used generically and is meant to encompass relational,
hierarchical, network based, file based and object oriented
database management systems.
[0008] "Item table": A table of all nutrients, food items, certain
life style considerations such as exercise, smoking, recreational
activities and alternative therapies.
[0009] "Problem table": A table of illnesses, health conditions,
health risks, diets, and health goals.
[0010] "Content table": A table that maintains relationships
between food items and various nutrients.
[0011] "Content Factor": A numerical value that represents the food
item's level of richness of a particular nutrient. This Factor can
have a value of 0 to 5 (or something similar) depending on richness
of a particular nutrient in a food item. When possible, the Factor
value can be set based on the established RDA for that particular
nutrient.
[0012] "Remedy table": A table that maintains information about the
relationship between entries in Item and Problem tables. There is a
Factor that indicates whether an Item is good (a positive value) or
bad (a negative value) for a Problem. The value of this factor
(Remedy Factor) can be from -10 to +10 or something similar.
[0013] "Anti-Pro table": This table maintains the relationship
between two different entries in the Item table. A Factor
determines the nature of this relationship. If a food item or
nutrient works against another, e.g., one nutrient interferes with
the other nutrient's absorption, efficacy, body's increased demand
for the other, or quicker excretion or metabolism of the other, the
factor is negative. If a nutrient or a food item enhances the
effects of another, e.g., facilitates absorption, increases
efficacy of another, aids in the metabolism of another, then the
factor is positive. This Factor (AP Factor) can have a value
between -5 and +5 or equivalent.
[0014] "Group table": This table maintains information about
grouping and hierarchical relationships that exist between entries
in Item table, e.g., while both Fish and Tuna may be listed as
entries in the Item table, it is important to note that Tuna is a
member of Fish group.
[0015] "Original Entry" is an entry based on established scientific
data, e.g., inherent qualities of a particular food item or
scientific correlations between a particular food item or nutrient
and a medical condition. In other words, an "Original Entry" is an
entry not being generated by Procedures 1D, 2C, 3B and 4A. The
"Original entries", the initial content of the database, are
created from nutrition data available from the US government and
the health industry as well as various studies on the relationship
between diet and various health conditions.
[0016] "Procedure 1D": Creates new records within the Content table
based on existing entries in the Content table for Groups as
defined in the Group table. For example if the Beans and Legumes
Group item is rich in Fiber (per an entry in Content table) then we
create a record for every member of the Beans and Legumes Group
(e.g., kidney beans) to reflect its richness in fiber.
[0017] "Procedure 2C": Creates new Remedy records based on entries
in the Anti-Pro table. If Calcium is good for healthy bone and
teeth (the Original Entry), then any food or nutrient that
interferes with calcium absorption (as indicated in the Anti-Pro
table) is listed as a new entry in the Remedy table with a negative
factor value for the health of bones and teeth. The value of the
factor depends on the value of the factor in the Original Entry and
the value of the factor in the Anti-Pro table.
[0018] "Procedure 3B": Creates new Remedy records based on the
presence of those remedy records that are between a Problem and a
Group Item. For example if Fish is good for High Cholesterol (the
Original Entry), and Tuna is a known member of the Fish Group then
the system will automatically create a new Remedy record for Tuna
(as member of the Fish group) and High Cholesterol. The factor for
this new record is set based on the factor in the Original
Entry.
[0019] "Procedure 4A": Creates new records within the Remedy table
based on existing entries in the Remedy table and Content table.
For example if Vitamin A is good for night vision (an existing
entry within Remedy table or an Original Entry), then this
procedure creates new records (or modifies existing records) that
establish a positive (remedy) relationship between night vision
(the Problem) and an Item that is rich in Vitamin A per an entry in
Content table. The Remedy Factor is set (or adjusted upward or
downward) based on the factor found in the Original Entry as well
as the factor found in the corresponding Content table. Upon
completion of the execution of this procedure, the remedy factor
for each entry in the Remedy table reflects all known relationships
between the nutrient content of that Item and the known
relationship between those nutrients and the Problem.
[0020] "Derived Entries": The Procedures are executed in the order
ID through 4A as shown above. These procedures result in creation
of additional entries in the database, which we will call Derived
Entries. Upon execution of all these procedures we have a database
that provides a complete mapping of all known relationships between
various health conditions (i.e., all entries within the Problems
table) and various food items (i.e., all entries in the Items
table) and a goodness or badness score for each of these pairings
(i.e., the Factor value in the Remedy table).
[0021] According to various embodiments, a method of providing
personalized nutritional advice to a subject in need thereof is
disclosed. The method can comprise: obtaining the subject's medical
condition, querying a database for at least one of goodness and
badness of particular foods and nutrients as they relate to said
condition, quantifying said at least one of goodness and badness of
particular foods and nutrients as it relates to said condition;
producing at least one of a quantified goodness list and a
quantified badness list of foods and nutrients, transmitting at
least one of the said lists to the end user.
[0022] According to various embodiments, a method of providing
personalized nutritional advice to a subject in need thereof is
disclosed. The method can comprise obtaining the subject's medical
condition, querying a database for goodness of particular foods and
nutrients as they relate to said condition, querying a database for
badness of particular foods and nutrients as they relate to said
condition; quantifying said goodness as it relates to said
condition; quantifying said badness as it relates to said
condition; producing a quantified goodness list of recommended
foods and nutrients; producing a quantified badness list of foods
and nutrients to avoid, transmitting said two lists to the end
user.
[0023] According to various embodiments, a method of providing
personalized nutritional advice to a subject suffering from
multiple medical conditions comprising is disclosed. The method
comprises obtaining a list of the subject's medical conditions;
querying a database for goodness of particular foods and nutrients
as they relate to each condition; querying a database for badness
of particular foods and nutrients as they relate to each condition;
quantifying said goodness as it relates to each condition;
quantifying said badness as it relates to each condition; producing
a quantified goodness list of recommended foods and nutrients as it
relates to each condition, producing a quantified badness list of
foods and nutrients to avoid as it relates to each condition,
re-ranking said quantified goodness lists and deriving a single
list of recommended foods and nutrients; re-ranking said quantified
badness lists and deriving a single list of foods and nutrients to
avoid, transmitting said two single lists to the end user.
[0024] According to various embodiments, a method of providing a
rating on a specific food item selected by the subject based on his
unique health profile is disclosed. The method comprises: obtaining
the subject's desired food item, querying a database for goodness
of that particular food item as it relates to the subject's unique
health profile, querying a database for badness of that particular
food item as it relates to the subject's unique health profile;
quantifying said goodness as it relates to the subject's unique
health profile; quantifying said badness as it relates to the
subject's unique health profile; producing a simple rating of Very
Good, Good, Neutral, Unknown, Bad and Very Bad for the selected
food item, transmitting said rating to the end user.
[0025] According to various embodiments, a method of providing
suggestions within a desired group of foods as selected by the
subject based on his unique health profile is disclosed. The method
comprises: Obtaining the subject's desired group of food items,
querying a database for goodness of all food items that are members
of the said group as it relates to the subject's unique health
profile, quantifying said goodness as it relates to the subject's
unique health profile; sorting the list of said members based on
their goodness rating, producing the optimal short list of food
suggestions from within the desired group, transmitting said rating
to the end user.
[0026] The list or lists described in each of the embodiments
herein above can be transmitted through input-output devices,
including but not limited to personal computer, cellular phone,
smart phones, personal digital assistants, and a self-contained
portable hand held computer device.
[0027] The invention also encompasses computer program products.
According to various embodiments, the invention can be a computer
program product for implementing, in a system including at least
one processor and at least one data store configured to store one
or more entries and configured to enable one or more end users,
where each end user can invoke one of several methods to manipulate
and eventually enable the end user to view one or more entries via
the computer program product comprising a computer readable medium
carrying computer executable instructions for implementing the
method, a computer readable medium containing the data stores of
one or more entries, and the computer executable instructions, when
executed, causing the system to perform a method of providing
personalized nutritional advice to a subject in need thereof
comprising: obtaining the subject's medical condition, querying a
database for at least one of goodness and badness of particular
foods and nutrients as they relate to said condition, quantifying
said at least one of goodness and badness of particular foods and
nutrients as it relates to said condition; producing at least one
of a quantified goodness list and a quantified badness list of
foods and nutrients, transmitting at least one of the said lists to
the end user.
[0028] According to various embodiments, the invention can be a
computer program product for implementing, in a system including at
least one processor and at least one data store configured to store
one or more entries and configured to enable one or more end users,
where each end user can invoke one of several methods to manipulate
and eventually enable the end user to view one or more entries via
the computer program product comprising a computer readable medium
carrying computer executable instructions for implementing the
method, a computer readable medium containing the data stores of
one or more entries, and the computer executable instructions, when
executed, causing the system to perform a method of providing
personalized nutritional advice to a subject in need thereof
comprising obtaining the subject's medical condition, querying a
database for goodness of particular foods and nutrients as they
relate to said condition, querying a database for badness of
particular foods and nutrients as they relate to said condition;
quantifying said goodness as it relates to said condition;
quantifying said badness as it relates to said condition, producing
a quantified goodness list of recommended foods and nutrients,
producing a quantified badness list of foods and nutrients to
avoid, transmitting said two lists to the end user.
[0029] According to various embodiments, the invention can be a
computer program product for implementing, in a system including at
least one processor and at least one data store configured to store
one or more entries and configured to enable one or more end users,
where each end user can invoke one of several methods to manipulate
and eventually enable the end user to view one or more entries via
the computer program product comprising: a computer readable medium
carrying computer executable instructions for implementing the
method, a computer readable medium containing the data stores of
one or more entries, and the computer executable instructions, when
executed, causing the system to perform a method of providing
personalized nutritional advice to a subject suffering from
multiple medical conditions comprising obtaining a list of the
subject's medical conditions, querying a database for goodness of
particular foods and nutrients as they relate to each condition,
querying a database for badness of particular foods and nutrients
as they relate to each condition; quantifying said goodness as it
relates to each condition, quantifying said badness as it relates
to each condition; producing a quantified goodness list of
recommended foods and nutrients as it relates to each condition,
producing a quantified badness list of foods and nutrients to avoid
as it relates to each condition, re-ranking said quantified
goodness lists and deriving a single list of recommended foods and
nutrients; re-ranking said quantified badness lists and deriving a
single list of foods and nutrients to avoid, transmitting said two
single lists to the end user.
[0030] According to various embodiments, the invention can be a
computer program product for implementing, in a system including at
least one processor and at least one data store configured to store
one or more entries and configured to enable one or more end users,
where each end user can invoke one of several methods to manipulate
and eventually enable the end user to view one or more entries via
the computer program product comprising: a computer readable medium
carrying computer executable instructions for implementing the
method, a computer readable medium containing the data stores of
one or more entries, and the computer executable instructions, when
executed, causing the system to perform a method of altering
behavior and improving lifestyle in a subject in need thereof
comprising: obtaining the subject's desired nutrition and fitness
goals,
querying a database for goodness of particular life style choices
as they relate to the health and fitness goals of the subject,
querying a database for badness of particular life style choices as
they relate to the health and fitness goals of the subject,
quantifying said goodness as it relates to said health and fitness
goals; quantifying said badness as it relates to said health and
fitness goals; producing a quantified goodness list of optimal
foods and activities; producing a quantified badness list of foods
and activities to avoid; transmitting said two lists to the end
user.
[0031] According to various embodiments, the invention can be a
computer program product for implementing, in a system including at
least one processor and at least one data store configured to store
one or more entries and configured to enable one or more end users,
where each end user can invoke one of several methods to manipulate
and eventually enable the end user to view one or more entries via
the computer program product comprising: a computer readable medium
carrying computer executable instructions for implementing the
method, a computer readable medium containing the data stores of
one or more entries, and the computer executable instructions, when
executed, causing the system to perform a method of providing a
rating on a specific food item selected by the subject based on his
unique health profile comprising: obtaining the subject's desired
food item, querying a database for goodness of that particular food
item as it relates to the subject's unique health profile, querying
a database for badness of that particular food item as it relates
to the subject's unique health profile; quantifying said goodness
as it relates to the subject's unique health profile; quantifying
said badness as it relates to the subject's unique health profile;
producing a simple rating of Very Good, Good, Neutral, Unknown, Bad
and Very Bad for the selected food item, transmitting said rating
to the end user.
[0032] According to various embodiments, the invention can be a
computer program product for implementing, in a system including at
least one processor and at least one data store configured to store
one or more entries and is configured to enable one or more end
users, where each end user can invoke one of several methods to
manipulate and eventually enable the end user to view one or more
entries via the computer program product comprising: a computer
readable medium carrying computer executable instructions for
implementing the method, a computer readable medium containing the
data stores of one or more entries, and the computer executable
instructions, when executed, causing the system to perform a method
of providing suggestions within a desired group of foods as
selected by the subject based on his unique health profile
comprising: obtaining the subject's desired group of food items,
querying a database for goodness of all food items that are members
of the said group as it relates to the subject's unique health
profile, quantifying said goodness as it relates to the subject's
unique health profile, sorting the list of said members based on
their goodness rating, producing the optimal short list of food
suggestions from within the desired group, transmitting said rating
to the end user.
[0033] It should be understood, however, that the above
descriptions, while indicating preferred embodiments of the
invention and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way
of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and
modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments of
the invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the
embodiments of the invention include all such modifications.
[0034] This invention has many different applications. It can
provide nutritional advice to people suffering from one or more
conditions. It can also provide nutritional advice to people
wishing to follow a particular diet. It can further provide advice
on possible activities, alternative remedies and/or life style
modifications. The invention is designed to simplify and quantify
the overall good or bad attributes of Foods and Nutrients as they
relate to various health conditions, health risks, diets and
general wellness goals. To establish whether a food item or a
nutrient is good for a particular person or not, is a very
complicated problem. The invention is designed to address this
problem.
[0035] Various foods and nutrients found in nature and dishes
prepared from them normally contain a variety of vitamins, minerals
and other nutrients such as fiber, fat, cholesterol, or
carbohydrates. There is always a relationship between these
nutrients and various illnesses, health conditions and diets.
Sometimes these nutrients are good or serve as a remedy for a
condition. Sometimes these nutrients are bad or aggravate a given
condition. There have been literally thousands of studies that have
taken place to clarify, to prove or to disprove these
relationships. For example, Vitamin A has been found to help vision
and night blindness, sodium or salt has been found to aggravate
high blood pressure, carbohydrates are to be minimized for those
following the Atkins diet, and so on.
[0036] There is an industry-wide recognition and preference that we
should consume these beneficial nutrients as part of our natural
diet as opposed to taking them in form of a supplement.
[0037] While calories or foods and nutrients rich in calories are
to be avoided if one is trying to lose weight, they must be
consumed in abundance if one is a cancer patient trying to stop
one's weight loss. While the food that is rich in Vitamin A is good
for night vision, the same food can be bad for high blood pressure
if it contains too much salt. The problem is further complicated by
the fact that presence of some substances in one's diet can impact
the body's absorption or retention of another nutrient. For example
if calcium-rich foods are good for the development or healthy bones
and teeth, caffeine-rich and sodium-rich foods can be considered
bad for bones and teeth because they increase the body's need for
calcium. On the other hand, some nutrients facilitate the
absorption or effectiveness of others.
[0038] There are virtually infinite permutations of heath
conditions, risks and goals that an individual may have. There are
also virtually infinite scenarios of nutrients and content level
found in natural and prepared foods.
[0039] This invention addresses all these complications and
infinite possibilities through maintaining information about each
nutrient contained within a food item and its level of presence,
i.e., foods' richness of the nutrient. The method of the current
invention maintains information about how various nutrients in
one's diet work with each other or against each other. The
invention maintains information about the relationships between
various nutrients, food items, life style factors . . . and various
health conditions, risks, goals and diets. The invention quantifies
these relationships and food content information in a manner that
would then enable the user to determine the relative goodness or
badness of a given food item for a single health condition as well
as for any combination of health conditions, risks, goals, etc. The
invention allows the user to address any combination or variation
of conditions thereby enabling a total individualized or
personalized approach to nutrition. Furthermore, the invention
provides such information with unmatched simplicity and brevity
that enables its delivery to people's cell phones (and other low
bandwidth wireless devices).
[0040] Some, but not all, examples of applications or services
enabled through the use of this invention include answers to
following types of requests. An individual can ask if a given food
item is good or bad for his unique health profile. An individual
can ask the system to recommend a fish, or a fruit or a vegetable
or a dessert that is "best" for his needs based on his unique
health profile. An individual can request a list of food items
organized by food groups (e.g., seafood, meat, seeds and nuts,
dairy products, fruits, vegetables) that are good or bad for him
based on his unique health profile. This list can serve as a guide
for the user's grocery list. One possible implementation of this
invention is based on a relational database composed of the
following tables: [0041] 1. Item table [such as a list of all
nutrients, food items and certain life style considerations such as
exercise and smoking]; [0042] 2. Problem table [such as a list of
illnesses, diets, health goals, etc.]; [0043] 3. Content table
[maintains relationship between food items and various nutrients.
There is also a numeric factor that represents the food items'
level of richness of a particular nutrient. This Factor can have a
value of 0 to 5 (or something similar) depending on richness of a
particular nutrient in a food item. When possible, the Factor value
can be set based on the established RDA for that particular
nutrient]; [0044] 4. Remedy table [maintains information about the
relationship between entries in Item (No. 1 above) and Problem
table (No. 2 above). There is a Factor that indicates whether an
Item is good (a positive value) or bad (a negative value) for a
Problem. The value of this factor can be from -10 to +10 or
something similar]; [0045] 5. Anti-Pro table [maintains the
relationship between two different entries in the Item table]. A
Factor determines the nature of this relationship. If a food item
or nutrient works against another, e.g., one nutrient interferes
with the other nutrient's absorption, efficacy, body's increased
demand for the other, or quicker excretion or metabolism of the
other, the factor is negative. If a nutrient or a food item
enhances the effects of another, e.g., facilitates absorption,
increases efficacy of another, aids in the metabolism of another,
then the factor is positive. This Factor can have a value between
-5 and +5 or something similar] [0046] 6. Group table [maintains
information about grouping and hierarchical relationships that
exist between entries in Item table, e.g., while both Fish and Tuna
may be listed as entries in the Item table, it is important to note
that Tuna is a member of Fish group]
[0047] The above-mentioned tables are manipulated using four
procedures:
[0048] "Procedure ID": Creates new records within the Content table
based on existing entries in the Content table for Groups as
defined in Group table in No. 6 above. For example if the Beans and
Legumes Group item is rich in Fiber (per an entry in Content table)
then we create a record for every member of the Beans and Legumes
Group (e.g., kidney beans) to reflect its richness in fiber.
[0049] "Procedure 2C": Creates new Remedy records based on entries
in the Anti-Pro table. If Calcium is good for healthy bones and
teeth (the Original Entry), then any food or nutrient that
interferes with calcium absorption (as indicated in the Anti-Pro
table) is listed as a new entry in the Remedy table with a negative
factor value for the health of bones and teeth. The value of the
factor can depend on at least one of the values of the factor in
the Original Entry and the value of the factor in the Anti-Pro
table.
[0050] "Procedure 3B": Creates new Remedy records based on the
presence of those remedy records that establish a relationship
between a Problem and a Group Item. For example if Fish is good for
High Cholesterol (the Original Entry), and Tuna is a known member
of the Fish Group then the system will automatically create a new
Remedy record for Tuna (as member of the Fish group) and High
Cholesterol. The factor for this new record can be set based on the
factor in the Original Entry.
[0051] "Procedure 4A": Creates new records within the Remedy table
based on existing entries in the Remedy table and Content table.
For example if Vitamin A is necessary for night vision (an existing
entry within Remedy table or an Original Entry), then this
procedure creates new records (or modifies existing records) that
establish a positive (remedy) relationship between night vision
(the Problem) and an Item that is rich in Vitamin A per an entry in
Content table. The Remedy Factor can be set (for example adjusted
upward or downward) based on the factor found in the Original Entry
as well as for example the factor found in the corresponding
Content table. Upon completion of the execution of this procedure,
the remedy factor for each entry in the Remedy table reflects all
known relationships between the nutrient content of that Item and
the known relationship between those nutrients and the Problem.
[0052] "Derived Entries": The Procedures are executed in the order
ID through 4A as shown above. These procedures result in creation
of additional entries in the database, which are called Derived
Entries. Upon execution of all these procedures a database is
provided that can include a complete mapping of all known
relationships between various health conditions (i.e., all entries
within the Problems table) and various food items (i.e., all
entries in the Items table) and a goodness or badness score for
each of these pairings (i.e., the Factor value in the Remedy
table).
[0053] If execution of a procedure can result in modification of an
Original Entry, then the modification can be ignored and the
original entry can be preserved (i.e., derived entries will never
override original entries). For example, if a reliable study
suggests that red wine is good for lowering Cholesterol, then the
system can ignore any contradiction or modification to that entry
which could be suggested, for example, by Procedure 4A dueto the
red wine's alcohol content or Procedure 2C due to its Anti-Pro
properties. Derived entries, however, can revise previously derived
entries, and that is how the system is able to take into account
all the nutrients contained within a food item and to produce a
definitive conclusion or score for a food item's relative goodness
or badness for a specific health condition. Upon execution of all
the above-mentioned procedures, the system can provide a complete
mapping of all known relationships between various health
conditions (e.g., all entries within the Problem table) and various
food item (e.g., all entries in the Item table) and a goodness or
badness score for each of these pairings (e.g., the Factor value in
the Remedy table).
[0054] Once the system is in place, the system is in a position to
handle any inquiry related to the multiple conditions that may
uniquely describe an individual's health profile and preferences.
For example, if a food item has a negative score for each of the
five health conditions that may appear in an individual's health
profile, then that food item is less desirable for consumption than
the item that has a positive score for each of the five health
conditions. As such, the system can establish a composite score for
a single food item as it relates to any combination of health
conditions. This composite score can serve as the basis for
re-ranking when two or more lists come together to make the optimal
list. The examples described herein are for illustrative purposes
only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed
invention.
[0055] The invention involves a number of interesting
contributions. It can employ, for example, a unique way to organize
and represent data, a unique set of procedures to create content
for a database, or a unique and simple way to summarize and present
that data to the end user.
[0056] While the status quo requires that one read pages and pages
of literature and web content, memorize an interactable number of
nutrient contents, interactions and relationships . . . over a long
period of time and after much effort . . . to most likely reach a
lesser quality conclusion, this invention can deliver high quality
information immediately and in a personalized manner.
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