Method and system for supporting eating habits

• US 20030115248A1
• Filed: 12/16/2002
• Published: 06/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Kitada, Mitsuo, Tanaka, Eriko
• Application Number:
  US10/319,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20030115248A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/00 ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical references
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A menu is made out while managing nutrition for a plurality of members for a predetermined period and selecting familiar foodstuffs and often served dishes. A method for supporting eating habits includes: determining a dietary requirement and an ingredient intake target with reference to a table on the basis of the attributes of each member; obtaining eating habit information on foodstuffs to store the information in a storage section; subtracting the nutritional intake of a restricted diet contained in the attributes from the dietary requirement, to determine a nutritional intake to be managed; determining, from the ingredient intake target, a difference between the nutritional intake to be calculated and the nutritional intake to be managed; and minimizing the difference on the basis of the eating habit information on foodstuffs to determine a required ingredient intake.

Claims

1. A method for supporting eating habits in which, when a menu for a predetermined period is made out for one or more members sitting around a table, a control section makes out the menu with reference to a storage section on the basis of eating habit information obtained from an input section, the storage section having a table that stores dietary requirements for one day and ingredient intake targets for respective foodstuffs classified into food groups, the dietary requirements and ingredient intake targets being based on attributes of the members, as well as food nutritive components of each foodstuff or dish, the method comprising:

a first calculating step of determining, for each of said members, a dietary requirement for said predetermined period and an ingredient intake target for said predetermined period, with reference to said table on the basis of the attributes of each member stored in said storage section;

a first inputting step of obtaining eating habit information on foodstuffs often used from said input section to store the information in said storage section;

a second calculating step of subtracting the nutritional intake of a restricted diet contained in said attributes from the dietary requirement for said predetermined period which has been determined at said first calculating step, to determine a nutritional intake to be managed;

a third calculating step of determining, from the ingredient intake target for said predetermined period which has been determined at said first calculating step, a difference between the nutritional intake calculated with reference to said table and said nutritional intake to be managed which has been determined at said second calculating step; and

a fourth calculating step of minimizing said difference determined at said third calculating step on the basis of said eating habit information on foodstuffs often used which has been obtained at said first inputting step, to determine a required ingredient intake for the predetermined period.

2. A method for supporting eating habits according to claim 1, wherein said first inputting step comprises obtaining eating habit information on dine-out for each of said members from said input section to store the information in said storage section, and

wherein said third calculating step comprises subtracting, from the dietary requirement for said predetermined period, a nutritional intake calculated from said eating habit information on dine-out obtained at said first inputting step.

3. A method for supporting eating habits according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second inputting step of obtaining selected dishes to store the dishes in said storage sections in order to make out a menu for the predetermined period; and

a display step of displaying, for said dishes selected at the second inputting step, the amounts of foodstuffs calculated with reference to said table and required ingredient intakes for said predetermined period which have been determined at said fourth calculating step.

4. A method for supporting eating habits according to claim 3, wherein said first inputting step enables eating habit information on often served dishes to be obtained and stored in said storage section, and

wherein said second inputting step enables selection of dishes contained in said eating habit information on often served dishes which has been obtained at said first inputting step and then stored in said storage section.

5. A method for supporting eating habits according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said second input step enables foodstuffs used for said selected dishes to be added or deleted and then enables resulting foodstuffs to be stored in said storage section.

6. A method for supporting eating habits according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said second inputting step enables the amounts of foodstuffs used for said selected dishes to be changed and then enables the resulting amounts to be stored in said storage section.

7. A method for supporting eating habits according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said second inputting step comprises carrying out retrievals using at least one keyword for cookery, classification, basic menus, seasoning, and foodstuffs.

8. A method for supporting eating habits according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said display step comprises calculating and displaying the sum of amount of each foodstuff required for the predetermined period.

9. A method for supporting eating habits according to claim 8, wherein said display step comprises calculating the amount of each foodstuff to be purchased from said sum of amount of foodstuff required for the predetermined period and displaying a purchase price of amount of foodstuff required for the predetermined period.

10. A method for supporting eating habits according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said storage section has a recipe table in which a manner of preparing each dish is stored, and

wherein the method comprises a procedure making-out step of, for said plurality of dishes selected at said second inputting step, detecting and classifying verbs relating to cooking for each dish with reference to said recipe table and making out a cooking procedure by rearranging the detected verbs.

11. A method for supporting eating habits according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a diagnosis step of storing, in said storage section, the nutritional intake calculated from said eating habit information on dine-out and said nutritional intake to be managed and displaying nutritional intakes for the predetermined period in order to diagnose eating habits.

12. A support system of eating habits which supports a user in making out a menu for a predetermined period for one or more members sitting around a table, the system comprising:

storage means having a table that stores dietary requirements for one day and ingredient intake targets for respective foodstuffs classified into food groups, the dietary requirements and ingredient intake targets being based on attributes of the members, as well as food nutritive components of each foodstuff or dish;

first calculating means for determining, for each of said members, a dietary requirement for said predetermined period and an ingredient intake target for said predetermined period, with reference to said table on the basis of the attributes of each member stored in said storage section;

first inputting means for obtaining eating habit information on foodstuffs often used from said input section to store the information in said storage section;

second calculating means for subtracting the nutritional intake of a restricted diet contained in said attributes from the dietary requirement for said predetermined period which has been determined by said first calculating means, to determine a nutritional intake to be managed;

third calculating means for determining, from the ingredient intake target for said predetermined period which has been determined by said first calculating means, a difference between the nutritional intake calculated with reference to said table and said nutritional intake to be managed which has been determined by said second calculating means; and

fourth calculating means for minimizing said difference determined by said third calculating means on the basis of said eating habit information on foodstuffs often used which has been obtained by said first inputting means, to determine a required ingredient intake for the predetermined period.

13. A storage medium in which a program executed by a control section is recorded, the control section operating when a menu for a predetermined period is made out for one or more members sitting around a table, to make out the menu with reference to a storage section on the basis of eating habit information obtained from an input section, the storage section having a table that stores dietary requirements for one day and ingredient intake targets for respective foodstuffs classified into food groups, the dietary requirements and ingredient intake targets being based on attributes the members, as well as food nutritive components of each foodstuff or dish, the program allowing a computer to execute:

a first calculating step of determining, for each of said members, a dietary requirement for said predetermined period and an ingredient intake target for said predetermined period, with reference to said table on the basis of the attributes of each member stored in said storage section;

a first inputting step of obtaining eating habit information on foodstuffs often used from said input section to store the information in said storage section;

a second calculating step of subtracting the nutritional intake of a restricted diet contained in said attributes from the dietary requirement for said predetermined period which has been determined at said first calculating step, to determine a nutritional intake to be managed;

a third calculating step of determining, from the ingredient intake target for said predetermined period which has been determined at said first calculating step, a difference between the nutritional intake calculated with reference to said table and said nutritional intake to be managed which has been determined at said second calculating step; and

a fourth calculating step of minimizing said difference determined at said third calculating step on the basis of said eating habit information on foodstuffs often used which has been obtained at said first inputting step, to determine a required ingredient intake for the predetermined period.

14. A program executed by a control section operating when a menu for a predetermined period is made out for one or more members sitting around a table, to make out the menu with reference to a storage section on the basis of eating habit information obtained from an input section, the storage section having a table that stores dietary requirements for one day and ingredient intake targets for respective foodstuffs classified into food groups, the dietary requirements and ingredient intake targets being based on attributes of the members, as well as food nutritive components of each foodstuff or dish, the program allowing a computer to execute:

a first calculating step of determining, for each of said members, a dietary requirement for said predetermined period and an ingredient intake target for said predetermined period, with reference to said table on the basis of the attributes of each member stored in said storage section;

a first inputting step of obtaining eating habit information on foodstuffs often used from said input section to store the information in said storage section;

a second calculating step of subtracting the nutritional intake of a restricted diet contained in said attributes from the dietary requirement for said predetermined period which has been determined at said first calculating step, to determine a nutritional intake to be managed;

a third calculating step of determining, from the ingredient intake target for said predetermined period which has been determined at said first calculating step, a difference between the nutritional intake calculated with reference to said table and said nutritional intake to be managed which has been determined at said second calculating step; and

a fourth calculating step of minimizing said difference determined at said third calculating step on the basis of said eating habit information on foodstuffs often used which has been obtained at said first inputting step, to determine a required ingredient intake for the predetermined period.