Nutritional counseling method and server

• US 20060122468A1
• Filed: 11/15/2004
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mali Tavor Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mali Tavor Ltd.
• Inventors: Tavor, Mali
• Application Number:
  US10/986,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20060122468A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets

Abstract

A method for nutritional counseling consists of the following steps. First, a user is allowed to connect remotely over a network. Next, baseline personal information is received from a user. The user is then provided with nutritional guidelines over the network connection in accordance with the baseline personal information. Once the nutritional guidelines are established, food consumption information is received over the network connection from the user, and preferably logged into a food diary. The received food consumption information is analyzed in accordance with the nutritional guidelines, and dietary feedback is provided to the user over the network connection in accordance with the performed analysis.

Claims

1. A method for nutritional counseling, comprising:

allowing a user to connect remotely over a network;

receiving baseline personal information from said user over said network connection;

providing said user with nutritional guidelines in accordance with said personal information over said network connection;

receiving food consumption information from said user over said network connection;

analyzing said received food consumption information in accordance with said guidelines; and

providing dietary feedback to said user in, accordance with said analysis over said network connection.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said food consumption information comprises a type and quantity of food eaten, and the time and date the food was eaten.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising logging said food consumption information in a food diary.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving current personal information from said user.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising modifying said nutritional guidelines in accordance with current and previously-provided personal information.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said guidelines are for maintaining a balance of nutritional components consumed by said user.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said nutritional components comprise proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said analyzing is in accordance with nutritional information stored for a plurality of foods in a foods database.

9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising updating said foods database to include nutritional information for a user-specified food.

10. A method:

according to claim 1, wherein said personal information comprises said user'"'"'s gender, age, current weight, height, and nutritional goals.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said personal information further comprises said user'"'"'s physical activity regimen.

12. A method according to claim 10, further comprising providing said user with physical activity guidelines in accordance with said personal information, over said network connection.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein said personal information further comprises said user'"'"'s health status.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein establishing nutritional guidelines comprises:

calculating a recommended weight range in accordance with said user'"'"'s gender, height, and age;

determining a recommended caloric intake level in accordance with said user'"'"'s gender, height, weight, age, physical activity level, and nutritional goals; and

determining respective allowances of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, in accordance with said recommended caloric intake level.

15. A method according to claim 2, wherein said analyzing comprises:

determining a list of foods eaten by said user during a specified time period;

calculating the total quantities of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats for foods on said list; and

comparing said total quantities to said nutritional guidelines.

16. A method according to claim 6, wherein said feedback comprises remaining daily allowances of said nutritional components.

17. A method according to claim 1, wherein said feedback comprises alerting said user to non-adherence to the guidelines.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein said feedback comprises nutritional error notification, and suggestions for correcting said nutritional errors.

19. A method according to claim 1, wherein said network comprises at least one of:

the Internet, a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellular telephone network, a cable TV network, a satellite TV network, a local-area network (LAN), a wide-area network (WAN), and a metropolitan-area network (MAN).

20. A method according to claim 1, further comprising providing said user with a recommended menu.

21. A method according to claim 1, wherein said analyzing is in accordance with physical activity information received from said user.

22. A method according to claim 21, further comprising monitoring a user'"'"'s physical activity, in comparison with a physical activity level provided with said personal information.

23. A method according to claim 21, further comprising monitoring a user'"'"'s physical activity, in comparison with physical activity guidelines provided to said user.

24. A method according to claim 1, further comprising monitoring a user weight in accordance with weight information received from said user.

25. A method according to claim 1, further comprising comparing said user weight to an expected user weight.

26. A method according to claim 1, further comprising calculating the portions of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats present in a specified food type and quantity.

27. A method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a recipe comprising a listing of types of foods and respective quantities, and translating said recipe into quantities of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

28. A method according to claim 1, further comprising billing said user.

29. A nutritional counseling server, comprising:

a user interface, for interfacing to a user over a network;

a guideline establisher associated with said user interface, for obtaining baseline personal information from said user and establishing nutritional guidelines for said user in accordance with said personal information;

a logger associated with said user interface, for receiving food consumption information received from said user and logging said food consumption information in a food diary; and

a nutrition analyzer associated with said user interface and said logger, for analyzing said food consumption information according to said guidelines, and providing dietary feedback to said user in accordance with said analysis.

30. A nutritional counseling server according to claim 29, further comprising a foods database associated with said nutrition analyzer, for storing nutritional information for a plurality of foods.

31. A nutritional counseling server according to claim 30, wherein said foods database is updateable by said user to include nutritional information for a user-specified food.

32. A nutritional counseling server according to claim 29, wherein said guidelines establisher comprises:

a weight determiner, for calculating a recommended weight range in accordance with said user'"'"'s gender, height, and age;

an energy calculator, for determining a recommended caloric intake level in accordance with said user'"'"'s gender, height, weight, age, physical activity level, and nutritional goals; and

a guideline specifier associated with said weight determiner and said energy calculator, for determining a respective recommended allowance of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, in accordance with said recommended caloric intake level.

33. A nutritional counseling server according to claim 32, wherein said nutritional analyzer comprises:

a food list generator, for retrieving a list of foods eaten by said user during a specified time period from said food diary;

a quantity summer associated with said food list generator, for calculating the total quantities of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats for said list of foods; and

a comparator associated with said quantity summer, for comparing said total quantities to said nutritional guidelines.

34. A nutritional counseling server according to claim 29, wherein said feedback comprises at least one of the following types of recommendations:

a recommended menu, a recommended daily allowance of said nutritional components, a remaining daily allowance of said nutritional components, nutritional error notification, and suggestions for correcting nutritional errors.

35. A nutritional counseling server according to claim 29, further comprising a physical activity analyzer associated with said nutrition analyzer, for calculating energy expenditure in accordance with physical activity information received from said user.

36. A nutritional counseling server according to claim 29, wherein said nutrition analyzer is operable to provide interactive responses to user entries.

37. A nutritional counseling server according to claim 29, wherein said network comprises at least one of:

the Internet, a PSTN, a cellular telephone network, a cable TV network, a satellite TV network, a LAN, a WAN, and a MAN.

38. A nutritional counseling server according to claim 30, further comprising a menu planner associated with said foods database, for providing a recommended menu in accordance with said guidelines.

39. A nutritional counseling server according to claim 29, wherein said logger is further operable to record weight information received from said user in said diary.

40. A nutritional counseling server according to claim 29, wherein said logger comprises a meal entry unit for user entry of a meal time, foods eaten during said meal, and respective quantities of said foods.

41. A nutritional counseling server according to claim 29, further comprising a food calculator, for calculating quantities of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats present in a specified food type and quantity.

42. A nutritional counseling server according to claim 41, wherein said food calculator comprises a recipe calculator, for translating a specified recipe into quantities of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

43. A nutritional counseling server according to claim 29, further comprising billing functionality.

44. A nutritional counseling server according to claim 38, further comprising a favorite food list for recording said user'"'"'s favorite foods for incorporation into a recommended menu.

45. A computer-readable storage medium containing a set of instructions for nutritional counseling, comprising:

a personal information input routine, for inputting personal information from a user;

a guideline establishment routine, for establishing nutritional guidelines for said user in accordance with said personal information and outputting said guidelines to said user;

a consumption information input routine, for inputting food consumption information from said user;

an analysis routine, for analyzing said received food consumption information in accordance with said guidelines; and

a feedback routine for outputting dietary feedback information to said user in accordance with the results of said analysis.