Processes and Systems for Achieving and Assisting in Improved Nutrition
Processes are provided for controlling body weight of a consumer, as well as for selecting and purchasing foods, and for producing food products, based on a combination of food energy data and further nutritional data for a candidate food conveyed by an integrated image. Related processes and systems are also provided for assisting in the foregoing processes.
1 . A process for controlling body weight of a consumer, comprising, for each of a plurality of candidate food servings, viewing each of a plurality of images each associated with a respective one of the plurality of candidate food servings and integrating a numeral representing an energy content of the candidate food serving and an auxiliary image feature representing a nutritional characteristic of the candidate food serving other than its energy content; selecting ones of the plurality of candidate food servings based on the numeral and the auxiliary image feature in each of the viewed plurality of associated images, such that a sum of the numerals in the images associated with the selected food servings bears a predetermined relationship to predetermined food energy benchmark data for the consumer in a given period; and ingesting the selected food servings.
2 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary image feature represents relative healthfulness data of the candidate food serving.
3 . The process of claim 2 , wherein the relative healthfulness data of the candidate food serving is based on (a) a selected respective procedure for processing nutritional data of foods in a respective food group comprising the candidate food serving, the respective food group being one of a plurality of food groups of a respective metagroup of a plurality of metagroups, each of the metagroups comprising a plurality of food groups and having a different respective procedure for processing the nutritional data of foods in the food groups within such metagroup, and (b) selected respective comparison data for the corresponding food group, at least some of the food groups in each metagroup having different respective comparison data than other food groups in such metagroup.
4 . The process of claim 2 , wherein the relative healthfulness data of the candidate food serving is based on a linear combination of selected nutrient amounts present therein.
5 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the food energy data is based on a human being's metabolic efficiency in utilizing first and second nutrients in the candidate food servings as energy.
6 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the food energy data is based on an energy contribution of each of its protein content, its carbohydrate content, its dietary fiber content and its fat content.
7 . A process for assisting a consumer in evaluating food to be purchased or consumed thereby, comprises: in a data processing system, receiving input data representing a food to be purchased or consumed by a consumer; in the data processing system, obtaining an image dataset based on the input data, the image dataset including numeral data representing an energy content of the food to be purchased or consumed and an auxiliary image feature representing a further nutritional characteristic of the food to be purchased or consumed other than its energy content; and at least one of (a) communicating the image dataset to a presentation device for presentation to the consumer, and (b) presenting an image to the consumer based on the image dataset, the image integrating the numeral and the auxiliary image feature to convey the energy content and the further nutritional characteristic of the food to be purchased or consumed to the consumer.
8 . The process of claim 7 , wherein the auxiliary image feature represents a relative healthfulness data of the food to be purchased or consumed.
9 . The process of claim 8 , wherein the relative healthfulness data of the food to be purchased or consumed is based on (a) a selected respective procedure for processing nutritional data of foods in a respective food group comprising the food to be purchased or consumed, the respective food group being one of a plurality of food groups of a respective metagroup of a plurality of metagroups, each of the metagroups comprising a plurality of food groups and having a different respective procedure for processing the nutritional data of foods in the food groups within such metagroup, and (b) selected respective comparison data for the corresponding food group, at least some of the food groups in each metagroup having different respective comparison data than other food groups in such metagroup.
10 . The process of claim 8 , wherein the relative healthfulness data of the food to be purchased or consumed is based on a linear combination of selected nutrient amounts present therein.
11 . The process of claim 7 , wherein the food energy data is based on a human being's metabolic efficiency in utilizing first and second nutrients in the food to be purchased or consumed as energy.
12 . The process of claim 7 , wherein the food energy data of the food to be purchased or consumed is based on an energy contribution of each of its protein content, its carbohydrate content, its dietary fiber content and its fat content.
13 . A process for selecting and purchasing food comprises viewing an image associated with a respective food offered for purchase, the image integrating a numeral representing an energy content of the respective food and an auxiliary image feature representing a further nutritional characteristic of the respective food other than its energy content; selecting the respective food based on the numeral and the auxiliary image feature in the viewed image; and purchasing the selected respective food.
14 . The process of claim 13 , wherein the auxiliary image feature represents relative healthfulness data of the respective food.
15 . The process of claim 14 , wherein the relative healthfulness data of the respective food is based on (a) a selected respective procedure for processing nutritional data of foods in a respective food group comprising t the respective food, the respective food group being one of a plurality of food groups of a respective metagroup of a plurality of metagroups, each of the metagroups comprising a plurality of food groups and having a different respective procedure for processing the nutritional data of foods in the food groups within such metagroup, and (b) selected respective comparison data for the corresponding food group, at least some of the food groups in each metagroup having different respective comparison data than other food groups in such metagroup.
16 . The process of claim 14 , wherein the relative healthfulness data of the respective food is based on a linear combination of selected nutrient amounts present therein.
17 . The process of claim 13 , wherein the food energy data is based on a human being's metabolic efficiency in utilizing first and second nutrients in the respective food as energy.
18 . The process of claim 13 , wherein the food energy data of the respective food is based on an energy contribution of each of its protein content, its carbohydrate content, its dietary fiber content and its fat content.
19 . A system for assisting a consumer in evaluating food to be purchased or consumed thereby, comprises: an input operative to receive input data representing a food to be purchased or consumed by a consumer; a processor coupled with the input to receive the input data and operative to obtain an image dataset based on the input data, the image dataset including numeral data representing an energy content of the food to be purchased or consumed and an auxiliary image feature representing a further nutritional characteristic of the food to be purchased or consumed other than its energy content; and at least one of (a) communications coupled with the processor to receive the image dataset therefrom and to communicate the image dataset to a device for presentation to the consumer, and (b) a presentation device coupled with the processor to receive the image dataset and operative to present an image to the consumer based on the image dataset, the image integrating the numeral and the auxiliary image feature to convey the energy content and further nutritional characteristic of the food to be purchased or consumed to the consumer.
20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the auxiliary image feature represents relative healthfulness data of the food to be purchased or consumed.
21 . The system of claim 20 , wherein the relative healthfulness data of the food to be purchased or consumed is based on (a) a selected respective procedure for processing nutritional data of foods in a respective food group comprising t the food to be purchased or consumed, the respective food group being one of a plurality of food groups of a respective metagroup of a plurality of metagroups, each of the metagroups comprising a plurality of food groups and having a different respective procedure for processing the nutritional data of foods in the food groups within such metagroup, and (b) selected respective comparison data for the corresponding food group, at least some of the food groups in each metagroup having different respective comparison data than other food groups in such metagroup.
22 . The system of claim 20 , wherein the relative healthfulness data of the food to be purchased or consumed is based on a linear combination of selected nutrient amounts present therein.
23 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the food energy data is based on a human being's metabolic efficiency in utilizing first and second nutrients in the food to be purchased or consumed.
24 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the food energy data of the food to be purchased or consumed is based on an energy contribution of each of its protein content, its carbohydrate content, its dietary fiber content and its fat content.
25 . A process for producing a food product having food energy data and further nutritional data associated therewith, comprising, obtaining a food product, supplying at least one of food identification data and food nutrient data of the food product; obtaining food energy data and further nutritional data for the food product representing a nutritional characteristic thereof other than energy content, based on the at least one of food identification data and food nutrient data of the food product; and associating an integrated image representing the food energy data and the further nutritional data with the food product, the integrated image depicting a numeral and an auxiliary image feature to convey the energy content and further nutritional characteristic of the food product respectively.
26 . The process of claim 25 , wherein obtaining the food product comprises producing the food product.
27 . The process of claim 25 , comprising associating the integrated image with the food product by including the integrated image on a substrate associated with the food product.
28 . The process of claim 27 , wherein the substrate comprises a package for the food product.
29 . The process of claim 27 , wherein the substrate comprises a label accompanying the food product.