A practical solution to improve the nutritional balance of Korean dine-out menus using linear programming

Abstract

ObjectiveWe analysed optimal nutrient levels using linear programming (LP) to reveal nutritional shortcomings of Korean dine-out meals and to stress the importance of fruits and dairy products for maintaining a healthy diet.DesignLP models that minimize deviation from recommended nutrient values were formulated to analyse deficiency or excess of nutrients under the best situation.SettingKorean dine-out menus and nutritional information were taken from the nutrient composition tables for dine-out menus developed by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the nutrient database from Computerized Analysis Program. Acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges of macronutrients such as carbohydrate, protein and fat, and recommended intake levels for energy, vitamins, minerals and cholesterol, by sex, were based on the Dietary Reference Intake for Koreans aged 30–49 years.ParticipantsOptimization was performed on selecting the optimal Korean meal combination.ResultsLP optimization models showed that it is unlikely to satisfy all nutrient recommendations with any combination of dine-out menus. Specifically, meal combinations of Korean dine-out menus had high levels of Na and cholesterol and low levels of vitamins and minerals. Four formulations were considered to compare the effects of controlling Na and including fruit and dairy products. The unbalanced diet was resolved with extra consumption of fruits and dairy products.ConclusionsThe best meal combination in dine-out menus, even though the proportion and pairing of menus may be unrealistic, is not healthy, and thus one should consume fruits and dairy products to maintain a balanced diet.

Dietary Pattern Extraction Using Natural Language Processing Techniques

“…However, in the 2016-2018 dataset, Western dietary patterns based on meat and alcohol (Topic 1), or consisting of fried, processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages (Topic 3), and a traditional dietary pattern (Topic 2) were observed. Dietary patterns and changes in food intake among Korean adults were similar to those from previous studies (4,11,12,17). Studies using the KNHANES dataset examined during the same period demonstrated that the major dietary patterns composed of white rice and Kimchi, or grains, vegetables, and fish were extracted using factor analysis (11,17).…”

“…Western dietary patterns are characterized by high intakes of meat, fried foods, refined grains, and added sugars, which may produce unfavorable health outcomes (19)(20)(21)(22). Frequent eating out is associated with a higher intake of total energy, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, and a lower intake of dietary fiber (4,23). Therefore, the shift in dietary patterns should be continuously monitored, and whether the associated changes produce healthy outcomes among Koreans should be checked.…”

“…KNHANES is a clustered, multistage, and stratified sampling design that annually assesses the diet and health of the Korean population. Many studies on the diet and nutrition of the Korean population use this dataset owing to its representation and credibility ( 4 , 11 , 12 ). We used the 2007–2009 and 2016–2018 data from the fourth and seventh KNHANES, respectively.…”

“…The transition of dietary patterns should be monitored because it holds an important risk factor for developing chronic diseases. Traditional methods have been employed to show unique dietary patterns or observe changes in dietary patterns over time in Korean populations ( 3 , 4 ).…”

Family Meal Planning under COVID-19 Scarcity Constraints: A Linear Programming Approach

“…The author, therefore, deemed these slight deviations from a single RDA to be acceptable. Scenario 2Bd (Panel D) is a very palatable breakfast menu, as determined by the meal being available in nearly every American breakfast restaurant [34]. All Scenario 2 lunch menus (Scenarios 2La through 2Ld) are shown in Table 8.…”