Meal pattern evaluation system, meal pattern evaluation method, and meal pattern evaluation program

Abstract

To provide a meal pattern evaluation system for reducing the labor of the answer of an object person, and for performing the evaluation of meal balance and meal guidance based on the meal pattern of the object person.SOLUTION: A meal pattern evaluation system 1 according to the present invention includes a meal information acquisition unit 11 that acquires meal information on meals taken by a subject person for one week or more, a meal classification unit 12 that classifies the meal information into predetermined dish categories, a total dish number calculation unit 13 that calculates a total number of dishes for each dish category, an average dish number calculation unit 14 that calculates an average number of dishes taken by the subject person per day by averaging the total number of dishes, and a meal evaluation unit 15 that evaluates a meal balance of a meal pattern by comparing the average number of dishes with a preset ideal number of dishes for a healthy meal. The meal information is a dish name or a food name of a meal ingested by the target person.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a dietary pattern evaluation system, a dietary pattern evaluation method, and a dietary pattern evaluation program. [Background technology]

[0002] A healthy diet is important for extending healthy lifespan, and it is desirable for individuals to know the healthiness of their daily diet. However, conventional dietary surveys are nutritional surveys aimed at calculating energy and other nutrients as part of nutritional research, and therefore require the acquisition of calculable data such as the weight or volume of each food item included in the meal. Since responding to the survey requires considerable effort from the subject, they are not easily conducted by individuals. To solve this problem, methods have been proposed that allow a relatively easy assessment of the healthiness of a subject's diet (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-34167 [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: "Dietary Balance Guide" https: / / www.mhlw.go.jp / bunya / kenkou / pdf / eiyou-syokuji2.pdf Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the method of Patent Document 1, when a food name or dish name is input, the food item and previous intake frequency corresponding to the input food name or dish name are identified. This process reduces the labor required for the survey. The nutritional balance is then evaluated based on the difference between the predetermined required intake frequency of each food item and the subject's actual intake frequency, and the results are displayed as a surplus or deficiency for each food item.

[0006] The method in Non-Patent Document 1 evaluates daily dietary balance based on the names of dishes eaten by the subject and the intake amount converted to a standard amount for each dish, compared with a guideline intake. The survey results are then presented as excess or deficiency relative to the standard intake amount for each dish, with the aim of enabling individuals to review their food intake and use it to improve their own diet. Although Non-Patent Document 1 describes dietary balance, the method in Non-Patent Document 1 is based on intake converted to a standard unit for each dish based on the amount of nutrients, and essentially evaluates nutritional balance.

[0007] In recent years, the importance of "dietary patterns," which are repeated meals consisting of a variety of dishes, rather than specific foods and nutrients, has been pointed out as an indicator of dietary health. Therefore, improving dietary patterns is desirable for extending healthy lifespan. To improve dietary patterns, it is effective to provide specific and feasible dietary advice based on information about individual dietary patterns. Therefore, there is a need for dietary surveys that are easy for individuals to complete and that enable the measurement of individual dietary patterns.

[0008] However, the method of Patent Document 1 calculates food items and their intake frequencies from input food names or dish names, and evaluates nutritional balance based on the intake frequencies of the food items, but does not focus on meal patterns, which are repetitive meals. Furthermore, the method of Non-Patent Document 1 evaluates nutritional balance based on the amount of food consumed, which requires effort from the subject to respond, and does not focus on meal patterns, which are repetitive meals. Therefore, the methods of Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1 still have the problem of being unable to evaluate meal patterns or provide dietary advice based on meal patterns.

[0009] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a dietary pattern evaluation system, a dietary pattern evaluation method, and a dietary pattern evaluation program that can evaluate dietary balance and provide dietary advice based on the subject's dietary patterns with little effort required for the subject to respond. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The eating pattern evaluation system of the present invention comprises a meal information acquisition unit that acquires meal information regarding at least one week's worth of meals eaten by a subject, a meal classification unit that classifies the meal information into predetermined cuisine categories, a total dish number calculation unit that calculates the total number of dishes for each cuisine category, an average dish number calculation unit that calculates the average number of dishes eaten by the subject per day by averaging the total number of dishes, and a meal evaluation unit that evaluates the dietary balance of a meal pattern by comparing the average dish number with a predetermined ideal number of dishes for a healthy diet. The meal information is the names of dishes or foods eaten by the subject.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the eating pattern evaluation system, the food categories include staple foods, main dishes, side dishes, milk and dairy products, and fruits. The meal evaluation unit indicates the evaluation result for each food category by showing whether the average number of dishes is greater than or less than the ideal number of dishes.

[0012] In addition, in a preferred embodiment of the dietary pattern evaluation system, the food categories include at least one of a high-salt food category, a confectionery category, and an alcoholic beverage category for classifying at least one of high-salt food, confectionery, and alcoholic beverages. The diet evaluation unit also compares the average number of plates in at least one of the high-salt food category, the confectionery category, and the alcoholic beverage category with an ideal number of plates, and evaluates at least one of the amount of salt intake, the number of times confectionery is consumed, and the frequency of alcoholic beverage consumption.

[0013] In addition, the dietary pattern evaluation system of a preferred embodiment further includes a subject information acquisition unit that acquires subject information about the subject, and a comment creation unit that creates instructional comments to improve the dietary balance appropriate to the subject's condition based on the evaluation results of the diet evaluation unit and the subject information.

[0014] In a further preferred embodiment, the eating pattern evaluation system further includes a recipe suggestion unit that suggests names of dishes or foods that are lacking in the subject and that should be recommended to the subject to improve the dietary balance, based on the evaluation results of the diet evaluation unit and the subject information.

[0015] The meal pattern evaluation method of the present invention includes a meal information acquisition step of acquiring meal information on at least one week's worth of meals eaten by the subject, a meal classification step of classifying the meal information into predetermined cuisine categories, a total dish number calculation step of calculating the total number of dishes for each cuisine category, an average dish number calculation step of averaging the total dishes to calculate the average number of dishes eaten by the subject per day, and a meal evaluation step of comparing the average dish number with a predetermined ideal number of dishes for a healthy diet to evaluate the meal balance of the meal pattern. The meal information is the names of dishes or foods eaten by the subject.

[0016] Furthermore, the meal pattern evaluation program of the present invention causes a computer to execute processes including a meal information acquisition step of acquiring meal information regarding one week or more of meals eaten by the subject, a meal classification step of classifying the meal information into predetermined cuisine categories, a total dish number calculation step of calculating the total number of dishes for each cuisine category, an average dish number calculation step of averaging the total dishes to calculate the average number of dishes eaten by the subject per day, and a meal evaluation step of evaluating the meal balance of the meal pattern by comparing the average dish number with a predetermined ideal number of dishes for a healthy diet. The meal information is the names of dishes or foods eaten by the subject. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an evaluation of dietary balance and dietary advice based on the subject's eating patterns with little effort required for the subject to respond. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the correlation between the dietary pattern evaluation method of the present invention and a conventional nutritional evaluation method. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a dietary pattern evaluation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a sheet for recording meal information used in the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a dish name database used in the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a dietary balance evaluation score calculation table used in the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an instruction comment database used in the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for assessing eating patterns according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a report output from the dietary pattern evaluation system of the present invention. [Figure 9]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a report output from the dietary pattern evaluation system of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the correlation between evaluation scores of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] Figure 1 shows the correlation between the dietary pattern assessment method of the present invention and conventional nutritional assessment methods. As shown in Figure 1, conventional nutritional assessment methods calculate the intake of nutrients (e.g., protein, fat, carbohydrates, etc.) from ingested foods, analyze nutritional balance based on the weight of the ingested nutrients, and provide guidance on nutrient excesses or deficiencies based on the analysis results. In contrast, the dietary pattern assessment method of the present invention obtains dietary patterns from meals, which are combinations of dishes, analyzes dietary balance related to nutritional balance based on the dietary patterns, and provides guidance on nutrient excesses or deficiencies based on the analysis results.

[0021] Here, "dish" means food made by cooking multiple ingredients. "Food" means an item that can be eaten by humans and an item that is an ingredient in a "dish." "Meal" means a combination of "dish" or "food" (one serving). The same meanings apply throughout this specification.

[0022] The eating pattern evaluation system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 6. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the eating pattern evaluation system 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a form for recording dietary information used in the present invention. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a dish name database used in the present invention. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a dietary balance evaluation point calculation table used in the present invention. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an instruction comment database used in the present invention. Fig. 6 shows examples of instruction comments for staple foods.

[0023] The dietary pattern evaluation system 1 is a system for evaluating the dietary balance of a dietary pattern based on the eating habits of a subject. The dietary pattern evaluation system 1 is constructed in a user terminal 2 and / or a server terminal 3 by installing a dietary pattern evaluation program in the user terminal 2 and / or a server terminal 3 connected to the user terminal 2 via a network 4 such as the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network). All of the functions of the dietary pattern evaluation system 1 may be constructed in either the user terminal 2 or the server terminal 3, or some of the functions of the dietary pattern evaluation system 1 may be constructed in the user terminal 2 and other parts of the functions of the dietary pattern evaluation system 1 may be constructed in the server terminal 3.

[0024] Here, the subject is the person whose eating pattern is evaluated, and the user is the person who evaluates the eating pattern. The user is, for example, a registered dietitian. When the subject himself evaluates his own eating pattern, the user also includes the subject. In the following, the eating pattern evaluation system 1 will be described as having a eating pattern evaluation program installed on a server terminal 3, all functions constructed on the server terminal 3, and operating upon receiving instructions from a user terminal 2 connected via a network 4.

[0025] The user terminal 2 is a terminal used by a user who wishes to evaluate their eating patterns. The user terminal 2 is equipped with a display device such as a display for displaying information output from the eating pattern evaluation system 1, and input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, and microphone for inputting dietary information to the eating pattern evaluation system 1. The user terminal 2 is also equipped with an imaging device such as a camera for capturing images or videos. The user terminal 2 is also equipped with a storage device such as a semiconductor memory or a storage device for saving various data. The user terminal 2 is, for example, a personal computer, tablet computer, smartphone, or other terminal.

[0026] The server terminal 3 is a terminal on which a dietary pattern evaluation program is installed to construct the dietary pattern evaluation system 1. The server terminal 3 is, for example, a server computer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and storage.

[0027] The eating pattern assessment system 1 includes a meal information acquisition unit 11, a meal classification unit 12, a total dish number calculation unit 13, an average dish number calculation unit 14, a meal evaluation unit 15, a control unit 21, and a memory unit 22. The eating pattern assessment system 1 may further include a subject information acquisition unit 16, a comment creation unit 17, and a recipe suggestion unit 18.

[0028] The meal information acquisition unit 11 acquires meal information about meals eaten by the subject over one week or more. Here, the meal information is the names of dishes or foods eaten by the subject. The meal information includes date and time information, such as the date and year of the meal, whether it was breakfast or lunch, and personal information, such as who ate the meal. The meal information does not include information indicating the portion size of the food eaten, such as whether it was a single serving or a half serving, or the weight, volume, or number of the food eaten.

[0029] Specifically, the subject records daily meal information by dish or food name, divided into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. The subject records meal information by, for example, writing it on a dedicated recording sheet as shown in FIG. 3 , inputting it into a recording screen displayed on the user terminal 2 by operating the eating pattern assessment system 1 using the input device of the user terminal 2, or taking photos of the food using the imaging device of the user terminal 2. The recording screen is, for example, the same screen as the dedicated recording sheet as shown in FIG. 3 . When writing or inputting the name of a dish, for example, a stir-fry or a simmered dish, the ingredients are written or input so that they can be identified. For set meals served at restaurants, bento boxes at convenience stores, hot pots, etc., the dishes or foods included in the meal are written or input so that they can be easily identified. If possible, the main dishes or foods included in the set meal, bento box, or hot pot are listed and input. When writing on the dedicated recording sheet or inputting it into the recording screen, date and time information is also written or input. When taking and recording photos, the image data of the taken photos is saved with the date information added.

[0030] The dietary information acquisition unit 11 acquires one week's worth of dietary information recorded by the subject. For example, if the subject records the dietary information on a dedicated recording sheet, the dietary information acquisition unit 11 acquires image data of the recording sheet captured by the imaging device of the user terminal 2 and performs character recognition on the image data to acquire the information as text data. Since date and time information is written on the dedicated recording sheet, the dietary information acquisition unit 11 also acquires the date and time information when performing character recognition on the image data. If the subject inputs the dietary information into the dietary pattern evaluation system 1, the input dietary information is stored in the storage device of the user terminal 2 or the storage unit 22 of the dietary pattern evaluation system 1, and is therefore read and acquired from the storage device or storage unit 22. Since the date and time information is also stored in the dietary information, the dietary information acquisition unit 11 also acquires the date and time information by reading it from the storage device or storage unit 22. If the subject records the dietary information using photographs, the image data of the photographs is stored in the storage device of the user terminal 2 or the storage unit 22 of the dietary pattern evaluation system 1, and the image data of the photographs is read from the storage device or storage unit 22, and image processing is performed to generate text data for dish or food names, and the generated text data is acquired. In this case, since date information is added to the image data, the date information is acquired when the image data is acquired and added to the generated text data. In either case, the person information is acquired from the login information of the user terminal 2 when the meal information acquisition unit 11 acquires the meal information.

[0031] The meal classification unit 12 classifies meal information into predetermined dish categories. The memory unit 22 of the server terminal 3 stores a dish name database, as shown in FIG. 4, which indicates which dish category dish names and food names belong to. The meal classification unit 12 classifies the meal information acquired by the meal information acquisition unit 11 by checking the dish name database to determine which dish category it belongs to. In this embodiment, the dish categories are staple food, main dish, side dish, milk / dairy products, and fruit. The dish categories may include a high-salt dish category for classifying high-salt dishes, a confectionery category for classifying sweets, and an alcoholic beverage category for classifying alcoholic beverages. Note that the dish categories are not limited to those described above, and for example, main dishes and side dishes may be collectively referred to as side dishes.

[0032] Staple foods are foods that contain primarily carbohydrates. Staple foods include white rice, seasoned rice, bread, ramen, and noodles other than ramen. Foods that contain small amounts of carbohydrates are not included in staple foods, with emphasis on the form of the staple food. Staple food categories can be further subdivided into white rice, seasoned rice, bread, ramen, noodles other than ramen, and others. Staple foods are the center of a meal, and depending on the staple food, there is a tendency for high-salt dishes to be chosen as main dishes and side dishes. Therefore, subdividing them allows for more accurate guidance and comments on improving dietary balance, as described below.

[0033] A main dish is one that contains protein such as meat, fish, eggs, etc. Emphasis is placed on the main dish in terms of form, and dishes that contain a small amount of protein food are not included in the main dish.

[0034] Side dishes are dishes that mainly consist of vegetables, potatoes, mushrooms, seaweed, etc. Vegetable juices are also considered side dishes. On the other hand, small amounts of vegetables such as condiments are not included in the side dishes.

[0035] Milk and dairy products include not only milk and dairy products, but also dishes made with milk and dairy products such as cafe au lait, corn soup, and cream stew.

[0036] Fruits include fresh fruits, dried fruits, and 100% fruit juice. Juices with a low fruit juice content are not included in the fruit category and are classified as sweets.

[0037] High-salt dishes include soups, pickles, and noodle soups. High-salt dishes may overlap with other categories. For example, ramen is classified as both a staple food and a high-salt dish. Also, soups with lots of ingredients that have many side dish elements are treated as composite dishes and are classified as both side dishes and high-salt dishes. However, pickles used to flavor staple foods and main dishes are not included in high-salt dishes.

[0038] Confectionery includes sweets as well as sweet drinks. Alcoholic beverages are alcoholic beverages.

[0039] Since nutritional supplements and dietary supplements can now serve as substitutes for meals, they are classified into staple foods, main dishes, side dishes, etc. depending on their ingredients.

[0040] The total plate count calculation unit 13 calculates the total number of plates for each cuisine category. The total plate count calculation unit 13 calculates the total number of plates for each cuisine category by counting the number of dish names or food names included in each cuisine category classified by the meal classification unit 12. For example, if you eat rice for one meal, it is counted as one staple dish, regardless of whether the meal is a large portion or a small portion. If you eat rice and noodles for one meal, the rice is counted as one staple dish, and the noodles are counted as one staple dish.

[0041] Composite dishes spanning multiple cuisine categories (e.g., curry rice, rice bowls, etc.), or meals combining staple foods, main dishes, side dishes, pickles, soups, etc., such as those eaten at restaurants or in bento boxes, are counted in each cuisine category. For example, a beef bowl is classified into both staple food and main dish categories by the meal classification unit 12 based on the cuisine name database. Therefore, when a person eats one beef bowl, the total plate count calculation unit 13 counts the number of plates in both cuisine categories: one plate of staple food and one plate of main dish. Confectioneries are counted not by number of pieces, but by the number of times consumed per day. That is, if a person consumes confectioneries between breakfast and lunch and between lunch and dinner, whether they eat one or more pieces as snacks, one plate consumed between breakfast and lunch and one plate consumed between lunch and dinner are counted as one plate, totaling two plates for the day. Since the quantity of alcoholic beverages is not required, their consumption is counted on a daily basis. In other words, for alcoholic beverages, on days when they are consumed, each intake is counted as one serving, and on days when they are not consumed, each intake is counted as zero servings.

[0042] The average number of dishes calculation unit 14 calculates the average number of dishes consumed by the subject per day by averaging the total number of dishes. Since the number of days' worth of dietary information acquired by the dietary information acquisition unit 11 is known, the average number of dishes calculation unit 14 calculates the average number of dishes by dividing the total number of dishes for each cuisine category by the number of days for which the dietary information was acquired.

[0043] The subject information acquisition unit 16 acquires subject information about the subject. The subject information is information about the subject's age, height, weight, BMI, whether or not they have family members living with them, whether or not they have diseases such as high blood pressure, and whether or not they need support such as assistance or nursing care. The subject information acquisition unit 16 acquires subject information input by the user or the subject via the input device of the user terminal 2.

[0044] The meal evaluation unit 15 evaluates the meal balance of the meal pattern by comparing the average number of dishes with a predetermined ideal number of dishes for a healthy diet. The meal evaluation unit 15 also compares the average number of dishes for the high-salt food category, the confectionery category, and the alcoholic beverage category with the ideal number of dishes to evaluate the amount of salt intake, the number of times confectionery is consumed, and the frequency of alcoholic beverage consumption. The meal evaluation unit 15 then displays the evaluation results as the evaluation result. Specifically, the ideal number of dishes for an ideally balanced meal is preset for each food category and stored in the memory unit 22. The meal evaluation unit 15 displays the evaluation result of the meal balance of the meal pattern as the excess or deficiency of the average number of dishes relative to the ideal number of dishes. The ideal number of dishes may be set to 100%, and the excess or deficiency of the average number of dishes relative to the ideal number of dishes may be displayed as a percentage.

[0045] The dietary evaluation unit 15 can also score the dietary balance of each of the seven food categories (staple food, main dish, side dish, milk and dairy products, fruit, high-salt dishes, and sweets, excluding alcoholic beverages) and calculate the overall score as the dietary balance evaluation score for an individual's eating pattern. Specifically, the memory unit 22 of the server terminal 3 stores an evaluation score calculation table for calculating evaluation scores, as shown in FIG. 5. The evaluation score calculation table determines whether the ideal number of dishes is appropriate, with 10 points, and points are deducted for an excess or deficiency in the number of dishes. Note that the evaluation score calculation table does not provide evaluation scores for excessive or insufficient intake of side dishes and fruit, or for the food categories in which excessive intake of high-salt dishes and sweets is not harmful to health. The dietary evaluation unit 15 compares the average number of dishes with the ideal number of dishes and calculates and totals the scores for each food category based on the evaluation score calculation table. Then, the diet evaluation unit 15 converts the total score, which is 70 points, into a score of 100 points, and calculates it as an evaluation score for the dietary balance of the subject's dietary pattern.

[0046] Furthermore, the diet evaluation unit 15 can also individually evaluate the amount of salt intake, the number of times sweets are consumed, and the frequency of alcoholic beverage intake, based on the subject information acquired by the subject information acquisition unit 16. For example, the diet evaluation unit 15 individually evaluates whether a subject with high blood pressure has an excessive amount of salt intake, or whether a subject with obesity has an excessive number of times sweets are consumed.

[0047] The comment creation unit 17 creates an instruction comment for improving the dietary balance appropriate for the condition of the subject, based on the evaluation result of the diet evaluation unit 15 and the subject information. The memory unit 22 of the server terminal 3 stores an instruction comment database including all generally usable instruction comments, as shown in Fig. 6. The comment creation unit 17 selects an appropriate instruction comment from the instruction comment database based on the evaluation result of the diet evaluation unit 15 and the subject information, and creates the instruction comment.

[0048] Specifically, the comment creation unit 17 suggests, in terms of a specific number of dishes, how many dishes should be increased or decreased per day to achieve an ideal eating pattern for each food category, based on whether the average number of dishes is more or less than the ideal number of dishes evaluated by the dietary evaluation unit 15. The comment creation unit 17 also suggests, in terms of a specific number of dishes, how many high-salt dishes should be limited to in order to prevent high blood pressure, based on factors such as age or the presence or absence of illness. The comment creation unit 17 also selects and creates, from a guidance comment database, guidance comments that are primarily aimed at enabling the subject to improve their eating habits themselves, taking into account factors such as whether or not they have family members living with them or whether or not they need support.

[0049] Furthermore, when the meal classification unit 12 subdivides and classifies staple foods when classifying food categories, the comment creation unit 17 selects and creates instructional comments from the instructional comment database taking into account, for example, that when a lot of white rice is eaten, soup containing salt tends to be eaten as well, and when a lot of ramen is eaten, the main dish and side dishes tend to be few.

[0050] The recipe suggestion unit 18 suggests names of dishes or foods that are lacking in the subject and that should be recommended to the subject to improve their dietary balance, based on the evaluation results of the meal evaluation unit 15 and the subject information. Specifically, the storage unit 22 of the server terminal 3 stores a dish attribute database that can search for names of dishes or foods to recommend based on the subject's attributes. For each dish or food name, the dish attribute database indicates, for example, the dish category, the recommended age group (elderly, middle-aged, young, children, etc.), the ease of cooking, and whether pre-cooked dishes can be purchased. The recipe suggestion unit 18 finds and suggests names of dishes or foods that belong to the dish category that the subject is lacking and that should be recommended based on the subject's age group or the subject's characteristics (such as age, whether they can cook at home based on whether they live with others or live alone, whether they require assistance or care, etc.).

[0051] The control unit 21 is configured with a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 21 executes a program to control the operations of the meal information acquisition unit 11, meal classification unit 12, total dish number calculation unit 13, average dish number calculation unit 14, meal evaluation unit 15, subject information acquisition unit 16, comment creation unit 17, recipe suggestion unit 18, and memory unit 22.

[0052] The memory unit 22 stores various information, data, programs, etc. The memory unit 22 is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The memory unit 22 stores a meal pattern evaluation program that evaluates the meal balance of a meal pattern. The memory unit 22 also stores a dish name database, an evaluation score calculation table, a teaching comment database, and a dish attribute database used in the meal pattern evaluation method. The memory unit 22 also stores the subject's dietary information.

[0053] Next, with reference to Figs. 7 to 9, a dietary pattern evaluation method for evaluating the dietary balance of a dietary pattern based on the dietary pattern evaluation system 1 will be described. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the dietary pattern evaluation method according to this embodiment. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a report output from the dietary pattern evaluation system 1 of the present invention. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing another example of a report output from the dietary pattern evaluation system 1 of the present invention. Each step of the dietary pattern evaluation method is executed by a dietary pattern evaluation program stored in the dietary pattern evaluation system 1. Below, we will explain the case where a series of steps is executed by the dietary pattern evaluation system 1 and the dietary pattern evaluation program, but some steps of the dietary pattern evaluation method may also be performed manually by a user such as a registered dietitian.

[0054] The subject records information on the meals they have eaten for at least one week. When the user first uses the dietary pattern evaluation system 1 and whenever there is a change in the subject information, the user inputs the subject information using the input device of the user terminal 2. The input subject information is stored in the memory unit 22 for each subject.

[0055] When the eating pattern evaluation system 1 is started, a screen for inputting one week's worth of dietary information is displayed on the display device of the user terminal 2. The user inputs one week's worth of dietary information consumed by the subject. Dietary information is input by scanning a recording sheet on which dietary information is written, by inputting it using the input device of the user terminal 2, by reading a photograph of the meal, or the like.

[0056] When meal information is input, the meal information acquisition unit 11 executes a meal information acquisition step of acquiring at least one week's worth of meal information consumed by the subject (S10). The meal information acquisition unit 11 transmits the acquired meal information to the meal classification unit 12, and also calculates the number of days of the meal information, indicating how many days the acquired meal information covers, and transmits the number of days of the meal information to the average dish number calculation unit 14. The number of days of the meal information is calculated from the date and time information attached to the meal information, indicating the date and month of the meal. In addition, the meal information is accompanied by personal information indicating the subject's meal information, and the meal information acquisition unit 11 transmits personal information regarding the subject from whom the meal information was acquired to the subject information acquisition unit 16. Upon receiving the meal information, the meal classification unit 12 reads the dish name database from the storage unit 22 and executes a meal classification step of classifying the meal information into predetermined dish categories while comparing the meal information with the dish name database (S12). The meal information classified into each dish category is transmitted to the total dish number calculation unit 13.

[0057] Upon receiving the meal information categorized into each cuisine category, total dish number calculation unit 13 executes a total dish number calculation step of calculating the total number of dishes for each cuisine category by counting the number of meal information categorized into each cuisine category (S14). The calculated total dish number is sent to average dish number calculation unit 14. Upon receiving the total dish number for each cuisine category, average dish number calculation unit 14 executes an average dish number calculation step of calculating the average number of dishes consumed by the subject per day by averaging the total number of dishes based on the number of days for the meal information received from dietary information acquisition unit 11 (S16). The calculated average dish number is sent to dietary evaluation unit 15.

[0058] On the other hand, when the eating pattern evaluation system 1 is started and receives personal information about the subject whose meal information has been acquired from the meal information acquisition unit 11 that acquired the meal information, the subject information acquisition unit 16 reads and acquires the subject information of the subject whose meal information has been acquired from the storage unit 22. The acquired subject information is sent to the meal evaluation unit 15, the comment creation unit 17, and the recipe suggestion unit 18.

[0059] Upon receiving the calculated average number of dishes and the subject information, the meal evaluation unit 15 reads from the memory unit 22 the ideal number of dishes for a healthy meal, which is preset for each cuisine category, and executes a meal evaluation step of comparing the average number of dishes with the ideal number of dishes for each cuisine category to evaluate the dietary balance of the meal pattern (S18). The evaluation of the dietary balance of the meal pattern indicates the ideal number of dishes for each cuisine category as a guideline for each cuisine category, and also indicates the subject's intake as how many dishes more or less than the ideal number of dishes. In addition, the ideal number of dishes is set to 100%, and the excess or deficiency of the average number of dishes relative to the ideal number of dishes is displayed as a percentage for each cuisine category. The excess or deficiency of the average number of dishes is also calculated based on an evaluation score calculation table, and is displayed as an evaluation score. The evaluation results of the dietary balance of the meal pattern are sent to the comment creation unit 17 and the recipe suggestion unit 18.

[0060] When the comment creating unit 17 receives the evaluation result of the dietary balance of the eating pattern and the subject information, it executes an instruction comment creating step of creating an instruction comment for improving the dietary balance suitable for the subject's condition based on the evaluation result of the diet evaluation unit 15 and the subject information (S20). The comment creating unit 17 reads the instruction comment database stored in the memory unit 22, and creates the instruction comment by selecting an appropriate instruction comment from the instruction comment database based on the evaluation result of the diet evaluation unit 15 and the subject information.

[0061] Furthermore, upon receiving the evaluation result of the dietary balance of the eating pattern and the subject information, the recipe suggestion unit 18 executes a recipe suggestion step of proposing names of dishes or foods that are lacking in the subject and should be recommended to the subject, based on the evaluation result of the diet evaluation unit 15 and the subject information (S22). The recipe suggestion unit 18 reads out the dish attribute database stored in the storage unit 22. Then, based on the dish attribute database, the recipe suggestion unit 18 selects and proposes names of dishes and foods that belong to the dish category in which the subject is lacking in the dietary balance of the eating pattern evaluated by the diet evaluation unit 15 and that should be recommended to the subject from the subject information.

[0062] Once the evaluation results of the dietary balance of the eating pattern, the guidance comments, and the names of dishes or foods to be suggested have been obtained, the control unit 21 compiles the evaluation results of the dietary balance of the eating pattern, the guidance comments, and the names of dishes or foods to be suggested into a report as shown in Figure 8 and / or Figure 9, and displays it on the display device of the user terminal 2 (S24). The user and the subject can check the displayed report and try to improve their eating pattern. [Example]

[0063] Next, the dietary pattern evaluation system 1 according to the above embodiment will be specifically described using examples.

[0064] In this example, using the dietary pattern evaluation system 1 of the above embodiment, the dietary balance of the subject's dietary pattern is evaluated by calculating an evaluation score based on the evaluation score calculation table shown in Figure 5, and it is confirmed whether the results correlate with the total score calculated according to the procedure of a paper that shows the validity of nutritional balance evaluated using the dietary balance guide of Non-Patent Document 1 (K. Kurotani, et al: Quality of diet and mortality among Japanese men and women: Japan Public Health Center based prospective study, BMJ, 352:i1209(2016)).

[0065] In both Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, the dietary information is information on the dietary intakes of 19 subjects over a one-week period. In Example 1, the dietary information is the name of a dish or food. In Comparative Example 1, the dietary information is the amount of a food or dish and the frequency of intake of the food or dish obtained using the New FFQg Food Frequency Survey (a standard questionnaire asking about the amount and frequency of intake of a food or dish). In Example 1, the dietary pattern assessment system 1 of the above embodiment was used to calculate the evaluation scores of 19 subjects based on the evaluation score calculation table shown in Figure 5. In Comparative Example 1, nutritional balance was evaluated using dedicated software for analyzing the New FFQg Food Frequency Survey, and the evaluation score was calculated based on the evaluation method described in the above-mentioned paper (K. Kurotani, et al.: Quality of diet and mortality among Japanese men and women: Japan Public Health Center-based prospective study, BMJ, 352:1209(2016)).

[0066] The evaluation results are shown in Table 1 and Figure 10. Table 1 shows the evaluation scores of 19 subjects. Figure 10 is a diagram showing the correlation between the evaluation scores of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1. In Figure 10, points are plotted for each subject at the intersection of the evaluation score of Comparative Example 1 on the horizontal axis and the evaluation score of Example 1 on the vertical axis.

[0067] [Table 1]

[0068] As shown in Figure 10, when the evaluation scores were calculated for Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 based on the same dietary information of the same subject, a linear relationship was found with a correlation coefficient of 0.7. That is, it can be seen that there is a clear correlation between the evaluation scores when evaluating the dietary balance of a dietary pattern using the present invention and when evaluating the nutritional balance using Non-Patent Document 1. This shows that dietary balance can be adequately evaluated without having to evaluate nutrients by taking food weight into account as in the past.

[0069] As described above, the dietary pattern evaluation system 1 of the present invention records the names of dishes or foods as dietary information. Generally, many Japanese dishes have names that are common throughout the country, and the names include the food and cooking method, so the names of the dishes contain a lot of nutritional information. By recording dietary information using such names of dishes and foods, subjects from children to the elderly can easily answer questions about what and when they ate. Furthermore, the dietary pattern evaluation system 1 of the present invention excludes energy intake from the evaluation, taking advantage of the fact that energy intake can be evaluated from weight gain or loss. Therefore, there is no need to require the amount of dishes and foods consumed, and dietary information can be easily collected.

[0070] Furthermore, the dietary pattern evaluation method of the present invention acquires dietary information for at least one week's worth of dietary intake by the subject. As described above, the dietary pattern evaluation system 1 of the present invention records the names of dishes or foods as dietary information, thereby significantly reducing the effort required to collect dietary information. As a result, even dietary information for at least one week can be easily acquired. In addition, our lives often follow a weekly cycle. The dietary pattern evaluation method of the present invention uses dietary information for one week, including weekdays and holidays, to evaluate dietary balance based on the subject's average eating habits (dietary patterns). In this way, rather than evaluating a portion of the subject's dietary habits that change daily, such as a single day, evaluation based on dietary information for one week, which represents a long, general life cycle, allows for evaluation of dietary balance and dietary advice based on the subject's dietary patterns.

[0071] Furthermore, in the dietary pattern evaluation system 1 of the present invention, dietary balance guidance is provided by showing the excess or deficiency of the number of dishes compared to the ideal number of dishes for each food category. The dietary survey methods in Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1 require specialized knowledge of food composition tables or food weights to interpret the survey results, making them difficult for individuals to use to improve their own diets. However, in the present invention, food categories are divided into categories that are easy for subjects to recognize, such as staple foods and main dishes, and the number of dishes is shown as an excess or deficiency for each food category. This allows subjects to easily visualize which dishes they are consuming in excess or insufficiently. This leads to intuitive dietary guidance and facilitates improvements in dietary patterns. Furthermore, food categories are divided into categories for high-salt dishes, sweets, and alcoholic beverages, making it easy to visually identify excessive consumption of dishes corresponding to these categories. This makes it easy for medical professionals to provide guidance and for subjects to understand how many dishes of high-salt dishes to reduce, for example, when salt intake needs to be reduced.

[0072] Furthermore, the dietary pattern assessment method of the present invention scores the dietary balance of the subject's dietary pattern as an assessment point, and also makes it possible to provide guidance on dietary balance by suggesting names of recommended dishes or foods, etc. This can be useful for preventing malnutrition in elderly people living alone, preventing malnutrition in elderly people living at home (including those requiring support or nursing care), preventing lifestyle-related diseases and illnesses in working adults, improving the eating habits of university students living alone, and supporting healthy eating habits in children, among other purposes.

[0073] Furthermore, the dietary pattern assessment method of the present invention presents assessment results in intuitively understandable terms such as the number of dishes, and the use of assessment scores makes it easy to evaluate changes over time, which can be useful for medical and welfare professionals in providing dietary guidance to residents and patients.

[0074] Furthermore, the dietary pattern evaluation method of the present invention can easily survey the dietary patterns of the general population in Japan, and therefore can be useful when local governments and researchers conduct dietary surveys targeting a population.

[0075] As such, the dietary pattern evaluation system 1 and dietary pattern evaluation method of the present invention can be widely used by people from children to the elderly, and can also be used to improve the work of medical professionals and to study dietary balance by researchers, which is of great significance and will contribute to people's health.

[0076] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0077] For example, in the above embodiment, the meal pattern evaluation system 1 and meal pattern evaluation method automatically acquire the subject's dietary information, evaluate the dietary balance of the dietary pattern, create instructional comments, and suggest dish or food names. However, the present invention does not necessarily have to be configured this way. That is, the user may manually acquire the dietary information and classify it into dish categories, or the user may manually evaluate the dietary balance of the dietary pattern, create instructional comments, and suggest dish or food names. If the user manually performs these steps, the meal pattern evaluation system 1 does not need to have a component corresponding to the parts manually performed by the user. That is, if the user classifies dietary information related to at least one week's worth of meals consumed by the subject into predetermined dish categories, calculates the total number of dishes, and inputs the user-calculated total number of dishes for each dish category into the meal pattern evaluation system 1, the meal pattern evaluation system 1 may be configured without the dietary information acquisition unit 11 and the meal classification unit 12, and the total number of dishes calculated by the user may be acquired by the total dish number calculation unit 13. Furthermore, if the user evaluates the dietary balance of the dietary pattern after calculating the average number of dishes, dietary pattern evaluation system 1 does not need to include diet evaluation unit 15.

[0078] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the recipe suggestion unit 18 selects dishes or foods (recipe suggestions) to suggest from a dish attribute database based on the evaluation results of the meal evaluation unit 15 and the subject information, but the present invention does not necessarily have to have this configuration. For example, the recipe suggestion unit 18 may suggest dishes or foods presented by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) model that has learned preferred dishes or foods for specific subject information (age, sex, BMI, illness, etc.) from information obtained via the network 4. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 1. Dietary pattern assessment system 11 Food Information Acquisition Department 12 Food Classification Section 13 Total number of plates calculation section 14 Average number of dishes calculation section 15. Dietary Assessment Section 16. Target Information Acquisition Department 17 Comment Creation Department 18 Recipe Proposal Department

Claims

1. a dietary information acquisition unit that acquires dietary information regarding meals consumed by the subject for one week or more; a meal classification unit that classifies the meal information into predetermined food categories; a total dish number calculation unit that calculates the total number of dishes for each cuisine category; an average number of dishes calculation unit that calculates the average number of dishes consumed by the subject per day by averaging the total number of dishes; a meal evaluation unit that compares the average number of dishes with a predetermined ideal number of dishes that constitutes a healthy meal and evaluates the meal balance of the meal pattern; A dietary pattern evaluation system, wherein the dietary information is the names of dishes or foods consumed by the subject.

2. The food categories include staple foods, main dishes, side dishes, milk and dairy products, and fruits, The eating pattern evaluation system according to claim 1 , wherein the meal evaluation unit indicates an evaluation result for each of the cuisine categories in terms of an average number of dishes being more or less than or equal to the ideal number of dishes.

3. the food categories include at least one of a high-salt food category, a confectionery category, and an alcoholic beverage category for classifying at least one of high-salt food, confectionery, and alcoholic beverages; 3. The dietary pattern evaluation system according to claim 2, wherein the dietary evaluation unit compares the average number of dishes in at least one of the high-salt food category, the confectionery category, and the alcoholic beverage category with the ideal number of dishes, and also evaluates at least one of the amount of salt intake, the number of times confectionery is consumed, and the frequency of alcoholic beverage consumption.

4. a subject information acquisition unit that acquires subject information related to the subject; The dietary pattern evaluation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a comment creation unit that creates an instruction comment to improve the dietary balance appropriate for the condition of the subject based on the evaluation result of the diet evaluation unit and the subject information.

5. 6. The eating pattern evaluation system according to claim 5, further comprising a recipe suggestion unit that suggests names of dishes or foods that are lacking in the subject and that should be recommended to the subject to improve the dietary balance, based on the evaluation results of the diet evaluation unit and the subject information.

6. a dietary information acquisition step of acquiring dietary information regarding meals consumed by the subject for one week or more; a meal classification step of classifying the meal information into predetermined cuisine categories; a total number of dishes calculation step of calculating the total number of dishes for each cuisine category; an average number of dishes calculation step of calculating the average number of dishes consumed by the subject per day by averaging the total number of dishes; a dietary evaluation step of comparing the average number of dishes with a predetermined ideal number of dishes that constitutes a healthy diet to evaluate the dietary balance of the eating pattern, A method for evaluating a dietary pattern, wherein the dietary information is the names of dishes or foods ingested by the subject.

7. a dietary information acquisition step of acquiring dietary information regarding meals consumed by the subject for one week or more; a meal classification step of classifying the meal information into predetermined cuisine categories; a total number of dishes calculation step of calculating the total number of dishes for each cuisine category; an average number of dishes calculation step of calculating the average number of dishes consumed by the subject per day by averaging the total number of dishes; a dietary evaluation step of evaluating the dietary balance of the eating pattern by comparing the average number of dishes with a predetermined ideal number of dishes that constitutes a healthy diet; A dietary pattern evaluation program, wherein the dietary information is the names of dishes or foods consumed by the subject.

Images