WO1998045766A1

WO1998045766A1 - A food group nutritional value calculator device and method

Info

Publication number: WO1998045766A1
Application number: PCT/US1998/006990
Authority: WO
Inventors: Zoila Sanchez
Original assignee: A.C.A. International, Llc
Priority date: 1997-04-08
Filing date: 1998-04-07
Publication date: 1998-10-15

Abstract

A food group nutritional value calculator (5) is provided for evaluating specific food items which includes a programmed electronic calculator having the capability of receiving data regarding certain food category specific nutritional facts taken from conventional Nutritional Facts labels on food items and input through the calculator keypad (17). The food item is readily evaluated based on comparison of certain of the inputted nutritional facts with 'standards' using a selected one of a plurality of food group specific algorithms for the food item being evaluated. The evaluation is then displayed in a display device of the calculator indicating the advisability of the food item for inclusion, or not, in a person's diet. The display of the calculator can be selectively bilingual.

Description

A FOOD GROUP NUTRITIONAL VALUE CALCULATOR DEVICE AND METHOD

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

This invention relates generally to electronic calculators and more specifically to a programmed calculator and method for calculating the general nutritional value of specific food items of standardized food groups, based upon the information available on the common nutritional facts label found on food products. "Nutritional value" as used herein refers to the degree of advisability of including a given food item in a person's diet, as opposed to the specific content of one or more nutritional facts related to the food item, such as caloric content, fat content, sodium content, etc. For purposes of the present invention, "nutritional value" is expressed in terms of "Excellent", Very Good", "Good", or "Avoid" or like terms. The term "Avoid", except in the case of alcoholic beverages which are not considered essential for proper nutrition, should be interpreted to mean that there may be a better choice among the same food group.

Most of the present health disorders in the United States today have been shown to have a nutrition related component. The prevalence of diet-related disorders is believed to stem from the lack of a convenient means by which consumers may evaluate food choices which affect their eating patterns. In response to this need, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has established regulations which require certain food products to carry information regarding nutritional facts on the label of the product. The information on such labels is in the form of "facts" relative to a stated serving size of the food item. For example, the label lists "Carbohydrates" in units of grams and percentage of a daily recommended diet, based on a daily diet of 2,000 calories and specified quantities of selected nutrients. "Total Carbohydrates" may be further identified by the sub-categories of "Dietary Fiber" and/or "Sugars", each of the latter sub-categories provides the units in grams and/or percentage of the daily recommended diet. The "Sugars" comprise only the simple sugars that are found in the food product but not the complex sugars .

The label is intended to cover those nutrients which allegedly are most important to the health of today's consumers, most of whom are concerned over getting too much of certain items (fat, for example), rather than too few vitamins or minerals.

Heretofore, it has been common to provide various devices for converting one or more of the nutritional facts relating to a food product from grams to percentage of daily need. No device is known, however, which enables a shopper to enter selected nutritional facts for a given food product and obtain a visual or audible indication of the over-all nutritional value of the specific food product. In particular, no known calculator is capable of providing the consumer with an evaluation of the nutritional content of a given food item and provide a visual or audible indication of whether the food item is generally acceptable or unacceptable for inclusion in a person' s diet when the concern is whether the food product contains "too much" overall of selected ones of the nutrients listed on the nutritional facts label. Thus, it will be appreciated that there is a need for a device and/or method of readily determining the acceptability of a specific food item in a consumer's diet.

In view of the above need, it is an object of the present invention to provide a programmed calculator into which nutritional facts for a given food item may be entered and which provides an output that is indicative of the advisability of including the given food item in a person' s diet .

Further, it is an object of this invention to provide a method by which a person may readily determine the advisability of including a specific food item in their diet based on evaluation of the food item via one of a plurality of food category specific algorithms to perform calculations based on nutritional facts for the food item to determine and indicate the level of acceptability of the food item for inclusion in the person's diet. Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, a food group nutritional value calculator is provided for evaluating specific food items which includes a programmed electronic calculator having the capability of receiving data regarding certain food category specific nutritional facts for the food item being evaluated which is input through a conventional calculator keypad of the calculator and outputting an indication of the advisability of inclusion of the food item of that category in a person's diet.

Further, in accordance with the method aspect of the present invention, a method is provided by which food items may be readily evaluated based on comparison of certain nutritional facts with certain "standards" using a selected one of a plurality of food group specific algorithms for the specific food item being evaluated and providing an indication as to the advisability of the food item for inclusion, or not, in a person's diet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will be evident from the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the claims and the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a calculator embodying various features of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of one embodiment of a programmed calculator according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a representation of a typical food label as it appears on a food item;

Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating the initial key execution and prompting for the food group and nutritional facts data entry prior to execution of the specific algorithm for the food item of the selected food group. Figures 5-12 are flow charts of the various food group specific algorithms.

Figure 13, which is broken into Fig. 13a and 13b, is a flow chart depicting the overall operational elements of the calculator and method of operation of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a food group nutritional value calculator for calculating the nutritional value of food items, selected from a plurality of categories of food items, for a user's diet. The calculator includes a programmed computing device including a first memory means for storing a list of food categories from which one is selected for a specific food item to be evaluated, a second memory means for storing input nutritional facts for the specific food item whose nutritional value is to be determined, and a third memory means for storing a plurality of food category specific algorithms for determining the nutritional value of said food item by comparison of said input nutritional facts for said specific food item stored in said second memory means with standard values for the selected one of the food categories for the specific food item whose nutritional value is to be calculated, an input device for indicating the selected one of the food categories and entering the nutritional facts of the specific food item into the second memory means, an output device for indicating the calculated nutritional value for the specific food item in the user's diet, and a control means responsive to activation through the input device for prompting a selection of an appropriate food category and inputting of the nutritional facts into the second memory means for the specific food item so that the corresponding one of a plurality of algorithms is selected to be executed by the computing device to calculate the nutritional value for the specific food item and supplying the calculated nutritional value to the output device. In a preferred embodiment, the nutritional value output is visual and comprises a selection from the group of "Excellent", "Very Good", "Good", and "Avoid" . The method of the present invention includes the steps of selecting one of a plurality of food categories stored in a first memory device of a programmed calculator for a specific food item to be evaluated, entering nutritional facts regarding the specific food item to be evaluated into a second memory device of the calculator, comparing the nutritional facts with standard values by means of execution by the programmed calculator of a selected one of a plurality of food category specific algorithms corresponding to the selected food category from the first memory device of the calculator to calculate the nutritional value of the food item, and displaying the nutritional value of the food item in a display device of the calculator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the calculator of the present invention is preferably hand-held and may include the additional capability of a conventional four function calculator as well as the food item evaluator, as will be described herein below. The user may switch between modes to use the calculator to make various calculations normally made during shopping, such as keeping track of the total cost of items purchased, calculating unit cost comparisons, etc., or to aid a health-conscious consumer in selecting healthy and nutritious food items. The calculator consists of a main body 5 having a hinged cover 7 which provides a protective cover for the functional face portion 9 of the calculator. The cover 7 is held in place in the closed position by a snap latch including a receiver portion 11 on the body 5 adapted to engage a tab portion 13 on the hinged cover 7 to provide a conventional, releasable snap closure. A suitable display device 15 is located in the face portion 9 above an input section generally indicated at 17 which includes a keypad. A speaker, not shown, is provided beneath a speaker cover 19 formed by openings in the face cover 9. The various keys of the keypad section 17, include a conventional ten key number entry pad, a number of function keys usually associated with a conventional four function calculator, an ON/C (clear) key and a Mode key. It will be noted that the four function selector keys (÷, x, -, and =) are also provided with arrows (t, I, -, and -) in that these keys may be used in the inputting of data for nutritional value calculations as will be explained herein below. The keypad keys may be of conventional design for a preferably thin body calculator which may include a conductive elastomeric material, a thin film, or some other known keypad design as used on hand-held calculators and the like. The display 15 is preferably a liquid crystal display (LCD) capable of displaying at least one line of alpha-numeric characters in a form suitable for prompting the user to input information and/or perform other functions employing the keypad and for providing a visual output of the desired information.

The calculator includes either a programmed microprocessor chip and/or software suitable for storing algorithms, performing calculations using the stored algorithms, and developing an output based on the calculations. The output may be fed to a display, such as the display 15, or may be in the form of an audible output, or a combination of visual and audible outputs. In the preferred embodiment, the output is visual. The specific microprocessor chips and/or specific software used to execute the food group specific algorithms , prompt the user for data entry specific to the food item being evaluated and the output of the results of the calculations will not be described in detail in that it will be obvious from the following disclosure of the functions, purposes and methods that these functions may be provided in various ways through the selection of available technology by one of ordinary skill in the art to reproduce the invention. However, in order to provide a complete description of the invention, a functional diagram of one embodiment of a microprocessor design suitable for carrying out the computational operations of the invention is shown in Fig. 2 and will be described to illustrate the computational functions of the calculator.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a user desiring to ascertain whether a given food product is recommended for inclusion in their diet is prompted to select the applicable food group, e.g. snack food, followed by a menu of prompts which call for inputting, via the keypad, of nutritional facts from the "nutritional facts" label as it appears on the food item, as shown in Fig. 3. Employing the inputted information and the algorithms stored within the calculator, the inputted information is compared to "standard" values specific to each of the separate food groups and included in each of the separate algorithms. In response to the calculations, a visual output is provided which serves as an indicator of whether the food item under consideration is an "Excellent", "Very Good", "Good" candidate for inclusion in the person's diet, or whether the person should "Avoid" the food item. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, specific algorithms are provided for evaluating food items of each of eight different food categories which include (a) snacks, (b) meats, (c) fruits and fruit juices, (d) vegetables, (e) sauces and condiments, (f) alcoholic beverages, (g) dairy products and (h) frozen entrees/meals. Food items which do not fit into one of the above categories may be evaluated under a category of "other", if desired, and their desirability for inclusion in a person' s diet is calculated employing a generic algorithm. This latter algorithm , of course, provides a less accurate, but useful, indication of the desirability of the food product inasmuch as the algorithm, of necessity, is generic rather than specific to a given food group.

The various algorithms for the 8 selected categories, as well as the generic algorithm, are listed below. The following definition of symbols is used throughout the formulas:

F = number of grams of FAT; S = number of grams of SUGAR; Y = % of FAT to CALORIES = (F/N)xl00%; C = number of grams of Total Carbohydrates; Z = Total Carbohydrates - Sugars = C-S = Complex CHO, where CHO means carbohydrates; X = Ratio of Complex CHO to sugars = Complex CHO/Sugars = Z/S; Na = number of milligrams (mg) of Sodium; and N = number of Calories.

SNACK Spanish: Merienda

I) • If Na > 600 then Avoid ii) • If F > 3 then Avoid iii) . . If F < 3 and S = 0 then Excellent iv) . If F < 3 and S > 0, then

A. If Na ≤ 400 a) If X ≥ 3 then Excellent b) If 2 < X < 3 then Very Good c) If 1.5 < X < 2 then Good d) If X < 1.5 then Avoid

B. If 400 < Na < 600 a) If X ≥ 3 then Very Good b) If 2 < X < 3 then Good c) If X < 2 then Avoid

2. MEAT Spanish: Carnes

I) . If F < 3 a) If Na < 400 then Excellent b) If 400 < Na < 600 then Good c) If Na > 600 then Avoid ii; If 3 < F <

A. If Y < 20% a) If Na < 400 then Very Good b) If 400 < Na < 600 then Good c) If Na > 600 then Avoid

If 20% < Y < 45%, then a) If Na < 600 then Good b) If Na > 600 then Avoid

C If Y > 45% then Avoid

111, If F > 9 then Avoid

FRUIT AND FRUIT JUICE Spanish: utas y Sus Jugos

I) . If Na > 400 then Avoid ii) • If Na < 400

A. If F > 3 then Avoid

B. If F < 3, then a) If C < 16 then Excellent b) If 16 < C < 26 then Very Good c) If C > 26 then Good

4. DAIRY PRODUCT Spanish: Productos Lacteos

I) . If 0 < F < 1 then Excellent ii ) . I f 1 < F < 2 then Very Good iii ) . I f 2 < F < 3 then Good iv ) . I f F > 3 then Avoid

VEGETABLES Spanish: Vegetales

I) • If 0 < F < 1 then Excellent ii) If 1 < F < 2 then Very Good iii] If 2 < F < 3 then Good iv) If F > 3 then Avoid

6. SAUCES & CONDIMENTS Spanish: Aliήos y Salsas

I) . If Na > 400 then Avoid ii) . If Na < 400

A. If F < 1 then Excellent

B. If 1 < F ≤ 3 then Good

C. If F > 3 then Avoid

7. ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE Spanish: Bebidas Alcohόlicas Avoid

8. FROZEN ENTREE / MEAL Spanish: Alimentos Congelados I) . If F < 3 A. If Na < 400 then Excellent

B. If 400 < Na < 600 then Very Good

C. If 600 < Na < 800 then Good

D. If Na > 800 then Avoid ii) . If 3 < F < 7 A. If Na < 600 then Very Good

B. If 600 < Na < 800 then Good

C. If Na > 800 then Avoid iii) . If 7 < F < 10

A. If Na < 800 then Good B. If Na > 800 then Avoid iv) . If F > 10 then Avoid

9. OTHERS Spanish: Otros

I) - If Na > 600 then Avoid ii) . If F > 3 then Avoid iii) . If F < 3 and S = 0 then Excellent

If F < 3 and S > 0, then A. If Na < 400 a) If X ≥ 3 then Excellent b) If 2 < X < 3 then Very Good c) If 1.5 < X < 2 then Good d) If X < 1.5 then Avoid

B. If 400 < Na < 600 a) If X > 3 then Very Good b) If 2 < X < 3 then Good c) If X < 2 then Avoid

Referring now to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the calculator according to the present invention may be embodied in a system including an input section (keypad) 25 which outputs commands to a control section 27 of a microprocessor 29 corresponding to the key operations of the keypad. The microprocessor may be programmed to calculate the nutritional value of food items from the food group specific algorithms, as explained above. The microprocessor 29 may include a first memory unit 31 for storing the list of food categories, a second memory unit 33 for storing inputted nutritional facts for a specific food item whose nutritional value is to be determined, a third memory unit 35 for storing the food category specific algorithms used to calculate the nutritional value of the food item of the selected category and a fourth memory unit 37 for storing a list of indicator values which indicate the level of desirability for inclusion of the food item being evaluated in a person' s diet in response to the corresponding food group algorithm calculated value. In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated here, the list of indicator values in memory unit 37 includes the values "Excellent", "Very Good", "Good", and "Avoid". As shown, each of the memory units 31 through 37 are coupled to the control unit 27 and to a computational unit (CPU) 39 of the microprocessor unit 29 which is also coupled to an output section, LCD 41, for providing various displays during the data entry and final readout of the calculated nutritional indicator value for the specific food item being evaluated. In order to provide an audible output for various functions, such as confirmation of key stroke entries, indication of key stroke errors, etc., a speaker, or buzzer, 43 is provided which is coupled to the CPU 39. The control unit 27 functions in accordance with programmed operational steps to first prompt the user for selection of a food group from the list stored in the first memory unit 31 through interaction with the keypad commands entered by the user in response to prompts displayed on the display 41. Once the food category is selected, the user is prompted through the sequential display of the various nutritional fact input prompts to enter the nutritional facts from the nutritional facts label on the food item, such as the one shown in Fig. 3. These nutritional facts are stored in the second memory unit 33. The control unit 27 then selects from the third memory unit 35 the appropriate algorithm for the selected food category to be executed in the CPU 39 from the third memory unit 35 and then displays the appropriate indicator value from the list of values stored in the fourth memory unit 37 on the LCD display 41.

It should be pointed out that the above mentioned memory units 31-37 may be placed in the same memory unit or memory device that can perform the various separate storage processes through conventional addressing and processing.

Referring now to the flow diagram shown in Fig. 4, it will be seen that, when the calculator is in the food evaluation mode, as indicated at [51], prior to the evaluation of a food item, the calculator is programmed to prompt the user to first input the food category [53] by displaying the phrase "Make a Selection" followed by automatically scrolling the display through the categories or food groups. The scrolling will continue until the user either enters the appropriate category number from the key pad or presses one of the directional characters on the key pad, as shown in Fig.l, to stop the scrolling and select the category by pressing the up or down arrow keys to locate the desired food category in the display. Once the appropriate category is selected, the operator then presses the "ENTER" (+) key on the keypad. Then, the user is prompted to enter the nutritional facts data [55] from the food label. The device will ask for the data in a sequence as follows: Display User Entry

Calories? 9 , 0 , "Enter" Total Fat (g) ? 3 , "Enter" Saturated Fat (g) ? 0 , "Enter" Cholesterol (mg) ? 0 , "Enter" Sodium (mg) ? 3 , 0 , 0 , "Enter" Carbohydrate (g) ? 1 , 3 , "Enter" Sugar (g) ? 3 , "Enter Protein (g) ? 3 , "Enter"

The values entered in the above example are those taken from the food label shown in Fig. 3. Once the nutritional facts are entered, the system selects the proper algorithm to be executed which corresponds to the selected food category as illustrated by the alternate paths appropriately labeled in Fig. 4.

Referring now to the flow diagrams shown in Figs. 5 - 12, together with the above formulas, the manner in which each of the food group specific algorithms evaluate a specific food item from the inputted nutritional facts taken from a food label will be explained. As shown in Fig. 5, to evaluate a SNACK food item, the snack food category algorithm is loaded into the CPU 39 from the second memory unit 33 (Fig. 2) for execution in response to the corresponding direction from [55] (Fig. 4) to evaluate the food item based on the nutritional facts inputted by the user and stored in the third memory unit 35 (Fig. 2) . First, two additional values (Z and X) are calculated [61 and 63], where Z is a value corresponding to the complex carbohydrates which is equal to the total carbohydrates minus the sugars (C-S) and X is the ratio of complex carbohydrates divided by the sugars (Z/S) . Next, the Na level is evaluated [65] to determine if the level is equal to or below 600 mg . If not, the display is activated to display the result "Avoid", which is picked from the list stored in the fourth memory unit 37 (Fig. 2) . However, if the Na value is less than or equal to 600, the fat level (F) is evaluated [67] to determine if the level is less than or equal to 3 grams. If not, the display is activated to display the result "Avoid, " indicating that although the level of Na is acceptable, the fat content is too high for the food item to be included in the user's diet. If the fat content is acceptable, then the sugar (S) level is evaluated [69] ; and, if S=0, the result of "Excellent" is displayed, indicating that the item is an excellent snack choice for the users diet. If not, the Na level is further evaluated [71] to determine if the level is equal to or below 400 mg; and, if true, the ratio of complex carbohydrates to sugars, the calculated value (X) , is evaluated [73] to determine if the value is greater than or equal to 3. If yes, the value of "Excellent" is displayed, indicating that although the sugar level is not zero, the level of Na and the ratio of complex carbohydrates to sugars is such that the particular snack would be considered an excellent choice for inclusion in the users diet. If not, the X level is further evaluated to determine if the level is between 2 and 3 [75] or 1.5 and 2 [77]. If the level is between 2 and 3, the evaluation level of "Very Good" is displayed and if the level is between 1.5 and 2, the level of "Good" is displayed. If the X value is below 1.5, the display is activated to display "Avoid". However, if the particular snack has a Na level greater than 400 mg, but less than or equal to 600 mg [79] and the X level is greater than or equal to 3 [81], the snack is determined to fall within the category of "Very Good", which value is displayed. If the X level is determined to be in the 2 to 3 category [83] with a Na level greater than 400 mg, the snack is determined to fall within the category of "Good" and displayed accordingly. Otherwise, the snack is to be avoided by activating the display to indicate "Avoid", indicating that either the Na level is too high or the X value is too low for an acceptable Na level of between 400 and 600 mg .

The X and Y values are ratios developed to compare the complex CHO to simple sugars and the total fat content to the total calories of the food items per the nutritional facts label based on guidelines proposed by the USDA and the focus of many health promotional associations. After extensive literature research, it was determined that there are no established methods for evaluating food items based on these criteria. The algorithms developed for use in the present invention allows these components to be distinguished.

The X ratio compares the complex CHO and sugars to ensure that the amount of complex CHO is greater than the amount of simple sugar. Based on well accepted dietary guidelines, there is much emphasis to consume food items higher in starch and fiber which are complex CHO and lower in simple sugars, excluding fructose (fruit) and lactose (dairy) . Utilizing extensive research and development with hands on testing of food based on their nutritional facts labels, the value of X being 1.5 ensures that the complex CHO of the food item chosen will be at least 1.5 times greater than the simple sugar. The use of food categories allows the separation of fructose in fruits and lactose in dairy products that are both simple sugars and accepted as good nutrition.

The general nutritional guidelines, stress the need to eat food items which are lower in fat. According to the new Reference Daily Intake (RDI); low fat is < 3 grams of fat per serving, which is the standard used here. In addition, RDI descriptors of Lean < 10 grams of fat per serving, and Extra lean < 5 grams of fat per serving have also been used as standards in the algorithms used here. Food items classified as "lean" or "extra lean" are further analyzed utilizing the Y value to determine the percentage of total fat compared to the total calories of the meat item. The Y > 45% signifies that more than 45% of the total calories are derived from fat, therefore, the Y value is a mathematical comparison involving the total fat per gram to the total amount of calories of the specific food item, when the food item has > 3 grams of fat per serving.

After extensive research involving the nutritional/medical aspects, review of food items by their nutritional facts label, and the need to distinguish among these food items within the meat category, the Y value was created.

Following the review of various sound nutritional/medical sources such as the; American Heart Assn.., American Cancer Assn., and extensive food item research, development and testing, maintaining Na <. 400 mg per serving and limiting it to <. 600 mg per serving., allowed for a healthful variety of food item selection. The frozen entree/meals category has an adjusted sodium level (Na) of <. 800 mg . , along with consideration of fat grams, to allow the inclusion of food items that may be part of a healthy diet. A display of "Excellent" corresponds to those food items whose sodium level is < 400 mg . per serving.

Referring now to Fig. 6, there is shown a flow chart for the evaluation of food items under the MEAT category. When this category is selected and the algorithm is loaded for execution, the value Y is calculated [85], which is a ratio of the percent of fat to calories, as discussed above. If the fat level is less than or equal to 3 grams [87] and the Na level is less than or equal to 400 mg [89] , the item is evaluated to be an "Excellent" food choice and this value is displayed. However, if the item has a Na level between 400 and 600 mg [91] with a fat level less than or equal to 3 grams, the item will be evaluated at the "Good" level and so displayed. If the fat level is above 3 grams as determined at [87], the values for the item are further evaluated to determine if the fat level is in the range of between 3 and 9 grams [93] and, if true, the item is further evaluated based on the calculated Y value to determine if the ratio of percent of fat to calories (Y) is less than or equal to 20% [95] . If the result is yes, then the Na level is evaluated to determine if the Na level is less than or equal to 400 mg [97], indicating a "Very Good" choice, or between the range of 400 and 600 mg [99], indicating a "Good" choice. However, if the Y level is greater than 20% [95], the item is evaluated to determine if the Y level is between 20 and 45% [101]; and, if the result is "Yes", it is further evaluated to determine if the Na level is less than or equal to 600 mg [103] and if the result is "Yes", the item is indicated as a "Good" choice. Otherwise, the display is activated to indicate "Avoid". To evaluate FRUIT & FRUIT JUICES, the algorithm whose flow chart is shown in Fig.7 is executed to evaluate the Na, fat and carbohydrates. First, the Na level is evaluated to determined if the level is less than or equal to 400 mg [107] . If not, the result "Avoid" is displayed; but, if the result is yes, the level of fat is evaluated to determine if the level is less than or equal to 3 grams [109] . If not, the result of "Avoid" is displayed and, if yes, the carbohydrate (C) level is evaluated [111] and [113] to determine the degree of desirability for inclusion in the diet. If the level is less than or equal to 16 grams [111] , the item is considered to be an excellent choice and the display is activated to indicate "Excellent". If not, the C level is further evaluated [113] to determine if the C level is between 16 and 26 grams; and, if the result is "Yes", "Very Good" is displayed, otherwise "Good" is displayed.

Referring now to Fig. 8, there is shown a flow chart for the evaluation of food items under either the DAIRY PRODUCTS or VEGETABLES categories. It was determined, after extensive studies of the nutritional values of various vegetables, that these two food categories could be combined for purposes of evaluation. As pointed out above, dairy products contain a simple sugar called lactose, thereby making the X value ineffective, because the sugars would be equal to or close to the amount of total carbohydrates. In addition, the current nutritional facts label does not require the distinction between these different types of simple sugars. They are all grouped together under the heading of sugars in the nutritional facts label.

Vegetables, on the other hand, are classified as a complex CHO food item, but it was found that the X value is also rendered ineffective in that the complex CHO does not meet the minimal criteria of being at least 1.5 times greater than the sugars. There are also vegetable food items that are combined with higher fat mediums such as sauces, marinades, dressings, and the like. It was concluded, after testing of these two categories, that if the fat grams were restricted to the maximum of low fat, which is 3 grams per serving, it concurrently allows the factors of Na, calories and fats to be considered since these food items which have low fat values also contain low Na and calories as well. Therefore, when either of these categories is selected and the same algorithm is loaded for execution, the fat content is evaluated [115] to first determine if the level is less than or equal to 1 gram. If yes, the item is evaluated as an "Excellent" choice. If not, the level is further evaluated [117] and [119] to determine if the fat level is between the values of 1 to 2 grams or 2 to 3 grams in which case the item would be considered a "Very Good" or "Good" choice, respectively, for inclusion in the person's diet. However, if the evaluation determines that the fat level is above 3 grams, indicated by a "No" result at 119, "Avoid" is displayed.

The flow diagram for the algorithm to evaluate SAUCES & CONDIMENTS based on the Na and fat content is shown in Fig. 9. First, the Na level is evaluated [121] to determine if the Na level is less than or equal to 400 mg . If not, the item is indicated as one to "Avoid". However, if yes, the fat level is evaluated [123] to first determine if the level is less than or equal to 1 gram and, if the result is "Yes",

"Excellent" is displayed, otherwise, the fat level is further evaluated [125] to determine if the level is between 1 and 3 grams, in which case the item would be considered a "Good" choice. If the fat level is above 3 grams "Avoid" is displayed.

As shown in Fig. 10, the algorithm which is executed when the ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE food category is selected it simply indicates on the display to "Avoid".

Referring to Fig. 11, there is shown the flow diagram for the food category FROZEN ENTREE/MEAL. The frozen entree/meal category may involve food items or combinations of food items that may have more than 3 grams of fat per serving and may be part of a well balanced diet. First the fat content is evaluated [121] to determine if it is less than or equal to 3 grams. If "Yes", the Na level is evaluated at [123], [125] and [127] to determine if the level is less than or equal to 400 mg [123] for an "Excellent" displayed rating, between 400 and 600 mg [125] for a "Very Good" displayed rating, or between 600 and 800 mg [127] for a "Good" displayed rating, otherwise "Avoid" is displayed. Alternatively, if the fat content is greater than 3 grams, indicated as a "No" at [121], the fat content is further evaluated to determine if the level is between 3 and 7 grams [129] . If "Yes", the Na level is evaluated to determine if the level is less than or equal to 600 mg [131] or in the range of between 600 and 800 mg [133] in which case either the evaluation of "Very Good" or "Good" is displayed, respectively, otherwise, "Avoid" is displayed. However, if the evaluation at [129] is "No", the fat content is further evaluated to determine if the level is between 7 and 10 grams [135] ; and, if "Yes", the Na level is evaluated to determine if it does not exceed 800 mg [137] in which case the evaluation of "Good" is displayed, otherwise "Avoid" is displayed.

If the food item being evaluated does not fit into any of the above categories, a generic category algorithm, OTHERS, is provided whose flow chart is shown in Fig. 12. When this algorithm is executed, values for Z and X are calculated [141] and [143] . Next, the Na level is evaluated [145] to determine if the level is equal to or less than 600 mg . If not, the display is activated to display the result "Avoid". If the Na value is less than or equal to 600, the fat level is evaluated [147] to determine if the level is less than or equal to 3 grams. If not, the display is activated to display the result "Avoid, " indicating that although the level of Na is acceptable, the fat content is too high for the food item to be included in the users diet. If the fat content is acceptable, then the sugar (S) level is evaluated [149]; and, if S=0, the result of "Excellent" is displayed. If not, the Na level is again evaluated [151] to determine if the level is equal to or below 400 mg; and, if true, the ratio of complex carbohydrates to sugars, the calculated value (X) , is evaluated [153] to determine if the value is greater than or equal to 3. If "Yes", the value of "Excellent" is displayed, indicating that although the sugar level is not zero, the level of Na and the ratio of complex carbohydrates to sugars is such that the particular food item would be considered an excellent choice for inclusion in the users diet. If not, the X level is further evaluated to determine if the level is between 2 and 3 [155] or 1.5 and 2 [157]. If the level is between 2 and 3, the evaluation level of "Very Good" is displayed and if the level is between 1.5 and 2, the level of "Good" is displayed. If the X value is below 1.5, the display is activated to display "Avoid". However, if the particular food item has a Na level greater than 400 mg, indicated by a "No" result at [151], but an X level greater than or equal to 3 [159], the item is determined to fall within the category of "Very Good", which value is displayed. If the X level is determined to be in the 2 to 3 category [161] with a Na level greater than 400 mg, the item is determined to fall within the category of "Good" and displayed accordingly. Otherwise, the food item is indicated as to be avoided by activating the display to indicate "Avoid", indicating that either the Na level is too high or the X value is too low for an acceptable Na level of between 400 and 600 mg.

The relationship here between Na and X in a food item is the same as for the category of SNACKS. The basis for distinguishing among these food categories is on the sound nutritional principles of lowering fat, calories, and creating a system of checks and balances to achieve this end. The relationship does not solely involve Na and Complex CHO but also the fat content. In addition to evaluating the fat grams, evaluation of the X value ensures that the complex carbohydrates are higher than the sugars. The Na value ensures that the sodium is in moderate acceptable levels. This assures that, if a food item is not displayed as "Avoid", it would be lower in fat, higher in complex CHO than sugar, not high in sodium and lower in calories. Calories are evaluated and taken into account because the major source of calories are derived from fat and sugars.

Referring now to the flow diagram shown in Fig. 13, the overall operation of the calculator will be described. In the first stage of operation when the unit is powered up or the operator presses the ON/C key to reset the calculator [171] , the CPU is initialized [173] and a determination is made as to whether the ON/C key has been pressed [175] .. If power-up is determined, the default settings are loaded into the CPU [177] and the LCD display indicates "0", to signify "Calculator" mode. If the ON/C key has been pressed, the device waits to see if the sound capability has been turned on by holding the Enter key (+ key) while pressing the Mode key once [179] and [181] . The tone may be enabled or disabled any time during the operation by repeating this process. A tone is emitted following the process of enabling the tone function and for various key strokes thereafter until the tone function is disabled. The device then checks to see if the MODE button has been depressed to toggle the device between the calculator mode and food choice mode [185] and activates the display accordingly [187] and [189] . As pointed out above, the calculator mode is indicated by a "0" in the display, however, the food choice mode is indicated by the phrase "Make a Selection" in the display. Once this selection has been made, the device will remain idle for 32 sec. [191] awaiting input from the operator. However, if a key is pressed before a 32 sec interrupt is issued [191] the keys are scanned [193] and a determination is made that a key has been pressed [195] . If no key has been pressed, an auto-power-off timer is activated [197] and a recycle process loop begins which is evaluated each time to determine if 64 seconds has passed since the last key stroke [199] . If not, the loop is executed again; and, if the result is "Yes", operation is halted and the unit is powered-off [208] . However, if a key is pressed within the time-out period, as indicated as a "Yes" at [195], a check is made to determine if the Mode key has been pressed [203] . If the Mode key has been pressed, which is interpreted as either an intent on the part of the user to toggle the calculator between the calculator or food choice mode or to toggle the English/Spanish mode of operation. The calculator is preferably programmed for bilingual (English/Spanish) operation. However, it will be understood that the calculator could be programmed for any other language or combinations thereof. To toggle between language modes, the Mode key is pressed and held for more than 4 sec. Assuming that the calculator is in the food choice mode and the Mode key has been pressed [203] and held to toggle the language change, a check is made to verify that the calculator is in the food choice mode [205] and that the key has been held for at least 4 sec. [207] to toggle the change from English to Spanish or vise versa [209] and the system loops back through the main operating loop, generating a "Beep" [183] if the key tone has been enabled, and remains idle [191] until the next key is pressed. If the operator simply wants to toggle the calculator between the calculator and food choice modes, the Mode key is pressed and released at anytime during the operation. A check is made during each loop to determine if the mode key has been pressed [203] and a check is made to see if it is operating in the food choice mode [205] . If the result is "Yes", a determination is made as to the time the mode key is held depressed [207] and, if the time is less than 4 sec, the calculator is toggled between the calculator/food choice mode [211] . However, if the device is in the calculator mode when the mode key is pressed, as determined at [205] , it will simply toggle the food choice mode [211] as indicated by the "No" result at [205] and loop back through the main operating loop to remain idle until the next key is pressed.

Assuming the operator has selected the calculator mode, which is indicated by a "0" in the display, any key strokes other than the mode key [203] will be interpreted as calculator key strokes [217] following a "Beep" [213] , if the sound is turned on, and a determination that the device is in the calculator mode [215] . The device carries out each of the calculator key stroke executions [219] as it continues to loop through the calculator operational mode as each key is pressed.

However, if the operator has selected the food choice mode, which is shown by the display indicating "Make a Selection", any key strokes other than the mode key [203] will be interpreted as food choice mode key strokes [221] following a "Beep" [213] , if the sound is on, and a determination that the device is in the food choice mode [215] . In this mode the device operates in accordance with the present invention, as described above, to carry out each of the food choice key stroke executions [223] as it continues to loop through operation in the food choice mode as each key is pressed.

Thus it will be seen from the above description of a preferred embodiment of the invention that a food group nutritional calculator and method has been provided in which various unique algorithms are executed to readily determine the level of acceptability for inclusion, or not, of a food item in a person' s diet based on comparison of the nutritional value components to established levels or "standards" which were determined by extensive research and development following sound nutritional and medical science information.

Although the invention has been described through illustration of a preferred embodiment and the method thereof, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as pointed out in the following claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED:

Claim 1. A food group nutritional value calculator for calculating the nutritional value of food items for a user' s diet, comprising: a programmed computing device including a first memory means for storing a list of food categories from which one is selected for a specific food item to be evaluated, a second memory means for storing input nutritional facts for the specific food item whose nutritional value is to be determined, and a third memory means for storing a plurality of food category specific algorithms for determining the nutritional value of said food item by comparison of said input nutritional facts for said specific food item stored in said second memory means with "standard" values for the selected one of said food categories for the specific food item whose nutritional value is to be calculated; an input device for indicating said selected one of said food categories and entering said nutritional facts for said specific food item into said second memory means; an output device for indicating the calculated nutritional value for said specific food item in the user' s diet; and control means responsive to activation through said input device for prompting a selection of an appropriate food category and inputting of said nutritional facts into said second memory means for said specific food item so that the corresponding one of said plurality of algorithms is selected to be executed by said computing device to calculate the nutritional value for said specific food item and supplying the calculated nutritional value to said output device.

Claim 2. The food group nutritional value calculator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said output device is a display device .

Claim 3. The food group nutritional value calculator as set forth in claim 2, wherein said input nutritional facts stored in said second memory means includes information regarding the calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, sugar, and protein.

Claim 4. The food group nutritional value calculator as set forth in claim 2, further including a fourth memory means for storing a list of nutritional values and wherein said calculated nutritional value is selected from said list of nutritional values stored in said fourth memory means for display on said display device.

Claim 5. The food group nutritional value calculator as set forth in claim 4, wherein said list of nutritional values stored in said fourth memory means includes "Excellent", "Very

Good", "Good", and "Avoid".

Claim 6. The food group nutritional value calculator as set forth in claim 2, wherein said list of food categories stored in said first memory means includes 1 SNACKS, 2 MEATS, 3 FRUITS AND FRUIT JUICES, 4 VEGETABLES, 5 SAUCES AND CONDIMENTS, 6 ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, 7 DAIRY PRODUCTS, 8 FROZEN ENTREES/MEALS, and 9 OTHER and wherein said control means further includes means for sequentially scrolling said list of food items in said display device to prompt said user to select one of said list of food items in response to input from said input device.

Claim 7. A system for calculating the nutritional value of food items for inclusion in a user's diet, comprising: a first memory device having stored therein a list of food categories form which a selection is made for calculation of the nutritional value of a specific food item to be evaluated; a second memory device for receiving and retaining nutritional facts regarding the specific food item whose nutritional value is to be determined; a third memory device having stored therein a plurality of food category specific algorithms corresponding to said list of food categories stored in said first memory device for calculating the nutritional value of said specific food item in response to a selection of one of said food categories from said first memory means; a keyboard section for selecting said food category and inputting said nutritional facts into said second memory device; a programmed computing device for computing the nutritional value of said specific food item based on the evaluation of said nutritional facts regarding said specific food item stored in said second memory device by the selected one of said plurality of food category specific algorithms corresponding to the selected food category from said first memory device for the specific food item being evaluated and providing an output indicating the result of the evaluation of said specific food item; and a display device for indicating said output of said computing device to said user.

Claim 8. The system for calculating the nutritional value of food items for inclusion in a user' s diet as set forth in claim 7, wherein said input nutritional facts stored in said second memory device includes information regarding the calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, sugar, and protein.

Claim 9. The system for calculating the nutritional value of food items for inclusion in a user' s diet as set forth in claim 8, further including a fourth memory device for storing a list of nutritional values and wherein said calculated nutritional value is selected from said list of nutritional values stored in said fourth memory device for display on said display device.

Claim 10. A system for calculating the nutritional value of food items for inclusion in a user' s diet as set forth in claim 9, wherein said list of nutritional values stored in said fourth memory means includes "Excellent", "Very Good", "Good", and "Avoid".

Claim 11. A system for calculating the nutritional value of food items for inclusion in a user' s diet as set forth in claim 10, wherein said list of food categories stored in said first memory means includes 1 SNACKS, 2 MEATS, 3 FRUITS AND FRUIT JUICES, 4 VEGETABLES, 5 SAUCES AND CONDIMENTS, 6 ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, 7 DAIRY PRODUCTS, 8 FROZEN ENTREES/MEALS, and 9 OTHER and wherein said control means further includes means for sequentially scrolling said list of food items in said display device to prompt said user to select one of said list of food items in response to input from said input device.

Claim 12. A device for calculating the nutritional value of food items of selected food categories for inclusion in a user' s diet based on available nutritional facts for said food item, comprising: a hand-held calculator case including a display device and a keypad for entering information regarding the selected food category and said nutritional facts for a specific food item to be evaluated in a food item evaluation mode; and a programmed microprocessor unit disposed in said case including a first memory means disposed in said case for storing a list of food categories from which one is selected for a specific food item to be evaluated, a second memory means for storing said nutritional facts for the specific food item whose nutritional value is to be determined, a third memory means for storing a plurality of food category specific algorithms for determining the nutritional value of said food item by comparison of said nutritional facts for said specific food item stored in said second memory means with standard values for the selected one of said food categories, and a control means responsive to activation through said keypad for prompting a selection of an appropriate food category and inputting of said nutritional facts into said second memory means for said specific food item so that the corresponding one of said plurality of algorithms is selected to be executed by said computing device to calculate the nutritional value for said specific food item in the user' s diet and activating said output device to display the calculated level of acceptability of said food item to said display device.

Claim 13. A device as set forth in claim 12 wherein said programmed microprocessor unit includes a standard four function numerical calculator mode and wherein said keypad includes a ten key numeric entry pad and a Mode key, said Mode key being operative through said control means for switching said device between said calculator mode and said food item evaluation mode.

Claim 14. A method for evaluating food items for inclusion in a person's diet, comprising the steps of: selecting one of a plurality of food categories stored in a first memory device of a programmed calculator for a specific food item to be evaluated; entering nutritional facts regarding said specific food item to be evaluated into a second memory device of said calculator; comparing said nutritional facts with standard values by means of execution by said programmed calculator of a selected one of a plurality of food category specific algorithms corresponding to said selected food category from said first memory device of said calculator to calculate the nutritional value of said food item; and displaying said nutritional value of said food item in a display device of said calculator.

Claim 15. The method as set forth in claim 14 wherein said step of selecting the food category includes selecting the category from a list of food categories stored in said calculator as follows: 1 SNACKS,

2 MEATS,

3 FRUITS AND FRUIT JUICES,

4 VEGETABLES,

5 SAUCES AND CONDIMENTS, 6 ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES,

7 DAIRY PRODUCTS,

8 FROZEN ENTREES/MEALS, and

9 OTHER.

Claim 16. The method as set forth in claim 14 wherein said step of entering nutritional facts includes entering facts for at least a plurality of the following items:

Calories,

Total Fat in grams,

Saturated Fat in grams,

Cholesterol in milligrams,

Sodium in milligrams,

Carbohydrate in grams,

Sugar in grams, and

Protein in grams.

Claim 17. The method as set forth in claim 16 wherein said plurality of food category specific algorithms includes the following:

SNACK i) • If Na > 600 then Avoid ii) • If F > 3 then Avoid iii) If F < 3 and S = 0 then Excellent: iv) . If F < 3 and S > 0, then

A. If Na < 400 a) If X ≥ 3 then Excellent b) If 2 < X < 3 then Very Good c) If 1.5 < X < 2 then Good d) If X < 1.5 then Avoid

MEAT

. If F < 3 a) If Na < 400 then Excellent b) If 400 < Na < 600 then Good c) If Na > 600 then Avoid ii) If 3 < F < 9

B. If 20% < Y < 45%, then a) If Na < 600 then Good b) If Na > 600 then Avoid

C. If Y > 45% then Avoid

111 , I f F > 9 then Avoid

3. FRUIT AND FRUIT JUICE i) • If Na > 400 then Avoi ii) • If Na < 400

A. If F > 3 then Avoid

. DAIRY PRODUCT i) . If 0 < F ≤ 1 then Excellent ii) . If 1 < F < 2 then Very Good iii) . If 2 < F < 3 then Good iv) . If F > 3 then Avoid

5. VEGETABLES i) . If 0 < F ≤ 1 then Excellent ii) . If 1 < F ≤ 2 then Very Good iii) . If 2 < F ≤ 3 then Good iv) . If F > 3 then Avoid

6. SAUCES & CONDIMENTS i) . If Na > 400 then Avoid ii) . If Na < 400

A. If F < 1 then Excellent

B. If 1 < F < : 3 then Good

C. If F > 3 then Avoid

7. ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE

Avoid

FROZEN ENTREE / MEAL i) . If F < 3

A. If Na < 400 then Excellent

B. If 400 < Na < 600 then Very Good

C. If 600 < Na < 800 then Good

D. If Na > 800 then Avoid ϋ) If 3 < F < 7

A. If Na < 600 then Very Good

B. If 600 < Na < 800 then Good

75 C. If Na > 800 then Avoid

111, If 7 < F < 10

A. If Na < 800 then Good

B. If Na > 800 then Avoid

IV If F > 10 then Avoid

80

i) • If Na > 600 then Avoid ii) • If F > 3 then Avoid iii) . If F < 3 and S = 0 then Excellent

85 If F < 3 and S > 0, then

A. If Na < 400 a) If X ≥ 3 then Excellent b) If 2 < X < 3 then Very Good c) If 1.5 < X < 2 then Good

90 d) If X < 1.5 then Avoid

95 and wherein

F = number of grams of FAT,

S = number of grams of SUGAR, 100 Y = % of FAT to CALORIES = (F/N)xl00%,

C = number of grams of Total Carbohydrates,

Z = Total Carbohydrates - Sugars = C-S = Complex CHO,

X = Ratio of Complex CHO to sugars = Complex CHO/Sugars Z/S, 105 Na = number of milligrams (mg) of Sodium, and

N = number of Calories.

Claim 18. The method as set forth in claim 17 wherein said step of displaying said nutritional value includes displaying one of "Excellent", "Very Good", "Good", and "Avoid" in a display device of said calculator corresponding to the resulting calculation by said selected one of said plurality of algorithms.