An artificial intelligence approach to nutritional meal planning for cancer patients

Abstract

It is well-known that cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy suffer from nausea at a time when it is important for them to receive proper nutrition to fight not only the cancer but the impact that chemotherapy has on their body. Yet due to the debilitating nature of both the cancer and the chemotherapy treatment, such patients often have little energy to spend on food selection and preparation. In this paper, an artificial intelligence approach is taken to generate meal plans for users who may or may not be suffering from nausea on any particular day. Specifically, a variety of preferences are applied to evaluate meal components (e.g., dinner entrée, dinner side dish, lunch entrée) in an attempt to generate a balanced, healthy and palatable meal plan for the user.