Can AI tools make meal plans that help us lose weight the right way? In a new study, a team of researchers compared AI’s meal planning abilities to those of a dietician. The results showed that AI-made meal plans – when compared to dietician plans – severely undercalculated the needed amount of calories and macronutrients like carbs and overemphasized other macronutrients like proteins and lipids. The team cautioned that teens should not solely rely on AI to make meal plans for weight loss, saying that the consistent deviation of five different AI models from nutritional guidelines recommended by health organizations could have negative effects on growing bodies.

  • deathbird@mander.xyz
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    3 hours ago

    Can AI tools make meal plans that help us lose weight the right way?

    No. Don’t use it for that.

  • peacefulpixel@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    3 hours ago

    i mean there’s a lot to be said about using GenAI period, even more to be said about this specific usecase of it. but also, is that not the point of diets? if they aren’t strictly medical it’s just an eating disorder. people who starve themselves to be skinnier are also going “well i think you should at least try to be healthy.” u can demonise whatever trendy collection of molecules makes u fat this month all u want, spending so much energy on how much body fat you have isn’t healthy at all.

    • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      1 day ago

      intermittent fasting seems to the current trend, considering how body image/gym obssesed people are on reddit subs. r/gym will ban you for even mentioning "peds’ in any form, they dont want get called out for cheating and using shortcuts for thier weight loss.

    • org@lemmy.org
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      23
      arrow-down
      19
      ·
      1 day ago

      Well, since over 40% of the world is considered overweight … maybe we should have fewer calories.

      • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        5
        ·
        1 day ago

        its actually biologically dangerous to lose a lot of weight at once if you way hundreds of lbs over your limit. its the same for pet dogs and cats.

      • webghost0101@sopuli.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        1 day ago

        If that 60% of people who aren’t weren’t occupied with working hard not to starve they might take offense to your use of “we” (Satire)

        • Iconoclast@feddit.uk
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          6
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          1 day ago

          Food isn’t expensive - high quality food is. Junk is cheap which is why obesity is especially issue with low-income families. Nobody is starving.

          • webghost0101@sopuli.xyz
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            1 day ago

            I am not talking about people who have easy acces to processed foods.

            I don’t have exact stats nor know how big% of the world that is but people going to bed hungry and being underweight is absolutely still happening.

          • ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            edit-2
            1 day ago

            I don’t know where you live, but where I live junk is stupid fucking expensive compared to veggies, and an increasing number of people are still overweight. A single 300-350g frozen pizza will set you back at least 6EUR, I can easily buy fresh veggies for a meal to feed a family of 4 people for 12EUR, less if you try to save money. I simply don’t buy in to the whole cost premise being the reason.

            • nyan@lemmy.cafe
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              8
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              20 hours ago

              Time and energy to prep meals is also a cost. I don’t know how it is in Europe, but in North America, the poor-but-employed segment of the population is often working multiple minimum wage jobs to stay afloat. Even if they know how to cook and have the tools to do so, they may be too tired when they get home to do more than pop a pizza in the oven.

            • Iconoclast@feddit.uk
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              5
              ·
              1 day ago

              3 euros worth of vegetables almost definitely doesn’t have the same calorie content than 3 euros worth of any junk food. This is true independent of where you live in the western world.

                • Iconoclast@feddit.uk
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  3
                  arrow-down
                  1
                  ·
                  1 day ago

                  Yeah because poor people are famously known for switching to home cooked vegan meals which naturally decreases their calorie intake.

  • Iconoclast@feddit.uk
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    8
    arrow-down
    7
    ·
    1 day ago

    undercalculated the needed amount of calories and macronutrients like carbs

    What’s the needed amount of carbs? Proteins and fats are essential nutrients. Carbohydrates are not.

    • XLE@piefed.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      11 hours ago

      Just realized you’re the same person who was doing a weird defense of AI companies generating CSAM and revenge porn the other day… Now you’re taking AI’s side by Just Asking Questions about nutrition.

      Do you actually have an issue with the article, or is this just a knee-jerk defense of the companies?

    • PabloSexcrowbar@piefed.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      5
      ·
      1 day ago

      Carbohydrates are required to break down proteins and fats. They’re very much an essential nutrient, just not in the quantities the old food pyramid would have you believe.

      If carbs weren’t essential, a pure protein and fat diet wouldn’t outright kill you from kidney failure.

      • xep@discuss.online
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        1 day ago

        You’re confidently incorrect. You don’t need to eat carbohydrates to break down fat and protein, and a diet consisting of healthy proteins and fat has not been proven to cause kidney failure.

        • fallaciousBasis@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          4 hours ago

          Actually… High protein diets can cause de novo kidney disease. De novo means it’s causal, from the new. Out of nowhere! Not even with pre-existing conditions, although if you have those pre-existing conditions then this applies even more.

          I’m not aware of any direct links to kidney disease from dietary fat. But extremely high protein has strong causal links to de novo (along with comorbidities) kidney disease.

          • xep@discuss.online
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            4 hours ago

            High protein diets can cause de novo kidney disease

            I’m not suggesting that you overdose on protein, if you’re referring to rabbit starvation. If you aren’t, would you care to provide more information?

      • Iconoclast@feddit.uk
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        edit-2
        1 day ago

        Your body can synthesize all the carbohydrates it needs through gluconeogenesis. There are no “essential carbs” the way there are essential fatty acids and amino acids. You can absolutely live on a diet of just fats and protein - and plenty of people do. The Inuit mostly did, and so do folks on carnivore diets today.

        It might not be the healthiest long-term option, but it won’t kill you from a lack of carbs. You’re probably thinking of “rabbit starvation” which happens when you eat too much protein and not enough fat.

        • fallaciousBasis@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          3
          ·
          4 hours ago

          Braindead comment.

          I say that because brains demand carbs to function optimally.

          Sure. You’re gonna survive. But you’ll have brainfog and your red blood cells aren’t gonna be happy either.

          Plus you need micros…

          Don’t get me twisted. IMO, you gotta balance your diet. Extremes aren’t doing you any favors.

          • xep@discuss.online
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            4 hours ago

            The human brain can use ketones for its requirements, and your body is able to produce all the carbohydrates it needs via gluconeogenesis. Including the needs of all your erythrocytes.

          • iegod@lemmy.zip
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            4 hours ago

            Your position isn’t an informed one. A quick pubmed search on ketogenic diets and cognition shows improved and protective benefits.