Did you know that ChatGPT, which nowadays assists people in numerous daily tasks, can also act as a virtual dietitian, tailoring meal plans to individual preferences? Last summer, in a last attempt to get fit for my vacation, I wanted to complement my fitness journey with a meal plan that would help me reach my fitness goals. While the normal route is to find a food scheme online or ask a dietitian, I thought of a different way, namely using ChatGPT.
I prompted ChatGPT to craft a low-calorie, high-protein breakfast and lunch plan, that would align with my fitness goals. As I am a student on a budget, I also requested budget-friendly products that I could use for multiple meals. Within moments, ChatGPT delivered a detailed meal plan, completed with a categorized grocery list. I was amazed about the precision and customization of the food scheme, making me wonder, could ChatGPT potentially disrupt the nutrition industry?
Gray (2023) delved into this after a TikTok went viral, showcasing ChatGPT’s ability to craft an endometriosis-friendly’, ‘hormone-balancing’ meal plan. Gray (2023) highlighted the appeal of AI-generated meal plans, as getting access to a dietician is challenging if you are not battling a serious illness.
Further, Kelly et al., (2020) agree that AI has amplified the accessibility of point-of-care health information, offering lifestyle and medical advice through conversational interactions. Kelly et al., (2020) further address that dietitians are already experiencing digital disruption, forcing dietitians to be the leaders of the disruption and not the subject.
However, while I was impressed by the knowledge ChatGPT has about nutrition, it is crucial to approach such tools with care. Gray (2023) pointed out that, unlike human experts, AI lacks the capability to detect the psychological factors that need to be considered, potentially leading to unsuitable diet plans.
In my view, AI-generated meal plans can offer great solutions for people without specific dietary constraints. Yet, people who, for instance, have a disease, should always talk with a human expert, ensuring psychological factors are taken into account.
References:
Gray, C. (2023, May 12). My Chat GPT meal plan told me to cut my calories by a third + now I’m worried AI could further damage our relationships with food. Women’s Health. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/food/healthy-eating/a43863238/chat-gpt-meal-plan/
Kelly, J. T., Collins, P. F., McCamley, J., Ball, L., Roberts, S., & Campbell, K. L. (2020). Digital disruption of dietetics: are we ready? Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 34. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12827
Hi Maxim, interesting blog! I find it astounding as well how AI is able to generate full fitness and dietary plans, which normally costs hours to create. At the end of your blog you highlight the importance of a human expert in case possible medical/psychological factors play a rol. I fully agree with this. I personally think that for experienced sports people, AI tools could be useful as they already know a lot of information about food & sports. However, for those less experienced, such as young teenage boys and girls, relying solely on AI-generated diets could lead to serious health risks, potentially encouraging unhealthy weight loss. This accounts for people with diseases as well.
Interesting blog contribution! I believe that the integration of AI into the nutrition world is an exciting development and would be a game-changer for the overall health and fitness industry. As someone who enjoys playing football and working out, I spent a lot of time researching the most effective way to train and obtain the necessary macronutrients. Asking advice on apps like FitnessAI or simply asking ChatGPT how to obtain your goals lowers the entrance barrier for beginners.
However, apart from the fact that individuals with certain dietary constraints should consult a human nutrition expert, I also think that personal trainers have the power to motivate others. On the contrary, generative AI tools lack this skill, so for that reason, I don’t think dietitians will go extinct.
Hi Maxime,
I am very interested in eating healthy and nutritional meals but it never occurred to me that ChatGPT could have accurate knowledge about this subject and give personalised, useful advice. I would be interested in what kind of prompt you used and how you assessed the answer it gave since it might be also be sensitive to misinformation. I do agree with you that it is hard to trust an AI tool with such information if you have an illness or something alike where misinformation could have serious consequences.
You found a very practical use for ChatGPT! However, after trying to use it, I discovered that there is no significant difference in the quality of the dietary regimens that I receive and the dietary advice that I actively seek out on social media or web searches.
The truth is that there are already far too many dietary advice programs available on the internet, each with a specific focus, such as low-fat, grain-free, or high-carb, but we don’t know enough about our own bodies. Blindly following dietary advice that could potentially lead to health problems. ChatGPT cannot currently overcome this pain point because it can only know personal body data from user’s own sharing.And in order to access this information, we often need to undergo a formal medical check-up or personal body data check-up. In this case, ChatGPT does not lower the threshold or cost of accessing dietary advice in this regard. Simultaneously, ChatGPT obtains body feedback through information input, whereas dietitians have information collection channels that are more sensitive to body feedback, and it is difficult for ChatGPT to replace the function of a dietitian at this moment if it not be combined with other body-testing programs.
I’ve asked ChatGPT all kinds of questions but didn’t thought about meal and diet plans! This is quite an interesting topic since what and how we eat strongly affect our health. As an exchange student studying in the Netherlands for the first time, I’ve picked up the habit to prepare food instead of eating out cause it’s too expensive. Your article did inspire me to try using AI tools for advise on making healthier and more nutritious meals. By the way, it’s nice to include some information from related researches in the end, the article is more convincing with words from professionals.