Patent Application
20130236607
The present disclosure generally relates to daily meal plans and, more particularly, relates to daily meal plans and containers for the same.
In today's demanding society, individuals are frequently unable to find or make the time to consistently plan and prepare nutritious meals and, often, many consumers turn to fast food or other unhealthy meal alternatives. As a result, many individuals find themselves in need of a meal plan that provides nutritiously complete meals that are easy to use and prepare. In recent years, prepackaged meals have increased in popularity. These prepackaged meals may contain a variety of ready-to-eat food items chosen to provide an essentially complete meal that may include both main dishes and side dishes. As convenient as prepackaged meals may be, however, consumers must still plan their desired daily nutritional requirements and select individual meals that when combined meet their desired daily nutritional requirements. Additionally, current prepackaged meals often require individuals to prepare supplemental items to complement the prepackaged meals. In view of the importance of prepackaged meals and food items in today's society, this technology should be improved.
In one embodiment, the present disclosure is directed, in part, to a container for a prepackaged dietary daily meal plan. The container comprises a hollow body portion and individually prepackaged containers configured to be received within the hollow body portion. Each of the individually prepackaged containers comprises an edible component of a dietary daily meal plan and each of the edible components has a predetermined caloric content. The edible components together provide a predetermined daily caloric content (E) when consumed. The individually prepackaged containers comprise a first individually prepackaged container comprising a first edible component having a first caloric content (A), a second individually prepackaged container comprising a second edible component having a second caloric content (B), a third individually prepackaged container comprising a third edible component having a third caloric content (C), and a fourth individually prepackaged container comprising a fourth edible component having a fourth caloric content (D). The predetermined daily caloric content (E) is determined by the following relationship: E≧A+B+C+D.
In one embodiment, the present disclosure is directed, in part, to a dietary daily meal plan prepackaged in a container comprising a hollow body portion comprising at least one aperture along a longitudinal length thereof. The dietary daily meal plan comprises a plurality of individually prepackaged containers each comprising an edible component of a dietary daily meal plan. The edible components each have a predetermined nutritional content of a nutrient component. The edible components of each of the individually prepackaged containers together provide a predetermined daily nutritional content (E) of the nutrient component when consumed. The individually prepackaged containers comprise a first individually prepackaged container comprising a first edible component having a first nutritional content (A) of the nutrient component, a second individually prepackaged container comprising a second edible component having a second nutritional content (B) of the nutrient component, a third individually prepackaged container comprising a third edible component having a third nutritional content (C) of the nutrient component, a fourth individually prepackaged container comprising a fourth edible component having a fourth nutritional content (D) of the nutrient component, and a fifth individually prepackaged container comprising a fifth edible component having a fifth nutritional content (F) of the nutrient component. The predetermined daily nutritional content (E) of the nutrient component is the sum of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth nutritional contents (A, B, C, D, and F) of the nutrient component of the corresponding first, second, third, fourth, and fifth edible components contained in the corresponding first, second, third, fourth, and fifth individually prepackaged containers. The predetermined daily nutritional content (E) of the nutrient component is determined by the following relationship: E=A+B+C+D+F.
In one embodiment, the present disclosure is directed, in part, to a container for a prepackaged daily meal plan. The container comprises a hollow body portion and a plurality of prepackaged containers. Each of the prepackaged containers comprises edible content therein. The prepackaged containers are positioned within the hollow body portion and each of the prepackaged containers comprises indicia to indicate the nutritional and caloric content of the edible content contained therein. The hollow body portion comprises at least one aperture along a longitudinal length thereof. The aperture comprises a first end, a second end, a first side wall extending between the first end and the second end, and a second side wall extending between the first end and the second end. A longitudinal axis is defined between the first end and the second end and a lateral axis is defined between a midpoint of the first side wall and a midpoint of the second side wall. A first quadrant is defined on a first side of the longitudinal axis and a first side of the lateral axis. A second quadrant is defined on the first side of the longitudinal axis and a second side of the lateral axis. A third quadrant is defined on a second side of the longitudinal axis and the first side of the lateral axis. A fourth quadrant is defined on the second side of the longitudinal axis and the second side of the lateral axis. A first arcuate portion forms a portion of the aperture in the first quadrant. A second arcuate portion forms a portion of the aperture in the second quadrant. A third arcuate portion forms a portion of the aperture in the third quadrant. A fourth arcuate portion forms a portion of the aperture in the fourth quadrant.
The example embodiments described herein will become more apparent and will be better understood by reference to the following description of non-limiting embodiments of the disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
a is a perspective view of a pill pack position on or attached to an individually prepackaged container in accordance with one non-limiting embodiment;
b is a perspective view of a collapsible utensil positioned on or attached to an individually prepackaged container in accordance with one non-limiting embodiment;
a and 20b are perspective views of the collapsible utensil of
Various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described to provide an overall understanding of the principles of the structure, function, manufacture, and use of the daily meal plans and containers for the same disclosed herein. One or more examples of these non-limiting embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It will be appreciated that the daily meal plans and containers for the same specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting example embodiments and that the scope of the various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure are defined solely by the claims. The features illustrated or described in connection with one non-limiting embodiment may be combined with the features of other non-limiting embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.
The caloric or nutrient component intake requirements of individuals may vary based on a number of factors, including, for example, activity level and metabolic rate. When caloric or nutrient component intake requirements are exceeded, an individual's body may store the excess calories or nutrient components in adipose tissue. Conversely, when caloric or nutrient component intake requirements are not met, the individual's body may compensate for the negative energy balance by accessing the excess stored calories and nutrient components in adipose tissue within the body as well as undergoing catabolism of muscle protein. In various embodiments, an individual's caloric or nutrient component intake may be derived from four main dietary sources: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and dietary fiber. Obtaining desirable combinations of these nutrient components sources may be difficult and time consuming for individuals. This is especially the case when an individual may be attempting to lower caloric intake to lose weight using a fad diet, for example. However, individuals often lack the knowledge to properly allocate nutritional components in a reduced Calorie diet. Thus, reduced Calorie diets may, in some circumstances, place individuals at risk for malnutrition. Among the many symptoms of malnutrition are physical and cognitive lethargy, the inability to focus, the lack of memory, and muscle loss, for example.
Typical prepackaged meals may provide convenience and flexibility as to both variety and nutritional combinations. If an individual is to build a diet around prepackaged meals, however, this convenience and flexibility may be accompanied by several drawbacks. First, the individual must determine the caloric content and nutrient component proportions that best fits their daily dietary needs. These daily dietary needs may be influenced by such criteria as lifestyle, weight or nutritional goals, as well as genetics, for example. Second, the individual must determine how best to allocate the caloric content and nutrient component proportions among multiple meals throughout the day. Third, the individual must closely analyze numerous prepackaged meals to find the right combination of caloric content and accompanying nutrient component proportions sufficient to meet their daily requirements or daily dietary requirements.
In view of the foregoing, the present disclosure provides a prepackaged daily meal plan or a prepackaged dietary daily meal plan. In one embodiment, the prepackaged dietary daily meal plan may provide convenience, consistency and flexibility as part of a dietary regimen designed to lose, gain, and/or maintain a particular body weight or fitness level. The prepackaged dietary daily meal plan may be part of an employer sponsored employee health initiative, a nutritional youth program, and/or used by individuals, for example. In other embodiments, the prepackaged dietary meal plan may be packaged in a daily ration manner for ease of tracking and distribution and may be part of a government and/or privately sponsored humanitarian mission, such as caring for the homeless, providing aid to an undeveloped country, and/or uses in disaster relief, for example.
In one embodiment, referring to
In one embodiment, referring again to
In one embodiment, the first end portion 24 may be used by an individual when accessing or opening the container 10 and the second end portion 26 may generally remain closed to maintain the individually prepackaged containers 12 within the hollow body portion 14 of the container 10. In other embodiments, the second end portion 26 may be used by an individual when accessing or opening the container 10 or both the first end portion 24 and the second end portion 26 may be used. In still other various embodiments, the side walls 16, 18, 20, and 22, the first end portion 24, and/or the second end portion 26 may be ripped or torn to open the container 10 and/or the container 10 may have weakened portions, score marks, and/or perforated portions that may be torn or separated, for example.
In various embodiments, referring again to
In one embodiment, referring to
In one embodiment, a first arcuate portion 54 may form a portion of the aperture 32 in the first quadrant 46 and a second arcuate portion 56 may form a portion of the aperture 32 in the second quadrant 48. In various embodiments, a third arcuate portion 58 may form a portion of the aperture 32 in the third quadrant 50 and a fourth arcuate portion 60 may form a portion of the aperture 32 in the fourth quadrant 52. In certain embodiments, at least one of the individually prepackaged containers 12 may be exposed through the one or more apertures 32. In various embodiments, the one or more apertures 32 may comprise other various shapes.
In one embodiment, referring back to
In one embodiment, referring to
In one embodiment, referring again to
In one embodiment, referring now to
In one embodiment, the indicia 11 or the indicia 13 may use a color coding system. In various embodiments, a color of the indicia 11 may match a color of the indicia 13, for example, to indicate that the container 10 is linked to the individually prepackaged containers 12 positioned therein. The indicia 11 and 13 may correspond to the caloric content of the container 10 or of the edible components of the individually prepackaged containers 12. For example, a green indicia 11 may be associated with a 2,000 Calorie level container 10. In this example embodiment, the indicia 13 on the individually prepackaged containers 12 also may be green. In one embodiment, the color coding system for the indicia 11 and 13 may be presented in any suitable manner or form that enables an individual to identify the color and, therefore, aid the individual in determining the Calorie level of a particular container 10 and/or a particular individually prepackaged container 12. In various embodiments, the indicia 11 and 13 may comprise a colored patch, stripe, and/or band about one or more portions of the container 10 and/or the individually prepackaged containers 12. In other various embodiments, the indicia 11 and 13 may comprise a specific font color, a symbol, a colored symbol, a sticker, and/or any other identifiable indicia. In one embodiment, either in addition to or as a replacement for the color coding, a numbering indicia system may be used with the container 10 and/or the individually prepackaged containers 12, for example. A container 10 having the 1,200 caloric content may be labeled “1”, while a container 10 having the 1,600 caloric content may be labeled ‘2” for example. In other embodiments, a container 10 having the 1,200 caloric content may be labeled “1,200”, while a container 10 having the 1,600 caloric content may be labeled “1,600” for example.
In one embodiment, the 1,200 Calorie level container 10 may be associated with yellow while the 1,600, 2,000, and 2,400 Calorie level daypacks may be respectively associated with red, green, and purple, for example. In other embodiments, the 1,200 Calorie level containers 10 may be associated with tan while the 1,600, 2,000, and 2,400 Calorie level containers 10 may be respectively associated with orange, green, and maroon, for example. The color coding system is not limited in range or tones of colors that may be used. Furthermore, the color coding system may be portrayed or presented in any manner or form that enables a consumer to identify the color coding system and, hence, the Calorie level of a container 10.
In one embodiment, the container 10 may be stored in any suitable environment, such as an environment that is not temperature or moisture controlled, for example. In various embodiments, the container 10 may be stored for an extended period of time without spoilage, thus making the container 10 suitable as an emergency ration in addition to an all-in-one daily meal plan or a daily dietary meal plan. In various embodiments, the prepackaged meals within the container 10 may be consumed heated, unheated, or cooled, for example. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize the inherent portability of the container 10 which makes the container 10 easy to consume anywhere.
In various embodiments, referring to
In one embodiment, referring to
In one embodiment, referring to
In one embodiment, referring to
In various embodiments, referring to
In one embodiment, the individually prepackaged containers 12 may be provided in any number of physical arrangements within the hollow body portion 14 of the container 10. In one embodiment, the individually prepackaged containers 12, 12′, and/or 12″ may be stackably arranged within the hollow body portion 14 of the container 10 (see e.g.,
In one embodiment, a meal may comprise any amount of edible content that is generally consumed in one sitting or within a reasonable timeframe. In various embodiments, a meal may comprise a snack or a single or a multi-course meal. The terms breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and snack whether modified by the terms first, second, third, fourth, fifth, early, middle, and/or late are not intended to be limiting as to traditional timing and do not necessarily dictate the order in which the meals are to be consumed, rather the terms are intended to aid the reader in understanding the embodiments in which they are used. In one embodiment, the container 10 may comprise multiple meals sufficient to meet the dietary requirements of an individual for one day or about one full day. In various embodiments, the meals may comprise an early and late breakfast, a brunch, a lunch, a first and second dinner, and an evening snack, for example. In one embodiment, the meals may comprise a breakfast, an early lunch, a late lunch, a dinner, and an evening snack, for example. In one embodiment, the container 10 may comprise three meals: a breakfast, a lunch, and a dinner. In another embodiment, the container 10 may comprise four meals: a breakfast, an early lunch, a late lunch, and a dinner. In yet another embodiment, the container 10 may comprise: a breakfast, an early lunch, a late lunch, a dinner, and a snack. In still other embodiments, the container 10 may comprise: a breakfast, an early lunch, a late lunch, a dinner, and one or more snacks. In various embodiments, the consumption schedule for the various meals may comprise uniform or non-uniform time intervals. Those of skill in the art will recognize that other suitable meal combinations also may be packaged within the container 10 for a particular caloric or nutrient component intake requirements of an individual, either on a per meal basis or on a daily basis.
In one embodiment, the order in which the various meals are consumed may follow a traditional and/or an accepted order (e.g., breakfast, early lunch, late lunch, dinner, and snack). In various embodiments, the various meals may be consumed at standard time intervals throughout the day. In one embodiment, the meals may be consumed about two hours apart, about three hours apart, or about four hours apart, for example. In certain embodiments, the meals may be consumed about three hours apart, plus or minus one hour. In various embodiments, the various meals may also be consumed at non-standard time intervals. In one embodiment, the first meal may be consumed within about fifteen minutes to about 2 hours after awakening and the second meal may be consumed within about four hours of awakening and/or within about three hours after consuming the first meal. In one embodiment, the time interval between the consumption of the second and third meals may be less than the time interval between the third and the fourth meals and less than the time interval between the first and second meals. In various embodiments, the third meal may be consumed within about two hours, about three hours, or about four hours after consumption of the second meal, but about three hours or about four hours before consumption of the fourth meal. In one embodiment, the fifth meal may be consumed about one hour or about two hours prior to going to bed for the day. In other embodiments, the fifth meal or a sixth meal may be consumed about one hour before or after a specific activity (e.g., exercise). In one embodiment, the timing of consumption of the various meals may not be set to a particular schedule and the meals may be consumed when a user of the container 10 is hungry or has time to consume a meal.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that a single predetermined daily Calorie level may not meet the full nutritional needs of each individual. Thus, in various embodiments, particular containers 10 may provide different daily predetermined Calorie levels. In one embodiment, the sum of the Calories contained in various containers 10 may be standardized to a particular range or number of Calories.
In one embodiment, all containers 10 within a particular Calorie level may consistently provide about the same nutritional components and caloric content, irrespective of the meal combinations (i.e., different breakfasts, different lunches, different dinners, and/or different snacks). In certain embodiments, the container 10 may comprise about 1,200 Calories. In such an embodiment, there may be multiple containers 10, each having differing combinations of meals for variety; however, each of the containers 10 may comprise about 1,200 Calories such that each is about nutritionally equal. In other embodiments, the containers 10 may comprise Calorie levels of about 1,200 Calories, about 1,600 Calories, about 2,000 Calories, and/or about 2,400 Calories, examples of which according to various embodiments are provided in
In one embodiment, the containers 10 may comprise predetermined daily Calorie levels of about 1,150 Calories to about 1,250 Calories, about 1,525 Calories to about 1,675 Calories, about 1,900 Calories to about 2,100 Calories, and/or about 2,275 Calories to about 2,525 Calories.
In various embodiments, the container 10 may comprise multiple meals having one or more different edible components. In certain embodiments, the containers 10 within a particular Calorie level (e.g., 1,200 Calories, 1,600 Calories) may contain differing combinations of meals. In one embodiment, all of the containers 10 within the same Calorie level may provide the same or about the same amount of Calories. In such an embodiment, a week supply of containers 10 may be provided, in which each container 10 provides about 1600 Calories, for example. In certain embodiments, the Calories provided in particular meals of the containers 10 may generally have the same or a similar Caloric content. In various embodiments, referring to
In one embodiment, the caloric contents of each of the edible components in the various individually prepackaged containers 12 may not be the same, about the same, or substantially the same. In various embodiments, the first edible component in the first individually prepackaged container may comprise about 25% of the predetermined daily caloric content, the second edible component in the second individually prepackaged container may comprise about 18% of the predetermined daily caloric content, the third edible component in the third individually prepackaged container may comprise about 27% of the predetermined daily caloric content, the fourth edible component may comprise in the fourth individually prepackaged container about 25% of the predetermined daily caloric content, and the fifth edible component in the fifth individually prepackaged container may comprise about 5% of the predetermined daily caloric content. In other various embodiments, the first edible component may comprise about 20% to about 30% of the predetermined daily caloric content, the second edible component may comprise about 13% to about 23% of the predetermined daily caloric content, the third edible component may comprise about 22% to about 32% of the predetermined daily caloric content, the fourth edible component may comprise about 20% to about 30% of the predetermined daily caloric content, and the fifth edible component may comprise about 2% to about 8% of the predetermined daily caloric content. In one embodiment, the first edible component may comprise breakfast, the second edible component may comprise an early lunch, the third edible component may comprise a late lunch, the fourth edible component may comprise a dinner, and the fifth edible component may comprise a snack or an evening snack. In various embodiments, the edible components may be consumed in the order of breakfast, early lunch, late lunch, dinner, and evening snack. In other various embodiments, the edible components can be consumed in any other suitable order.
In one embodiment, the caloric contents of the edible components in the various individually prepackaged containers may comprise certain relational aspects. In various embodiments, the sum of the caloric contents of the first and the fourth edible components of the first and fourth individually prepackaged containers may be equal to or about equal to the sum of the caloric contents of the second, third, and fifth edible components of the second, third, and fifth individually prepackaged containers. “About equal to” as used herein may mean within +/−1%, +/−5%, or +/−10%, for example. In one embodiment, referring to
In various embodiments, the container 10 may provide consistent allocation of one or more macro nutrients as a percentage of total Calories within the container 10. In one embodiment, macro nutrients may comprise protein, fat, including saturated fat, carbohydrates, and/or dietary fiber. In various embodiments, the proportion of the predetermined daily caloric content comprising fat may be the same as or about the same at all container 10 Calorie levels (see e.g., 1,200 Calories example at
In certain embodiments, the proportion of the predetermined daily caloric content comprising carbohydrates may be the same as or about the same at all container 10 Calorie levels (see e.g., 1,200 Calories example at
In various embodiments, the container 10 may comprise a consistent or substantially consistent allocation of one or more macro nutrients comprising protein, fat, carbohydrate and/or dietary fiber as a percentage of the daily allotment of the macro nutrient among the provided edible components of the individually prepackaged containers 12 within each Calorie level (see e.g.,
In one embodiment, the amount of protein provided in each of the edible components of the various individually prepackaged containers 12 may be represented as a percentage of the predetermined daily nutritional content of protein (see e.g.,
In one embodiment, the amount of fat provided in each of edible components of the various individually prepackaged containers 12 may be represented as a percentage of the predetermined daily nutritional content of fat. In such an embodiment, the nutritional content of fat contained in the first edible component may be about 20% to about 30%, or about 25%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of fat, the nutritional content of fat in the second edible component may be about 10% to about 22%, or about 16%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of fat, the nutritional content of fat in the third edible component may be about 22% to about 34%, or about 28%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of fat, the nutritional content of fat in the fourth edible component may be about 20% to about 30%, or about 25%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of fat, and the nutritional content of fat in the fifth edible component may be about 2% to about 8%, or about 5%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of fat. In one embodiment, fat sources may comprise olive oil, canola oil, and/or soybean oil in addition to nuts and omega-3 sources.
In one embodiment, the amount of saturated fat provided in each of the edible components of the various individually prepackaged containers 12 may be represented as a percentage of the predetermined daily nutritional content of saturated fat. In such an embodiment, the nutritional content of saturated fat contained in the first edible component may be about 19% to about 29%, or about 24%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of saturated fat, the nutritional content of saturated fat in the second edible component may be about 14% to about 24%, or about 19%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of saturated fat, the nutritional content of saturated fat in the third edible component may be about 22% to about 34%, or about 27%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of saturated fat, the nutritional content of saturated fat in the fourth edible component may be about 19% to about 29%, or about 24%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of saturated fat, and the nutritional content of saturated fat in the fifth edible component may be about 3% to about 13%, or about 8%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of saturated fat.
In one embodiment, the amount of carbohydrates provided in each of edible components of the various individually prepackaged containers 12 may be represented as a percentage of the predetermined daily nutritional content of carbohydrates. In such an embodiment, the nutritional content of carbohydrates contained in the first edible component may be about 20% to about 30%, or about 25%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of carbohydrates, the nutritional content of carbohydrates in the second edible component may be about 12% to about 23%, or about 17%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of carbohydrates, the nutritional content of carbohydrates in the third edible component may be about 22% to about 34%, or about 27%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of carbohydrates, the nutritional content of carbohydrates in the fourth edible component may be about 20% to about 30%, or about 25%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of carbohydrates, and the nutritional content of carbohydrates in the fifth edible component may be about 2% to about 8%, or about 5%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of carbohydrates. In various embodiments, SPLENDA®, honey, and/or other suitable sweetener may be used as an artificial sweetener. In one embodiment, carbohydrates may comprise a variety of whole grains, brown rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth, and/or whole wheat, for example. In one embodiment, refined grains may not be used.
In one embodiment, the amount of dietary fiber provided in each of edible components of the various individually prepackaged containers 12 may be represented as a percentage of the predetermined daily nutritional content of dietary fiber. In such an embodiment, the nutritional content of dietary fiber contained in the first edible component may be about 14% to about 34%, or about 24%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of dietary fiber, the nutritional content of dietary fiber in the second edible component may be about 7% to about 27%, or about 17%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of dietary fiber, the nutritional content of dietary fiber in the third edible component may be about 15% to about 35%, or about 25%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of dietary fiber, the nutritional content of dietary fiber in the fourth edible component may be about 14% to about 34%, or about 24%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of dietary fiber, and the nutritional content of dietary fiber in the fifth edible component may be about 2% to about 25%, or about 10%, of the predetermined daily nutritional content of dietary fiber. In one embodiment, fibers may be provided in about a three to one insoluble to soluble ratio.
In one embodiment, the edible components in the various individually prepackaged containers 12 may comprise micro nutrients comprising potassium, cholesterol, essential fat omega-3, calcium, chromium, copper, fluoride, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorous, selenium, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B1, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, biotin, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, folate, vitamin K, and/or pantothenic acid, for example. In such an embodiment, the amount of micro nutrients provided within the container 10 may be the same, about the same, substantially the same, or different at all Calorie levels. In certain embodiments, the above listed micro nutrients may provide about 90% to about 160% of the daily recommended requirement of each micro nutrient. In other embodiments, the above listed micro nutrients may provide between about 100%, but less than 150%, of the daily recommended requirement of each micro nutrient. In still other embodiments, the above listed micro nutrients may provide about 100% of the daily recommended requirement of each micro nutrient.
In one embodiment, the edible components of the various individually prepackaged containers may comprise the micro nutrient sodium. In one such embodiment, the amount of sodium provided in the containers 10 may be the same or substantially the same at all values of the daily caloric level (e.g., 1,200, 1,600, 2,000, or 2,400 daily Calories). In various embodiments, the amount of sodium may differ among the containers 10 within the same or different Calorie levels. In one embodiment, the amount of sodium may be about the same among the containers 10 of the same Calorie level, while the amount of sodium may differ proportionally among the containers 10 of different Calorie levels.
In one embodiment, the edible components of the various individually prepackaged containers 12, 12′, and/or 12″ may comprise the micro nutrients potassium and sodium at about a two to one ratio.
In various embodiments, the micro nutrients provided in the various containers 10 may increase proportionally relative to the Calorie level (e.g., 1200 Calories, 1600 Calories, etc.).
In various embodiments, the container 10 may comprise a pill pack comprising one or more pills, tablets, and/or nutrient components. The pills, tablets, and/or nutrient components may be orally ingestible, for example. In one embodiment, the pills, tablets, and/or nutrient components of the pill pack are included in the meaning of the first edible component. The nutrient component(s) provided in the pills may be micro nutrients and/or macro nutrients. In one embodiment, the pill pack 82 may comprise a pill 81 comprising vitamins and/or minerals that may supplement one or more vitamins and/or minerals otherwise supplied in the various edible components. In various embodiments, the pill pack 82 may comprise one or more pills comprising the vitamins and minerals listed in
In various embodiments, the present disclosure may provide a multi-day dietary system or meal plan. For example, in various embodiments, the containers 10 may be provided for a daily meal plan, a two day meal plan, a weekly meal plan, a monthly meal plan, or meal plan for any other suitable time frame.
In various embodiments, the predetermined daily meal plans may comprise variations of one or more macro nutrients within each Calorie level. In one embodiment, the macro nutrients may comprise protein, carbohydrate, fat, and/or dietary fiber. The daily allotment of protein may be increased while the daily allotment of carbohydrates may be decreased. In another embodiment, the daily allotment of fat may be increased while the daily allotment of carbohydrates may be decreased. In one embodiment, the daily allotment of carbohydrates may be increased while either the daily allotment of fat or protein may be decreased. In another embodiment, the daily allotment of carbohydrates may be increased while the daily allotment of either fat or protein may be increased.
In various embodiments, the proportions of macro nutrients comprising protein, carbohydrate, fat, and/or dietary fiber provided in the edible components of the individually prepackaged containers 12 may be increased or decreased to compensate for a life activity. For example, a cardio or aerobic formula may be provided in certain embodiments such that the daily allotment of one or more meals provides a greater percentage of the daily allotment of caloric intake of the nutritional components of protein, fat, and/or carbohydrate to energize or otherwise prepare the body prior to aerobic or cardio exercise or to replenish and/or otherwise aid in the recovery of the body following the same. In one embodiment, a muscle formula specifically targeting individuals involved in muscle building and/or muscle depleting activities may be provided. This formula may provide an increased daily allotment or increased percentage of daily allotment in certain meals of the nutritional components of protein, fat, or carbohydrate to energize or otherwise prepare the body prior to the muscle building or muscle depleting activity and/or to replenish and/or otherwise aid in the recovery of the body following the same.
All documents cited in the Detailed Description are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present disclosure. To the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in the present disclosure conflicts with any meaning or definition of the term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to the term in the present disclosure document shall govern.
The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 inches” is intended to mean “about 40 inches.”
While particular non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, those of skill in the art will recognize that various other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of the present disclosure.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2010/030779 | 4/12/2010 | WO | 00 | 5/22/2013 |
