Patent Application
20050198881
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to monitoring the category and quantity of food consumed during a given period of time and more particularly conforming to a pre-determined diet and recording quantities of such food consumed.
2. Description of the Background
Making healthy food choices daily can be difficult. There are outlined guidelines provided to all in the form of a food pyramid guide that the health department provides to the public. This guide has listings of food categories and quantities one must consume on a daily basis to get their proper nutritional needs met. For example, an adult must consume 2-3 servings of protein daily, 5-10 servings of fruit and vegetables, 3-5 servings of carbohydrates and 2-3 servings of dairy products daily. The dieter may find themselves overwhelmed due to the numerous amount of food they must consume, that is outlined by the food pyramid. Children also have the burden of conforming to this food pyramid standards daily. In either case, the dieter may not be able to keep track of the diet consistently.
I have invented a food counter which displays the categories and quantities of food that can be consumed throughout a day and conform to an individuals pre-determined diet. The counter records food choices that are consumed during the day and moreover, as food is consumed the counter displays the balance of the categories of food that can be consumed in that day. Thus at any given time of the day, the dieter can refer to the counter and assess what categories of food they can eat and in what quantities remain of that day in order to conform to the specified diet. The dieter will find it easy to follow this visual accompaniment and will not be obliged to follow a specific menu in order in doing so. The counter is a simplistic approach to eating well and making proper nutritional choices, there is no calorie counting. Moreover, the dieter can use the counter in conjunction with any other dietary program or aid.
It is therefore, the food counter of my invention displays the names of food to be consumed in a given period and by quantity in order to conform to a diet, thereby facilitating the process of tracking the food choices daily. This device encourages healthy eating among all particularly school aged children whose obesity rate has risen. The counter comprises: a cover, plurality of food square labels each setting out the name of a category of food in a pre-determined quantity.
The labels are combined in a row to display the total food to be consumed in a day by category and by quantity in order to conform to the diet. A cover is associated with the counter it protects and conceals the food labels. The cover can be positioned closed and open to reveal the underlying contents of the functioning face where the food squares are positioned. This invention functions in a way that a starting position of the labels is set forth on the start row and them parallel to that row is the consumed row. The user then places the correct label representing a food category on the consumed row, after it had been eaten. The food counter's cover can have different and various designs and styles thus being fashionable and giving no outward indication of dieting.
The food counter of the invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:
The categories of food are as follows:
A typical meal for an entire day that would incorporate these food choices would be:
So for breakfast 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate and 1 fruit 18 label will be moved to the 24 consumed row.
For lunch the user will move 1 protein, 2 vegetable and 1 carbohydrate 18 labels to the 24 consumed row. The user can now asses on the food counter the remaining amount of food squares left so they can regulate their eating by adding more or less food for the remainder of the day.
The user also had two snacks during the day which consisted of yogurt equalling 1 dairy 18 label that was moved to the 24 consumed row and a bowl of strawberries with kiwi that equalled 2 fruit labels that were moved to the consumed row.
According to the goal set by the individual on the food counter they have eaten all the food required of them, thus making this invention a success. Serving sizes are an individuals choice, this invention does not supply suggested amounts of servings but the food guide pyramid which this invention makes reference to does. It would be in the~best interest of the individual to refer to this guide for guidance in serving sizes.
At any time during the day the user would know how much food they had already consumed and how much more they can consume in the remainder of the day. The food counter would assist the consumer in pacing the eating times and quantities of food consumed so that at the end of the day no more or no less food was consumed that was intended. Based on the user's diet, they have consumed all quantities of the named food squares and now the food squares at the end of the day would have been all moved to the consumed row indicating and individuals success for that day. Having now fully set forth the preferred embodiments it will be understood that modifications can be made in the structure of the food counter of the invention without departing from the scope and pure view of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,458,583 | Feb 2004 | CA | national |
