A Regionally Adaptable Nutrition Centric Food Recommendation System (FR-RANC)

The regionally adaptable nutrition-centric food recommendation system (FR-RANC) introduces a holistic approach to personalized dietary recommendations that addresses the limitations of existing nutrition systems that often overlook regional food availability, economic conditions, and comprehensive nutrient requirements. Utilizing a decision support system (DSS) and an optimization algorithm, the system integrates user-specific data, including age, gender, health conditions, and socioeconomic status, with region-specific food databases to generate personalized food lists that meet macro- and micronutrient needs. Unlike traditional systems, which focus on a few nutrients or specific medical conditions, FR-RANC provides a holistic solution by considering a broader range of nutrients and adapting them to various regional and economic contexts. The initial evaluation, based on systematically generated test cases, demonstrated the system’s capability to achieve approximately 90% compliance with macronutrient targets. At the same time, micronutrient results exhibit a narrow distribution around the mean, indicating strong alignment with recommended requirements, even across varying health conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and pregnancy. Furthermore, FR-RANC effectively addresses cold-start and scalability issues, as observed in traditional systems. These results underscore its potential as a proactive tool for promoting balanced nutrition, supporting healthcare professionals, and addressing global nutritional disparities.