Food & Artificial Intelligence: Get Connected!

AI & the Evolution of Nutrition and Health (Number 1 in The Series)

Rob Kowal & Brian Lenahan

It's GOOD for you! … It's NOT GOOD for you! 

Over the decades you've heard this about coffee, eggs, bacon, wine and a myriad of other foods. The articles about these #foods all start with "a new study has found..." and, of course, it contradicts a series of other studies from different sources. 

As a consumer, how do you sort through this information and choose foods that are ideal for you, your #physiology, and your stage of life? We are exposed to so much information about what to eat, and what to avoid.  How can we know what is fact and what is fiction?  How can we possibly absorb and analyze all this data?  What if we could collect and assess all this data to determine the ideal food choices for you? Not for the masses, or for men versus women, or for seniors. An ideal diet specifically for YOU.

There are hundreds of existing diet programs and they vary in terms of their effectiveness (Atkins, Keto, Paleo, South Beach, Mediterranean, Zone, vegan, and vegetarian to name a few). Weight loss companies abound but can be difficult to afford and maintain. Sure these diets and programs work for some, but not all and if they do work, they are often not sustainable. 

We all have different genomes (the complete set of genes or genetic material present in a cell or organism), and physiological differences so what we eat will affect each of us differently.  Imagine being able to tap into our DNA sequence and our #microbiome (the microorganisms in and on your body) and customize a #diet program that would be certain to optimize our health!  This is not some future dream. The technology exists now. 

Companies exist today where your submitted oral swab test (for example ‘23 and Me’) or a stool sample (i.e. Viome) are assessed and their #artificialintelligence systems can evaluate the thousands of data points to tell you what diseases you might be predisposed to, what you should eat and what you should avoid. 

So how will the pursuit of health through food choices change in the future? One word. Data. #Data being analyzed using artificial intelligence. Being able to gather and analyze massive amounts of personal data, will change how you perceive yourself and help you to make personalized choices to optimize your food selection, consumption and lifestyle habits. 

In our next article, we will share which tools collect your personal data in anticipation of being “processed” by artificial intelligence to create food selection recommendations to optimize your individual diet.

Next issue: Gathering Data About You

Rob Kowal is the President of Kriscor and Associates, and current President of the Canadian Institute of Food Science & Technology. He is an avid cyclist, and food and nutrition enthusiast. Rob speaks on food and consumer trends and sales best practices across Canada. 

Brian Lenahan is the author of three books on artificial intelligence strategy including “Artificial intelligence: Foundations for Business Leaders and Consultants”, a recognized keynote speaker, a former executive with a Top 10 North American Bank, a graduate of MIT’s AI strategy program and a consultant to large corporations.

#ai #foodchoices #artificialintelligence #data #microbiome #fitness #food #aiforgood

Copyright 2019 Aquitaine Innovation Advisors and Kriscor & Associates