APPLICATION OF GOAL PROGRAMMING FOR DIET PLANNING IN THE INDIAN CONTEXT

Abstract

Selection of diets by quantitive technicjues is be - coming an increasingly common practice. The most popular of these techniques is linear programming. However, although linear programming is satisfactory for selection of least cost mixes of foods to meet specific nutritional require -ments, it often results in an over - supply of certain nutrients. This overdose of some nutrients is equally dan -gerous as undernutrition. Goal programming, which is a multi objective progra -mming'technique and which allows for a simultaneous solution of a system of complex objectives rather than a single objec-tive, can be used to overcome the problem of nutritional imbalance while selecting least cost mix of foods. In the present work, linear goal programming has been used to opti-mize the nutritional balance, while minimizing the cost also, of a selected 'mix of foods ~' from 75 food raw materials for different catagery of persons such as man, woman, expecting mothers, urs.ing:. mothers, pre-school children, school going children, adolescents etc. in different months of the year. The objectives considered are those related to fulfillment of nutritional requirements, cost minimization, availability of foods and preferences of individuals in Indian context.