So as with any vocation, the real value provided is the human aspect. No matter how good the psychologists and programmers are who work on the latest and greatest app are, they cannot compare to a quality friend. All of that to say, I've gotten a good scripting framework for meal planning, and it's feeling like the start of something capable.
So now I'm at the crossroads of refining it until it's worthwhile to be paid to use. If I were myself of 10 years ago (besides not being able to even get this far) I would want to refine it on my own, until I can personally see no fault with my system. But, as I my age is rapidly approaching 30, and as I'm eager to improve myself and push things forward; perfection is a waste of time.
I have messaged a few people on the socials, but even with that imposter syndrome is kicking in a bit. So now I turn my focus to my parents. They are open to suggestions, very critical, and not entirely on board with certain health concepts. But I know them well enough to do most of the assessment myself. Let's do it!
Habits
Friday, night, hotdogs and burgers.
Homemade burgers are doable, even with a mediocre meat grinder. 25% liver is too strong a taste, but next time I'll try 12% liver, including spices in the grind, and including more fat.
Infrequent shopping / Harvesting
Hard to overcome, simply need more access to fresh veggies.
Incessant snacking
Impossible to control. Unfortunately snacks are labour intensive to make. Some options like lettuce + hummus are good replacements.
Cereal for breakfast
Not much to say here except, this needs to be cut to an absolute minimum.
Heavy Tomato consumption
Overall their consumption of tomato isn't terrible, it's just that they rely on it so much. Perhaps to fill that "umami" void. I think it's important to minimize the Lectins.
Metrics To Track
Macros as a rough outline. 50/50 carbs and protein, quality, and moderate fat. From there:
Sugar, 10 g a day
I'm going to include processed and natural sugar in this case. Nothing is going to stop dad from indulging in candy, all I can do is set a healthy limit.
Fiber, 31 g a day
The need for fiber in a diet is dependent on many things. However, based on my own experiences I think it's safe to follow the commonly recommended guidelines.
Vitamins
- C, 80-120mg, as the biggest weapon against general sickness, it's crucial.
- B's, B3-23mg, B6-5mg, B9-0.5mg, to avoid chemical imbalances that accelerate depression.
- Vitamin D, 2.5-5mcg
Minerals
- Selenium, 285mcg
- Iodine, 2.5-14mg
- Magnesium, 500mg
- Zinc, 10mg
- Copper, 2mg
Unusual Ingredients To Consider
- Coconut Mana, new to me, could be useful.
- Liver
- Citrus Fruit
- Brazil Nuts
- Leafy Greens: Kale, heirloom lettuce, spinach
The real art of this process is going to be finding recipes that I know will appeal to both parents, as well as anyone else, should they decide to scale up for guests. Which also makes it an absolute priority that I get an exporting script set up properly to accomodate generation of the ingredients.
I realize this isn't the most detailed write up, but I don't operate well when something takes multiple sittings to complete, I lose track of my goal too easily.
Overall this seems to be plenty of planning, it really just comes down to getting all of the data into my script, and making the printouts attractive and useful. Stay tuned!
