AI-powered Meal Planning in Gen Z: Vegetarianism and AI-Assisted Health in Gen Z (18-26) to Reduce Obesity Levels

In June 2023, UIZ.CARE, in collaboration with EASO, embarked on a mission to utilize AI solutions like UIZ.CARE for tackling the obesity challenge in Europe. This initiative led to the commissioning of research focused on AI-powered meal planning specifically for Generation Z. The goal was to leverage AI in promoting better physical health in this demographic, addressing the escalating obesity rates and contributing to healthier lifestyles among young adults in Europe. The research is a strategic step in exploring innovative healthtech solutions to address critical health issues.

Obesity

Obesity is quickly becoming a global epidemic, affecting around 38% of the world's population and causing at least 2.8 million deaths each year (Campbell 2023; Anon, 2020). A Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 25 is classed as overweight, and over 30 classed as obese, with multiple co-morbidities associated with both. This can include high blood pressure (hypertension); type 2 diabetes; and coronary heart disease (Anon, 2022). As well as the plethora of physical complications corresponding with obesity, mental health conditions can also develop, such as body dysmorphia or depression, which, consequently, can worsen an individual’s quality of life and increase healthcare costs (Boutari, 2022).

Obesity levels are rapidly on the rise, especially in Generation Z (Gen Z), born between 1997 and 2010. This may be due to factors such as heightened consumption of high processed food; taking part in less physical activity than previous generations; or increased stresses and tolls on mental health. Europe is an especially digitalised region, which seemingly contributes to the obesity crisis. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that in 2022, levels of obesity in Europe increased by 138% since 1975.

Vegetarianism

Vegetarianism is a common practice which includes abstaining from meat or fish products. It is a diet that mainly consists of fruits, seeds, vegetables, grains, legumes, and possibly eggs or dairy products. There are various reasons why someone may follow a vegetarian diet, such as religion, health concerns, or due to environmental impact. According to a survey conducted in 2018, 8% of 18–24-year-olds were said to be vegetarian in select European countries. Another study was carried out in Spain over 10 years, tracking the diets of some 16,000 university graduates. Researchers compared the highest 20% consumption of animal products with the lowest 20%. The results demonstrated that individuals with the most vegetarian diets were 43% less likely to become obese (Boseley, 2017).

The recommended daily calorie intake is 2000 for women and 2500 for men. However, this greatly varies depending on each person, for example, the size of the person, amount of exercise, or any medical conditions they may have. There are many different healthy eating policies utilised by European governments, implemented in their respective countries, for example, The Wheel of Five in the Netherlands, or the Eatwell Guide in the UK.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a type of computer software designed to perform human-like tasks, such as speech-recognition, and can change or make a decision depending on the type of interaction. For example, ChatGPT, which stands for Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer, is an AI-based chatbot that can understand and generate text depending on the user’s input.

AI can be used to create healthy meal plans or meal ideas to improve diet and reduce obesity. An application of machine learning, AI considers dietary preferences, allergies, and nutritional needs to create an ideal meal plan for the user. The combination of AI and wearable technology to track health can help to ease the user’s lifestyle, as they can monitor their fitness and well-being conveniently without the need for their phone or a personal computer.

Survey

The universal aim is to curb the levels of obesity in the global population, particularly in Gen Z. We explored the use of AI-based programs to create healthy meal plans which promote healthy eating in an attempt to tackle obesity. We focused on the older group of Gen Z (18–26-year-olds) as these individuals are more likely to live without parents and be less reliant on parents’ finances.

A short survey was conducted and gained 47 responses; the majority aged 18 to 26 years old. 17% of respondents declared that they followed a vegetarian or vegan diet, mainly due to environmental concerns. 66% of total respondents’ main health or fitness goal was muscle gain, with 6 out of 8 vegetarian or vegan respondents also answering muscle gain. A common reason for not adopting a vegetarian diet is concern over protein and nutrient intake, and 60% of respondents were not aware of the role of AI in nutrition and meal planning. Technology and AI could be used to educate the public about a pro-vegetarian diet to help reduce obesity levels, including advice about protein sources that are suitable for vegetarians.

Conclusions

Obesity levels have risen exponentially over the past few decades, increasing the mortality rate and putting pressures on healthcare systems. A more vegetarian/plant-based diet has been shown to decrease obesity levels by up to 43%, which would significantly improve people’s health and well-being.

The main advice from researchers is to incorporate more plant-based foods into people’s diets, increasing the amount of fibre consumed, and reducing the consumption of processed and red meats, a class 1 and 2 carcinogen, respectively. A ‘flexitarian’ diet is becoming more popular within the Gen Z age group, often due to health concerns and environmental impact.

In the future, AI could be harnessed and used more commonly to promote vegetarianism. For example, an app could be designed to specifically create healthy and affordable vegetarian-friendly meals, promoting vegetarian or more plant-based diets. This can also spread awareness about how vegetarianism can be healthy and affordable, despite what some people may think. There is still not a lot of research published on vegetarian diets to reduce obesity, much less the use of AI in this field. As the current largest generation, Gen Z will be the future of society so it is imperative that we tackle this emergency urgently.

Author: Chandra Bhamidimarri

REFERENCES

Anon (2020) Statistics, EASO. Available at: https://easo.org/media-portal/statistics/.

Anon (2022) Health effects of overweight and obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/effects/index.html.

Anon (2022). WHO European Regional Obesity Report 2022. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.

Boseley, S. (2017) ‘“Pro-vegetarian” diet could halve chance of obesity’, The Guardian, 19 May. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/19/pro-vegetarian-diet-halve-chance-obesity.

Boutari, C., & Mantzoros, C. S. (2022). A 2022 update on the epidemiology of obesity and a call to action: as its twin COVID-19 pandemic appears to be receding, the obesity and dysmetabolism pandemic continues to rage on. Metabolism: clinical and experimental, 133, 155217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2022.155217

Campbell, D. (2023) More than half of humans on track to be overweight or obese by 2035 – report, The Guardian, 2 March. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/02/more-than-half-of-humans-on-track-to-be-overweight-or-obese-by-2035-report.

Fryar C.D., Carroll M.D., Afful J. (2020) Prevalence of overweight, obesity, and severe obesity among children and adolescents aged 2–19 years: United States, 1963–1965 through 2017–2018. NCHS Health E-Stats.