Artificial Intelligence (AI) is ubiquitous these days, being used in odd places like TV news stations, the music industry, and Little League baseball. honeycomb.why wouldn’t Using AI in the world of running?
I decided to test the AI in the department operations where I struggled the most. That encouraged me. Because, as most of us know, life can get busy, and sometimes you forget to eat or don’t eat enough, and your running gets hurt as a result.
One evening, I (politely) asked ChatGPT (considered to be the most sophisticated AI chatbot available today) to help me with the following:
“Hi. I run about 50 miles a week. Write me a weekly meal plan that will fuel my running, broken down into breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner and dessert. Incorporate macros into every meal.” Your budget for this should be $35 for the week.Create a shopping list that includes the price per item.”
ChatGPT responded within 2 seconds.
“Designing a meal plan that powers an 80-mile-week running routine on a $35 budget requires careful selection of nutritious, budget-friendly ingredients. Here’s an example shopping list, remember that prices can vary by location, so it’s important to adjust your plan according to the options available.
I don’t usually recommend trusting robots for nutritional advice, but I’ve done meal planning in the past. balanced nutrition counseling I got permission to try it for a week in Nashville, Tennessee. ChatGPT offers:
First day
breakfast: Add 1 sliced banana and 1 tbsp to 1 cup of oatmeal. peanut butter. | 54g carbs, 7g protein, 9g fat
lunch: Served with a turkey avocado wrap and 2 slices of 4 oz whole grain bread. Slices of turkey, half avocado, lettuce and tomato. | 40g carbs, 30g protein, 14g fat
snack: 1 medium apple and a handful of almonds. | 25g carbs, 6g protein, 15g fat
dinner: 1 cup of 4 oz cooked brown rice. grilled chicken breast and 1 cup vegetable mix. | 36g carbs, 54g protein, 6g fat
dessert: Add a little honey to 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt (a little). | 10g carbs, 10g protein, 2g fat
my thoughts: this would be easy! Starting my day with what I usually have for breakfast (oats, bananas, and peanut butter) was a great way to start the day. Lunch and dinner were fine, but the snacks were a little lackluster.
the 2nd day
breakfast: A smoothie made with 1 cup frozen mixed berries, 1 cup spinach, 1 cup almond milk, and 1 scoop of protein powder. | 25g carbs, 20g protein, 6g fat
lunch: Quinoa Salad with 1 cup cooked quinoa, diced cucumber, cherry tomatoes and lemon tahini dressing. | 52g carbs, 18g protein, 15g fat
snack: 1 medium orange and 1 cup cottage cheese. | 16g carbs, 13g protein, 2g fat
dinner: 1 baked sweet potato topped with 3 oz. 1 cup of grilled salmon and steamed broccoli; | 40g carbs, 32g protein, 12g fat
dessert: 1 scoop of mixed nuts. | 5g carbs, 6g protein, 14g fat
my thoughts: I’m a creature of habit and eat about the same thing every day. So the diversity meal plan was a bit disconcerting for me, but exciting. The quinoa salad was delicious, but ChatGBT wasn’t specific on how to use the “lemon tahini dressing” so I had to guess what it meant.i bought This onewas not on the grocery list or in the budget.
Third day
breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs, 1 cup spinach, 2 slices of whole grain toast. | 40g carbs, 18g protein, 2g fat
lunch: Lentil soup cooked with 1 cup of lentils, carrots, celery, onions and vegetable broth. | 40g carbs, 18g protein, 2g fat
snack: One small banana, a little hummus and baby carrots. | 31g carbs, 6g protein, 8g fat
dinner: Pumpkin spaghetti in tomato sauce, ground lean turkey (4 oz), sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese. | 30g carbs, 32g protein, 10g fat
dessert: 1 small amount of dark chocolate. | 10g carbs, 1g protein, 8g fat
my thoughts: I had a big problem with lunch today. ChatGBT asked me to make lentil soup, but there were no instructions on how to make it. As for the experiment, this was a challenge.Should I look up recipes online or would I be “cheating”? Should I ask ChatGBT for help? Should I just do it? wing that? I chose the latter. In a large pan, sauté 1 cup chopped carrots and 1 cup chopped celery with a little olive oil. Once the vegetables were tender, I poured in 3 cups of vegetable broth and canned cooked lentils. Bring to a boil, cover and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes. It was pretty bland, but a spaghetti squash dinner (one I actually know how to make) made up for a lackluster day.
4th day
breakfast: Add 1 cup mixed berries and 1 tbsp to 1 cup Greek yogurt. chia seeds. | 30g carbs, 20g protein, 10g fat
lunch: Hummus and veggie wrap on whole wheat tortilla with sliced cucumber, peppers and lettuce. | 40g carbs, 8g protein, 16g fat
snack: 1 cup baby carrots and hummus. | 22g carbs, 6g protein, 14g fat
dinner: 1 cup 6 oz cooked quinoa Served with grilled chicken breast and asparagus. | 32g carbs, 54g protein, 6g fat
dessert: 1 small scoop of fresh berries. | 30g carbs, 5g protein, 3g fat
my thoughts: On this day, I was tempted to quit my meal plan, but I persevered. But a little snack of baby carrots and hummus wasn’t the best, especially when I had to run a strenuous 3-mile midday run on my lunch break.
Day 5
breakfast: A smoothie made with 1 cup frozen mango, 1 cup spinach, 1 cup coconut water, and 1 scoop of protein powder. | 35g carbs, 20g protein, 2g fat
lunch: A veggie wrap with sliced avocado, lettuce and shredded carrots wrapped in hummus in a whole wheat tortilla. | 30g carbs, 6g protein, 12g fat
snack: 1 cup of sliced bell peppers and 1 cup of hummus. | 10g carbs, 4g protein, 8g fat
dinner: Tofu (6 oz) and stir-fried vegetables, 1 cup brown rice. | 50g carbs, 20g protein, 8g fat
dessert: 1 scoop of mixed nuts. | 5g carbs, 6g protein, 14g fat
my thoughts: I never want to eat hummus again. please. No more hummus. However, there is no easy way to iterate or provide feedback on a prescribed meal plan. So I keep hummus choking. The dinner was delicious, but the vague “tofu stir fry” didn’t give much explanation on how to prepare it. Cubes of tofu and 1 bag of easy cooked vegetable mix were stir-fried with soy sauce, ginger and Chinese chives, then mixed with brown rice. Dessert was disappointing. It had cashews, almonds and peanuts in it. do not have What I was thinking of as an end-of-the-day snack.
6th day
breakfast: 1 cup oatmeal and 1 cup mixed berries, 1 tbsp. almond butter. | 54 carbs, 7 g protein, 9 g fat
lunch: Wrap the turkey and avocado in two 4-ounce slices of whole-wheat bread. Slices of turkey, half avocado, lettuce and tomato. | 40g carbs, 30g protein, 14g fat
snack: 1 small apple and a handful of almonds. | 25g carbs, 6g protein, 15g fat
dinner: Grilled chicken breast (6 oz), 1 cup brown rice and 1 cup steamed broccoli. | 36g carbs, 54g protein, 6g fat
dessert: Add a little honey to 1 cup of Greek yogurt. | 8g carbs, 10g protein
my thoughts: The turkey and avocado wrap became my favorite lunch on this meal plan. However, I don’t know what his ChatGBT thinking, who calls this a wrap when he needs two pieces of whole grain bread.
Day 7
breakfast: 1 cup frozen mixed berries, 1 cup spinach, 1 cup almond milk, 1 tablespoon protein powder. | 25g carbs, 20g protein, 6g fat
lunch: Chickpea salad with 1 cup cooked chickpeas, diced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and lemon tahini dressing. | 52g carbs, 18g protein, 15g fat
snack: 1 medium orange and a little cottage cheese. | 16g carbs, 13g protein, 2g fat
dinner: 1 baked sweet potato topped with 4 oz. Grilled chicken breast with green beans. | 40g carbs, 32g protein, 12g fat
dessert: 1 scoop of mixed nuts. | 5g carbs, 6g protein, 14g fat
my thoughts: I have no particular complaints today, but lunch may have been a little lighter for me. Dinner was great – sweet potatoes were my favourite – but dessert turned out to also be a disappointing handful of nuts. What a great way to end the week.
final food for thought
By the end of the week, I came to the following conclusions. This meal plan was not the worst one to follow. If anything, the explanation was vague and a little too easy. However, people who like to cook in the kitchen or explore big flavors won’t like this one, as there is little to no spice instructions.
Nutritionist and running coach Sarah Cuffe was surprised and skeptical when she read the meal plans.
“It’s a solid plan in terms of hitting the target numbers and using ‘good’ food,” Cuff said. “But there is no personalization, because my clients want to talk to me not only about their goals, but also about the challenges they are trying to overcome, such as health issues, dietary restrictions, and intestinal issues.” , working with me.”
To ChatGBT’s credit, you could also request a meal plan according to your specific dietary restrictions. To confirm this, I went back to my keyboard, pretended to be allergic, and requested the same meal plan minus the nuts. I spit out the same week’s schedule, minus the mixed nuts for dessert. But mixed seeds were served instead. Hmmm…
The only thing my AI Meal Plan seems to lack is a human touch.I’ve worked with nutritionists before and I’d like to think they never tell me to eat seed For dessert; perhaps they can come up with more creative suggestions. For example, do you have any recommendations for good hummus?
“I’ve found that my customers not only want to know what to eat, but they also want to know that someone cares about them,” Cuff said. “I am here not just to provide information, but because I truly care about them and their results.”
Either way, I applaud advances in AI in the meal planning space. It’s well organized, provides accurate information, and is free. But food is so personal that I prefer to talk to someone when following a new nutrition plan.
“AI can never provide human connection,” Cuff said. “I’m not at all worried that it might put me out of work.”
For now, I’ll stick to human nutrition recommendations while also dabbling a bit on ChatGPT for basic guidance. And yes, thanks to our hummus-loving AI chatbot, we no longer think the same way about chickpeas and dessert seeds.
A note about the shopping list: ChatGBT can’t accurately estimate prices, so I requested to keep my week’s stay under $35, but the total cost for this grocery list was $112.34. So. life lesson? Do not ask ChatGBT for financial planning advice.
Shopping list
- eggs (1 dozen)
- canned tuna (two 5-ounce cans)
- grilled chicken breast (20 oz)
- baked salmon (12 oz)
- tofu (8 oz)
- Hummus (16 oz)
- Protein powder (1 container)
- Oatmeal (1 container)
- Whole wheat bread (1 loaf)
- brown rice (1 box)
- Quinoa (1 box)
- whole wheat pasta (1 lb)
- Bananas (1 bunch)
- 7 apples (medium size)
- 7 oranges (medium size)
- mixed berries (2 cups)
- lemon (2)
- Spinach (1 bag)
- Lettuce (1 bag)
- cucumbers (4 medium sized)
- Cherry tomatoes (1 container)
Carrot (1 bag) - Celery (1 bag)
- Broccoli (1 piece)
- Asparagus (1 bunch)
- Mushrooms (1 container)
- green beans (1 pound)
- Greek yogurt (1 small container)
- almond milk (1 container)
- Peanut butter (1 jar)
- Sliced almonds (1 sachet)
- Granola (1 bag)
- Mixed nuts (1 small bag)
