Plan meals a paid caregiver can cook, around diet needs and tastes
Mary Harrsch, a retired University of Oregon technology director who grew up in the 1960s, was no longer well enough to cook for her husband, a Vietnam veteran. When the VA approved an in-home cook for him, she asked ChatGPT for 24 dinner plans that fit both his medical diet and his long list of likes and dislikes, plus a shopping list and questions for the care agency.
What they did
She gave ChatGPT his age, height, weight, and the medical conditions that affect what he can eat, including that beef now upsets his stomach. Then she listed the vegetables, fruits, salads, meats, main dishes, and desserts he likes, and the foods he won't eat. She asked for 24 dinner plans. When she told it the cook would have only two hours per visit, she asked how to simplify, and she also asked what to ask the in-home care representative and how to help a new cook use her kitchen appliances.
How it went
She wrote that ChatGPT "came through with flying colors." It gave 24 dinners built from his favorites, with small portions of dessert, and a shopping list for each week. For the two-hour visits it suggested shortcuts like frozen breaded vegetables and rotisserie chicken; she kept her own recipes where she cared about them, like homemade apple crisp. It also gave her questions for the agency about the cook's training with medical diets, portion sizes, shopping, and feedback, and tips like a kitchen tour and a trial run. She said she'd still swap a few meals. When she tried Google's Gemini, it kept suggesting foods she had said he didn't like.
Worth knowing
AI meal plans are a starting point, not a medical diet. If the person you care for has heart, kidney, or blood-sugar problems, food allergies, or swallowing trouble, check the plan with their doctor or a registered dietitian, and follow any limits they've given on salt, sugar, fluids, or portions. Read labels on ready-made foods, which can be high in salt. You don't need to give the AI a name or other identifying details; a general description of the diet rules is enough.
Try it yourself
Copy this into ChatGPT (or any AI assistant). Replace the parts in [brackets] with your own details.
I'm arranging meals for an older family member. A paid caregiver will cook, with about [number] hours per visit. Their doctor's diet instructions are: [for example, low salt / limit sweets / no beef]. Foods they like: [list]. Foods they won't eat: [list]. Please: 1) Suggest [number] dinner plans that follow the diet instructions and use mostly foods they like, with small dessert portions. 2) Mark any meal that might not fit the diet instructions so I can check it. 3) Make a weekly shopping list. 4) Suggest shortcuts so each meal fits the caregiver's time. 5) List questions to ask the home-care agency about the cook's experience with special diets. I haven't included any names or personal details.
Source: Mary Harrsch, Mary Harrsch's blog, Oct 6, 2024. Read the original →
First-hand account by the person who did it. Summarized in our own words.
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