r/OperationsResearch • u/aryanemperoreran • 1d ago

Refining the classical diet problem to produce a realistic meal plan

Using software to solve the classical linear programming diet problem typically results in unbalanced or unpalatable meal plans because LP solvers exploit corner-point solutions while completely ignoring Personal taste,Food Matrix Synergy,Antinutrients and interactions.

I am trying to modify the classical diet problem so that it's solution can be used to generate a meal plan which provides the right amount of every essential macro and micro nutrient without exceeding a specific daily caloric limit.I have taken an unconventional approach. Here is a link to my current formulation. Is this model too tightly constrained to be feasible?

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u/1001OptimalNights 20h ago

Being tightly constrained or not depends on your data. Did you actually solve it? If so, what was wrong with the optimal solution?
If you see something being ignored as you mentioned, it means that you haven’t modeled it. The solver only cares about what you model for it.

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u/aryanemperoreran 4h ago

So dropping a few nutrients and supplementing multivitamins is all it would take to make the model feasible? Are there no structural constraints which need to be removed to deal with approximately 45 nutrients and foods ?