Obesity in America is increasing at an alarming rate. Check the map from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html, which shows obesity trends in the United States over the last 20 years. As obesity increases, so do occurrences of related problems (e.g., heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes). Write a program that helps users choose healthier ingredients when cooking, and helps those allergic to certain foods (e.g., nuts, gluten) find substitutes.

The program should read a recipe from the user and suggest healthier replacements for some of the ingredients. For simplicity, your program should assume the recipe has no abbreviations for measures such as teaspoons, cups, and tablespoons, and uses numerical digits for quantities (e.g., 1 egg, 2 cups) rather than spelling them out (one egg, two cups). Some common substitutions are shown in Fig. 14.27. Your program should display a warning such as, “Always consult your physician before making significant changes to your diet.”

Fig. 14.27

Your program should take into consideration that replacements are not always one-for-one. For example, if a cake recipe calls for three eggs, it might reasonably use six egg whites instead. Conversion data for measurements and substitutes can be obtained at websites such as:

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/recipeconversionfaqs/f/usmetricrecipes.htm http://www.pioneerthinking.com/eggsub.html http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/conversions.htm 

Your program should consider the user’s health concerns, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, weight loss, gluten allergy, and so on. For high cholesterol, the program should suggest substitutes for eggs and dairy products; if the user wishes to lose weight, low-calorie substitutes for ingredients such as sugar should be suggested.

Ingredient 1 cup sour cream 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 cup sugar 1 cup butter 1 cup flour 1 cup mayonnaise 1 egg 1 cup milk 1/4 cup oil white bread Substitution 1 cup yogurt 1/2 cup evaporated milk and 1/2 cup water 1/2 teaspoon vinegar 1/2 cup honey, 1 cup molasses or 1/4 cup agave nectar 1 cup margarine or yogurt 1 cup rye or rice flour 1 cup cottage cheese or 1/8 cup mayonnaise and 7/8 cup yogurt 2 tablespoons cornstarch, arrowroot flour or potato starch or 2 egg whites or 1/2 of a large banana (mashed) 1 cup soy milk 1/4 cup applesauce whole-grain bread