Nutritious Menu Planning for Thyroid Patients by Using Integer Programming and Goal Programming

Thyroid dysfunction is very common in Malaysia, with as many as 68% of the population diagnosed with the issue. Nonetheless, there is insufficient research on menu plans specifically created for those with thyroid disorders. This research comprises two case studies focused on developing tailored menu plans for thyroid patients through mathematical optimization techniques. The optimization methods used include Integer Programming (IP), Goal Programming (GP), and additional analysis with Delete-Reshuffle Algorithm to increase the variety of foods. The software that used in this research are LPSolve IDE and LINGO. The objective of this research is to determine the daily nutrition requirement for thyroid patients. Besides, this research aimed to apply the mathematical modelling of Integer Programming and Goal Programming to solve the diet problem of 2 case studies of thyroid patients. Furthermore, this research also proposed the menu that meet the nutritional requirement for thyroid patients with the minimum cost. The final optimal result was achieved using IP which successfully met all the nutrient and food group constraints, delivered the average cost of menu at RM15.97 for Case 1 and RM17.81 for Case 2 which is lower than GP, that resulted higher cost (RM 28.51 for Case 1 and RM 27.42 for Case 2) and failed to satisfy the nutrient constraints. This research presents practical and optimal dietary plans to assist individuals with thyroid dysfunction, addressing both nutritional sufficiency and cost-effectiveness.