Inspiration
Since this was our first hackathon, we initially struggled to come up with an idea. We were unfamiliar with the expectations and constraints, which left us unsure and confused of what direction to take. Should we focus on a personal or collective issue? A local, national, or global problem? Pure innovation? A health journal? We explored many possibilities but couldn’t settle on a clear concept. Then inspiration struck during lunchtime, when one of our team members brought his own meal because he is a picky eater. This led us to ask how he maintains a healthy diet and how challenging it is to build and stick to good eating habits. That conversation helped us realize the importance of creating a solution that supports realistic, personalized, and sustainable dietary choices.
What it does
For people with dietary restrictions or picky eating habits, the healthiest options are not always the most sustainable. In any diet or meal plan, consistency and forming long-term habits are far more important than choosing “perfect” foods. Many diets can feel intimidating because everyone has their own likes and dislikes. If, on your very first day, you are given a long list of unfamiliar or unappealing dishes, you are much more likely to give up and return to your old habits rather than stay motivated and committed. PurePath helps users overcome these challenges by tracking their diets, and getting a variety of insights about nutrition as well as new food ideas from AI.
How we built it
We implemented a Django-powered web-app capable of the following: Ability to log information (such as meals eaten during the day) Personal Information like weight, age, favourite food, etc Lifestyle factors like foods eaten, exercise, sleep Medication/Conditions like diabetes, etc Daily surveys to mention what foods you did or did not like. Each user can have their own personalized journal, where the Gemini API can be used to analyze entries, identify patterns, and provide meaningful, tailored suggestions. In addition to this, there will be a general journaling feature, since journaling is the core purpose of the app. The app can also offer recommendations on where to obtain suggested foods, whether through nearby restaurants, stores, or by cooking at home. We believe that maintaining a healthy diet should be both effective and realistic. Setting unrealistic expectations can be discouraging and often leads people back to the same unhealthy habits they were trying to escape. That is why, unlike other apps, PurePath focuses entirely on the individual, making dietary recommendations based on personal preferences and lifestyle. By setting achievable goals and celebrating small accomplishments, users are guided into a positive cycle that supports a healthier and more pure path.
Challenges we ran into
Developing the front-end was harder that we anticipated originally. We tried multiple platforms and languages with no success, but ultimately managed to develop a visually appealing and functional front-end for our project.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We managed to develop a working prototype (single-user) of our product with all the intended features in less than 10 hours!
What we learned
We learned valuable front-end and back-end development skills with HTML/CSS and Django. We also learned the importance of collaboration and splitting roles.
What's next for Pure Path
The next steps would be to make a production-ready version of Pure Path, and launch it as both a cloud based service and an open-source app. We are planning to expand pure life to not only a dietary journal but a daily journal as a whole which allows controlling screentime and which enhances your mental health as well.
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