By Dr. Anthony Policastro

We spend a lot of time focused on different types of diets. The future may hold a diet that you can control down to the last detail.

It includes things like pureed vegetables, various batters and doughs. It also includes cheeses, jellies, and mashed fruits.

Many of these items sound healthy. Therefore you can use them to eat a healthy diet. The thing is that the food may not look like you would expect. These items are all relatively unappealing. However, they are just the ingredients.

These ingredients are now being put into 3D printers to print out food in a more appealing manner. The new food is ready for cooking.

There are bakers that now make edible wedding cakes. The expectation is that 3D pizza is on the horizon. Some plant based meat comes from 3D printers.

Used wisely, these printers could provide a diet that starts with unattractive raw materials but ends up with attractive food on the other end. All you would need to do is buy a 3D printer and the right pureed vegetables and mashed fruit. The food is safe to eat as long as it is from a 3D printer not being used for other things.

Recipe sharing is simple. You need the raw ingredients and the 3D computer settings. Then you press a button and you can replicate the item.

The biggest downside is that 3D printers take forever to make things. They can take anywhere from seven minutes for something simple, compared to 45 minutes for something more complex. The cost of a 3D printer is also significant. The raw materials to use might be hard to find.

There will likely be 3D diets in the future as an expensive way to buy health food. It may be easier focusing on the fruits and vegetables that are not in a liquid form. They are just as healthy. And they are a lot cheaper.