Generating & checking plans

The app can build a full meal plan for a client in a few seconds. It uses the client's diet type, allergies, health conditions, taste profile and calorie targets. It then checks the plan against a set of rules and shows you each problem. You can fix problems, regenerate parts of the plan, or edit meals by hand.

All of this happens in the plan workspace. The workspace uses the same grid as the template editor, so everything in Meal plans also works here.

1. Before you start

Set these on the client's profile first. The plan is only as good as this data.

If the diet type is empty, the client's Meal Plan tab shows Diet type not set. The Generate a fresh plan option is then blocked.

Tip: If a client's condition has no food rules in the library, the plan shows a warning: "'<Condition>' has no food rules in the library, so it did not shape this plan". To make the condition count, tag ingredients or foods for it in the Food library.

2. Start a plan for a client

1. Open the client, then open the Meal Plan tab.
2. Click New meal plan.
3. Select how to start. See the table below.
4. Optional: open Dishes to avoid and select dishes to keep out of this plan.
5. Click Continue.

Season is the current season by default. The app does not use ingredients that are out of season. If a meal has no in-season option, the app uses the best available one. The seasons are Spring (Feb–Mar), Summer (Apr–Jun), Monsoon (Jul–Sep), Autumn (Oct–Nov) and Winter (Dec–Jan).

While the app builds the plan, a progress screen shows five steps: "Analyzing profile & nutrition targets", "Selecting dishes from the food pool", "Balancing macros across the week", "Running nutrition & rule checks" and "Finalizing your plan".

If the app cannot build the plan, the dialog shows the reason. For example, it can say that no food fits a meal. Fix the cause, then try again.

The new plan opens in the workspace. It is a Draft until you assign it.

3. The plan workspace

The header

The app saves each edit to a client plan immediately. There is no Save button for client plans.

The editor buttons

The row below the header has buttons that open small panels. Each button shows its current value.

For a client plan

For a template (open a generated template from Meal Plans)

A template in the workspace also has Auto-save, Save and Publish, the same as the template editor.

When you close a panel, the app checks the plan again.

4. Check the plan

The app checks the plan after each change. You do not need to start a check.

• Each day header shows a mark: ✓ for no problems, a warning icon, or an error icon.
• Each cell with a problem shows a warning or error icon. Click the icon to see the problems.
• The summary at the right of the editor buttons shows the number of problems. Click it to open the list.

The list groups problems by day. Plan-wide problems are at the top. Click a problem to go to its cell.

To fix only the listed meals, click Fix these. The app rebuilds only those meals.

5. Regenerate

You can rebuild all of the plan or only part of it.

Change one meal

In a cell, click Alternatives. The Alternatives panel shows the current meal at the top, then five other meal options.

Each option shows its calories and protein against the meal's target, and a match score. To see five more options, click Show more. To use an option, click Use this.

If no other option fits, the panel says so. This happens when the rules, the client's exclusions and the food pool leave no other choice.

A meal that you pick here is not locked. If you want to keep it, lock the cell. See Meal plans.

Rebuild rows or the whole plan

1. Click Regenerate in the header.
2. Select what to rebuild.
3. Set the options.
4. Click the button at the bottom.

The button text changes to match your choice: Regenerate everything, Regenerate 2 rows or Fix issues.

Other ways to regenerate:

• In a row's Slot settings, click Regenerate this row.
• In the problem list, click Fix these.

Custom rows are never rebuilt. Locked rows and locked cells keep their meals.

6. Check a template for a client

Use this when you want to give a client a template, but the template may not suit their health.

1. On the client's Meal Plan tab, click New meal plan.
2. Select Start from a template, then select the template.
3. Click Continue.

The workspace opens with a review bar. The bar shows, for example, "5 incompatibilities · 101 warnings". Click the bar to see the list. If there are no problems, it shows "No incompatibilities for this client".

Fix the plan

1. On the review bar, click Fix….
2. Select how much the app can change. See the table below.
3. Click Preview changes.

The preview shows how many dishes the app replaced, scaled and removed (no substitute), and how many issues remain.

• If problems remain, click Try Standard or Try Thorough.
• To keep the changes, click Apply & assign. The Assign Meal Plan dialog opens.
• To stop, click Discard.

If other clients use this template, the app makes a copy for this client. The other clients' plans do not change.

To rebuild the plan instead of fixing it, click Regenerate on the review bar.

7. The rules

Click Rules to see every rule that checks the plan. Some rules are locked on. You can turn off or change the numbers of other rules. Your changes apply to this plan only.

The Rules panel also has Meal template pool and Food preferences sections.

Verified foods only

This rule is on by default. The plan then uses only verified foods. If there are not enough verified foods to build the plan, the app stops and tells you. It does not use unchecked foods instead. To use all foods, turn this rule off in the Rules panel.

8. How targets are calculated

The app calculates the daily targets from the client's profile:

• Calories come from the client's body size, age, sex, activity level and goal.
• Protein is the client's weight multiplied by a value for their goal. For a muscle-gain client who is extremely active, the value is 2.0 g per kg.
• Fat is 20% of the calories.
• Carbs are the remaining calories.

If you change the goal, weight or activity, the targets change. You can also type each target yourself on the client's Targets card, or in the workspace Macros panel. See Clients.

Common workflows

"I need a 7-day plan for a new diabetic client"

1. On the client's Overview tab, make sure that the diet type is set and Diabetes is in the conditions.
2. On the Meal Plan tab, click New meal plan.
3. Keep Generate a fresh plan and 7 days. Click Continue.
4. Look at the problem list. For an error, click it, then use Alternatives or Replace on the dish.
5. To fix many meals at once, click Fix these.
6. Click Assign…, then Start today, then Assign Plan.

"I like the plan, but I want different dinners"

1. Lock any dinner that you want to keep.
2. Click Regenerate, then Selected rows.
3. Select Dinner.
4. Click Regenerate 1 row.

"This template does not fit my new client"

1. Click New meal plan, then Start from a template, then Continue.
2. Click Fix…, then Conservative, then Preview changes.
3. If problems remain, click Try Standard.
4. Click Apply & assign.

"The generate option is blocked"

The client has no diet type. Click Set diet type on the Meal Plan tab, then set it on the Taste Profile card.

What's next

• Meal plans — edit the grid, assign, schedule and export.
• Food library — verify foods, and tag ingredients for conditions and medications so the rules have data.
• Clients — set the diet type, conditions and targets.
• Settings — change what each role can do.