Create Meal Plans

Creating a meal plan with our system is easy and flexible. Here are your three options:

Start from Scratch: Build a custom meal plan tailored precisely to your client's needs.
Import from a Template: Use an existing template from our database of evidence-based templates or one you’ve previously created.
Auto-Generate: Let our system create a meal plan based on your client's specific nutritional requirements.

Note: To create a meal plan, you must have at least one client added. You can use a "test" client, such as yourself, to get started.

Option1: Start from Scratch

Navigate to Meal Plans:
- Go to the "Meal Plans" tab.
- Click on one of your clients.
Create a New Plan:
- Click on "New Empty Plan".
- Fill out the meal plan’s details.
Add Recipes or Food:
- Click the "Add Recipe" or "Add Food" on the day you'd like to add a recipe or food.

Adding Recipes:

Click Add Recipe to open the recipe search popup.
Choose from My Recipes, Collections, Dietitian Approved Recipes, Online Recipes, or Team Recipes (if you are on a team plan).
Once selected, the recipe will appear in your meal plan.

Pro Tip: Ensure the total nutrition of your plan meets your client's goals by checking the 'Health Goals' section.

Adding Foods:

Click Add Food to open the food search popup.
Type the name of the food/ingredient you’re looking for.
Select All Databases (Exc. Branded Foods) or a specific country's database from the dropdown menu.
Click on the desired food item to select it. A green check mark will appear.
Set the quantity and click "Add Ingredient".
You can update the measurement for each food. The default is 100 grams, but you can change it, and the nutrition will be recalculated automatically.

Pro Tip: Use the copy feature to duplicate a recipe within the meal plan by clicking "・・・" next to the meal name. Select the day and meal you wish to repeat.

Nutrition Calculation

The nutrition for each food and recipe is automatically calculated.
View the total nutrition in the "Nutrition" section. Click it to see detailed nutrition information.

Repeating a Plan

Repeat Plan:
- Click More... and select Repeat Plan.
- Choose the start and end dates to define the period to repeat.
- Set how often it will repeat.
- Click Confirm.

Example: Choose start date as May 12, 2025, and end date as May 18, 2025. Set recurrence to 1 times. The calendar will show a green bar for the selected period and an orange bar for the repeating periods.

Option 2: Importing from a Template

Importing from an existing template is a quick way to apply a previously saved meal plan to a new client. This is ideal when you’ve already created a structured plan you want to reuse.

👉 For detailed steps, this article.

Option 3: Auto-Generating a Meal Plan

Auto-generating a meal plan is ideal when you want to quickly create a personalized plan based on specific nutrition targets and preferences. Just enter your client’s requirements and let Foodzilla generate a complete meal plan for you.

👉 For a step-by-step guide, read this article.

🚨Important Note:

Avoid creating excessively long meal plans (for example, plans lasting more than 9 months). Our storage system has limitations and may encounter issues with very long plans.

➡️ What to do instead:

We recommend creating a new meal plan every few months rather than continuously extending the same one.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter a red banner error, contact our team via the chat bubble for assistance.
Avoid refreshing the page while creating a meal plan to prevent loss of changes.
Successfully created meal plans will appear in the "Client's Plan" section with a green success banner.

Tip: For a smooth meal planning experience, ensure you have all the necessary details before starting.