How to Write a Nutrition Protocol, With Template Examples

A nutrition protocol is a written set of steps a client follows between sessions. It says what to eat more of and less of, which supplements to take and when, which habits to work on, and when you'll review it together. A good one is short, specific and written for one person.

Most coaches end up with a handful of protocols they give again and again, with small changes for each client. This guide covers what to put in one, gives four template layouts you can copy, and shows how to stop retyping them.

What is a nutrition protocol?

It's the plan part of your session, written down so the client can act on it. Session notes record what happened. A protocol tells the client what to do next.

Protocols usually cover a set period, such as four weeks, and end with a review. Some run in phases. A gut health protocol might take trigger foods out for two weeks and then bring them back one at a time.

What to include in a nutrition protocol

Each protocol is different, but most cover the same ground:

• The goal, in one sentence the client would say themselves.
• Foods to eat more of, with amounts or portions.
• Foods to cut back on, and what to eat instead.
• Supplements, with the dose, the time of day and how long to take them.
• Two or three habits, like water, sleep or a short walk after meals.
• What to track, such as symptoms, energy or weight.
• When you'll review it together.

Write each change as something to do

"Eat more fibre" is advice. "Add a tablespoon of chia seeds to your breakfast" is a step. Clients follow steps. For every line in your protocol, ask whether the client would know exactly what to do tomorrow morning.

Keep the list short. Five changes a client makes beat twelve they read once. If you have more to cover, split the protocol into phases and add the next changes at the review.

Be exact about supplements

Supplement instructions cause the most follow-up questions, so write them in full. Give the product or form, the dose, when to take it and whether to take it with food. Say how long to take it and when you'll check whether it's working.

If a client takes medication, write down what you checked and who you'd refer them to. That record matters if anyone asks later.

Template 1: gut health protocol

These four templates are section layouts, not finished advice. Write your own starting text under each heading, then change it for each client. This first one suits a phased plan, where foods come out first and go back in later.

• Goal and current symptoms.
• Phase 1, the foods to take out and what to eat instead.
• Phase 2, the foods to bring back and in what order.
• Supplements, with dose and timing.
• Symptom tracking, and what to note each day.
• Review date.

Template 2: supplement protocol

Use this when the supplements are the main change, or when a client takes several and needs one place to check.

• Why each supplement is on the list.
• Product or form, dose and time of day.
• With food or without.
• How long to take it.
• What to watch for, and when to stop and get in touch.
• Review date.

Template 3: weight management protocol

Use this for a monthly check-in, so every client gets the same structure and you can compare one month with the next.

• Calorie and protein targets.
• Meals and snacks per day, with timing.
• Two or three habits to build this month.
• What to track, such as weight, steps or hunger.
• What to do on a hard day.
• Review date.

Template 4: sports nutrition protocol

Use this for a training block, with a separate plan for the days that matter most. For the numbers that go into it, see how to create science-based nutrition protocols for fitness clients.

• Training schedule for the block.
• Training day meals, and fuelling around sessions.
• Rest day meals.
• Hydration and electrolytes.
• Competition or race week plan.
• Review date.

How long should a nutrition protocol be?

One or two pages. Any longer and the client will skim it. Put the reasoning and anything they only need once in your session notes, and keep the protocol to what they do each day.

Turn your best protocols into templates

Once a protocol works, don't write it from scratch again. In Foodzilla you save it as one of your protocol templates, with your starting text already under each heading. Next time, pick the template, change what's different for this client and save.

Build a template from Manage Templates, or open a note you've already written and choose Save as template. A template can have up to 30 sections. Changes you make for one client stay in that client's note, and the template stays the way you wrote it.

Share the protocol with your client

A protocol the client can't find is a protocol they won't follow. In Foodzilla, set the note to Shared and the client reads it in their client portal and in the app. They get an email and an app notification when you share it.

Some clients like paper. Download the note as a branded PDF with your logo and brand colour, then print it or attach it to an email. Clients can download shared notes as a PDF from their portal too.

Review it and update it

Book the review when you write the protocol. At the review, check what the client actually did, not what they meant to do, and change one or two things at a time so you can tell what made the difference.

If you sign and lock your notes, add the changes as an addendum. The original stays as it was, and the addendum prints on the PDF with its date.

Try it with your own protocols

Note templates, shared notes and note PDFs are included on Professional and above. Start a free trial, save the protocol you give most often as a template and use it with your next client.