Meal plans

Can I change the name of a meal plan?

Rename a meal plan from the plans table at the bottom of the patient's profile in Almendra. You can also edit the start date and duration in weeks there.

How do I add a recipe to a meal plan?

Add a recipe to a meal plan in Almendra just like a food: search for it, choose grams, ounces or servings, and your patient will see how to prepare it.

How do I modify the dates of a meal plan?

Change a meal plan's dates from the meal plans table in the patient's profile in Almendra, where you can also edit the plan name and length in weeks.

How does the automatic sending of the meal plan to the patient's email work?

Email the meal plan to your patient from the plan summary in Almendra with Send by email, editing the subject and message before it goes out.

Can I add a comment to a meal?

Add a comment to a meal in the meal plan with the comment icon in its header, or from the meal window in the table editor, to leave the patient a note.

Can I view the flexible meal plan in a table?

The flexible meal plan has no table view: you edit it by model days with groups of options. The table view is for the Daily menu and Free text formats.

How do I change the dates of a meal plan?

Change a meal plan's start date and length in weeks from the patient's profile in Almendra. Plans whose dates have already passed can't be changed.

How do I use the meal plan editors: table, flexible and day by day?

A guide to Almendra's meal plan editors (table, flexible and day by day): add meals and foods, copy and clear days, and track progress toward targets.

How do I add a time to a meal?

Add a time to a meal in the meal plan from the meal's header, or in the table with the pencil or with Assign time for several days. The time is optional.

It says the weight is missing in the targets section, but I already added it in the appointment

A meal plan takes weight and height from its linked appointment in Almendra. Find that appointment in the measurement history and add what's missing.

How do I add an equivalent food?

Swap a food for its equivalent in any meal plan editor, and add an equivalents group at the proportion you choose in a flexible meal plan in Almendra.

How do I search for foods from different databases?

Choose which food databases Almendra searches, such as CENAN or USDA, in General Settings or with the search filter inside a meal plan.

How do I add recipes to a free-text meal plan?

Link recipes to a free-text meal plan in Almendra with Add recipes so your patient can see their ingredients and preparation in the PDF and the app.

I can't find a food. How do I add it to the meal plan?

If a food doesn't show up, enable every database in General Settings or use Create food manually. Only you and your patients will see it.

I can't find the household measure I want for a food. How do I add it?

To add a household measure to a food, click its unit in the meal plan, choose Create new measurement and enter a name and its weight in grams.

Options for changing the date of the meal plan

If you move a meal plan's start to another weekday, choose Keep each menu on its weekday or Start with the first menu to decide how the menus are ordered.

What is Almendra Engine?

Almendra Engine builds a first 7-day menu from the targets you set and the patient's record (allergies, intolerances, diet style). What it uses, what it doesn't and how to review it.

How do I change the name of a food from a database?

Rename a database food inside a meal plan in Almendra by clicking its name and typing a new one. Your patient will see the updated name.

If I exit a meal plan in progress or my computer shuts down, will it be deleted?

A meal plan in progress isn't lost if you leave or your computer shuts down: Almendra saves every change on its own so you pick up where you left off.

Can I save indications to use them again?

Save reusable indications as templates in the Almendra Templates section, then add them in bulk to any meal plan with the + Templates button.

How do I add indication templates to a meal plan?

Add indication templates to a meal plan in Almendra: in the last step, click + Templates and insert a system template or one you created.

Where can I see the micronutrients of each food?

See a food's micronutrients from its Details in the meal plan editor, or with the info button in any food search in Almendra, for any amount you want.

What options does the patient have to view the meal plan?

Patients can view their meal plan in their Almendra account, with recipes and macros per meal, or as a PDF you download or email from the plan summary.

Can I hide the calories of the foods in a patient's meal plan?

To hide calories from the patient, turn off Show calories under What the patient will see in the meal plan's Summary step, for the app, the PDF or both.

When I add a recipe to a meal plan, do the instructions and ingredients also appear?

When recipes are shown in a meal plan, their ingredients and instructions always appear too. You can hide recipes in the last step of the plan in Almendra.

How do I view a finished meal plan?

Open a finished meal plan from the patient's profile in Almendra: download it as a PDF or view it in the meal plan builder, where it is read-only.

What is the difference between a strict and a flexible meal plan?

A strict plan (Daily menu) sets what to eat and when on each day. A flexible plan (Flexible options) uses model days with groups of options to choose from.

What is a food group in the flexible meal plan?

In a flexible meal plan, a group holds interchangeable options and the patient picks one. Add them with the search bar or from your equivalents groups.

What can I include in the meal plan instructions?

Meal plan instructions accept free text: foods to avoid or favor, sleep, physical activity and any other daily advice to help your patient.

How do I make a meal plan day a day off?

To make a meal plan day a day off, leave it without targets or mark it with Set as day off in the table editor. Flexible plans don't have days off.

How do I finish or complete a meal plan?

Finish a meal plan by clicking Finish in the last step of the Almendra editor. Only then can your patient see it in their app or on the web platform.

How do I create a meal plan?

Create a meal plan in Almendra in four steps: Format, Targets, Plan and Summary. Start from scratch, with Almendra Engine, a template or another plan.

Can I upload a meal plan I already have as a PDF?

Yes. You can upload or import the meal plans you already prepared as PDFs with Attach a PDF: your patient sees them in their app and you can email them.

How do I add an equivalent food group?

Create equivalent food groups in Almendra from Equivalents > Create equivalence so you can swap foods in strict and flexible meal plans.

How do I create a free-text meal plan?

Create a free-text meal plan in Almendra: type one food per line, place it into meals, and link recipes. Nutrients are not calculated in this plan type.

What is a free-text meal plan?

In Almendra's free-text meal plan you type each meal by hand instead of picking foods from the database; calories and nutrients are not calculated.

How do I fit a template to each patient?

When you use a template, choose the meals your patient eats and their daily energy; Almendra recalculates the amounts and checks their allergies and tastes.

How does Almendra check my patient's allergies and tastes?

What Almendra checks when you fit a template: the 14 allergens and lactose, other allergies, dislikes and favorites, and how it picks swaps.

How do I move foods from one meal to another?

Move or copy a meal's foods into another meal on several days at once, such as the afternoon snack into lunch, without deleting what the other meal already has.

How does the grocery list work?

The grocery list adds up what your patient needs to buy from their meal plan, per week or for the whole plan. Edit it, group items and show it in their app and the PDF.

How do I design my PDF cover?

Choose the style, colour, typeface, background and details on the first page of your meal plan PDFs in Settings → PDF covers.