How do I create a meal plan?

A meal plan is built in four steps, shown at the top of the screen: Format, Targets, Plan and Summary. You can move forward with Next and go back with Previous at any time; everything is saved automatically.

1. Format

Under How would you like to start? you pick the starting point:

• From scratch: choose a format and build the plan your way.
• Generate with Almendra Engine: a first menu based on your patient’s targets. More in What is Almendra Engine?.
• Use a template: start from a template you’ve already saved. You can fit it to each patient: see How do I fit a template to each patient?.
• Copy another plan: reuse the content of an existing plan.
• Attach a PDF: upload and share a plan you’ve already prepared. See Can I upload a meal plan I already have as a PDF?.

If you start from scratch, pick one under Choose a format:

• Daily menu: foods, quantities and times for each day.
• Flexible options: alternatives for each meal, organized in model days. You can choose how many model days the plan has.
• Exchanges: portions by exchange group.
• Free text: you write the meals without calculating nutrients.

For Daily menu and Free text you also choose the Editor view: Table or Day by day. Then click Create plan.

2. Targets

Set the daily energy and the macronutrient distribution. You can apply the same targets to every day or customize them by day, and split them across meals if you want. When you’re done, click Apply targets and then Next.

For Daily menu and Free text, if you leave days without targets, Almendra will ask whether you want to make them days off.

3. Plan

This is where you build the menu, in the editor that matches your format: table, day by day or flexible. We explain each one in How do I use the meal plan editors: table, flexible and day by day?.

4. Summary

Review the plan, add indications, choose under What the patient will see what appears in their app and in the PDF, and download or email it. Downloading or emailing the PDF doesn’t finish the plan: click Finish to publish it in the patient’s app.