How To Use ChatGPT for Powerful Meal Planning

AI is all the rage. But ever tried using ChatGPT for meal planning? If not, then you might want to reconsider.

The struggle of getting a personalized diet plan for yourself is all too real.

There is a bombardment of information all across the internet.

And for every single strategy, there will be someone who swears by it and someone who tells you that it’s absolutely BS.

Who do you even listen to? Who has accurate information? And who isn’t going to make you buy one of their outrageously expensive programs?

Well buddy, we’re in 2023, and the good news is that you can use AI to do it all for you.

We’ve developed a list of AI prompts that you can use to develop an easy-to-follow, and sustainable diet plan!

It’s easy to do and best of all, it’s FREE. You won’t have to pay a dime.

So, without further ado, let’s dive right in!

Why use ChatGPT For Meal Planning

It’s Free:

Get a custom plan without the hefty price tag! Share your goals and requirements with ChatGPT, and it will generate a personalized plan just for you. Say goodbye to costly consultations and embrace the convenience of tailored guidance. No need for extensive research or guesswork. Let the power of data work its magic

Incredibly Knowledgeable about Fitness and Nutrition:

If you’re using Bard as your preferred Chatbot, you’re in luck because it has been trained on a massive dataset of text and code. Even larger than ChatGPT. Plus it has access to all the latest research from scientific journals, fitness magazines, and other credible resources.

It is Fun:

Discover a whole new world of fitness and nutrition with ChatGPT and Bard. Have burning questions about the benefits of a specific food in your diet? Just ask, and AI will instantly provide detailed insights.

Experiment with recipes. Try different cuisines and get a simply how-to guide for all of them.

The best part? You have the freedom to experiment and explore with AI at your side. Consider it your personal dietician, available 24/7, ready to support you on your health journey.

How to Get Started With ChatGPT For Meal Planning

Now that you know why Bard/ChatGPT can be so effective in acting as your personal dietician…

Let’s get started with using them to build you a personalized diet plan. AI will only work as well as you do. Therefore it is important that you provide it with the right prompts to get the exact results you want.

Act as my personal dietician.

“I want you to act as my personal dietician. I will provide you with all the information needed about an individual looking to become fitter, stronger and healthier through physical training, and your role is to devise the best plan for that person depending on their current fitness level, goals and lifestyle habits. You should use your knowledge of exercise science, nutrition advice, and other relevant factors in order to create a meal plan suitable for them.

Do not create the meal plan for me yet. In the next prompt I will give you all the information you need about me as an individual.”

Develop a personalized meal plan for me

Make me a meal plan of a week’s worth of meals. I need _ meals a day and I need _ snacks a day. I must hit a protein goal of ___ grams of protein everyday, and my calorie limit for each day is ___ calories. Be as detailed as possible and include the calorie count and protein count for each meal. I mostly eat __ cuisine so make sure every meal has a ___ element to it. I don’t eat ___. Create a grocery list as well.

Here’s all the information about me:

• Basic information: Age, gender, height, current weight, and any relevant medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, allergies, etc.). This information helps determine your baseline requirements and any specific dietary considerations.

• Goals: Specify your primary goal for the diet plan. Are you looking to lose weight, gain muscle, improve overall health, manage a medical condition, or follow a specific dietary approach (e.g., vegetarian, keto, paleo, etc.)?

• Activity level: Are you sedentary, lightly active, moderately active, or highly active? How many times a week do you go to the gym?

• Cuisine/Food preferences and restrictions: Mention the cuisine that you eat most often. E.g. desi, continental, chinese, etc. Additionally mention any foods that you particularly enjoy and would like healthier versions of, e.g. sandwiches, pizza, pasta, cookies, etc.

• Daily schedule and lifestyle: Information about your daily routine: waking and sleeping hours, work schedule, meal frequency preferences (e.g., three large meals vs. multiple smaller meals), and any other relevant lifestyle factors.

• Previous dieting experience: If you have tried any specific diets or meal plans in the past, share your experiences and whether there were any positive or negative outcomes.

Filled Example:

Make me a meal plan of a week’s worth of meals. I need 3 meals a day and 1 snack a day. I must hit a protein goal of [150] grams of protein everyday, and my calorie limit for each day is [2400] calories. Be as detailed as possible and include the calorie count and protein count for each meal. I mostly eat[Pakistani] cuisine so make sure every meal has a [desi] element to it. I don’t eat [fish]. Create a grocery list as well.

Here’s all the information about me:

• Basic information: 21, Male, 5 ft 9 inch, 75 kg.

• Goals: Goal is body recomposition: lose fat and build muscle. Also aim at being more athletic, and am looking for foods that will help me get better at running.

• Activity level: Highly Active. Gym 4-5 times a week. Running once per week. Boxing 2 times per week.

• Cuisine/Food preferences and restrictions: Mostly eat desi since I live in Pakistan. Food preferences: I like healthier versions of “unhealthy” foods like pizza, burgers, sandwiches. I’d prefer a high protein diet that also includes lots of fruits and veggies. Sometimes I like to have a high protein smoothie for breakfast.

Restrictions: Lactose intolerance but I do have access to lactose free milk. Shouldn’t include too much gluten as I have a slight intolerance but can handle it in one meal a day.

• Daily schedule and lifestyle: Am a student. Sleep around 6-8 hours. Have 3 large meals plus one snack. Like to go for walks as well.

• Previous dieting experience: I tried Keto but didn’t like how tired the lack of carbs made me.

Here is ChatGPT’s response:

Based on the information you’ve provided, here’s a week’s worth of meal plan to help you achieve your body recomposition goals, improve athleticism, and support your running activities. The meals incorporate Pakistani cuisine elements and are designed to be high in protein, include fruits and vegetables, and accommodate your lactose intolerance and slight gluten intolerance.

Before we dive into the meal plan, here’s a grocery list of items you’ll need for the week:

Grocery List:

Chicken breast

Lean beef (such as sirloin or tenderloin)

Eggs

Lentils (daal)

Chickpeas (channa)

Greek yogurt (lactose-free)

Milk (lactose-free)

Whole wheat roti (chapati) or gluten-free alternative

Brown rice

Quinoa

Oats (gluten-free if preferred)

Mixed vegetables (such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, bell peppers)

Spinach

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Avocado

Apples

Bananas

Berries (strawberries, blueberries, etc.)

Almonds

Peanut butter (no added sugar or oil)

Olive oil

Herbs and spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander, garlic, ginger, black pepper, etc.)

Now let’s move on to the meal plan. Each meal and snack is designed to provide a balance of macronutrients, with a focus on protein, and the calorie and protein count for each meal is included.

Day 1:

Breakfast (High Protein Smoothie):

Ingredients: 1 scoop of protein powder (30g protein), 1 cup of lactose-free almond milk, 1 ripe banana, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (6g protein), a handful of spinach, ice cubes

Calorie Count: Approximately 400 calories

Protein Count: 36 grams

Lunch (Desi Style):

Chicken breast curry cooked in tomato sauce with spices (30g protein)

1 cup of brown rice (5g protein)

Mixed vegetable salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and spinach

Calorie Count: Approximately 550-600 calories

Protein Count: Around 35 grams

Afternoon Snack:

Greek yogurt with sliced apples and a sprinkle of almond

Calorie Count: Approximately 200 calories

Protein Count: Around 15 grams

Dinner (Desi Style):

Lentil (daal) curry with spices (20g protein)

2 whole wheat rotis (10g protein)

Mixed vegetable stir-fry with olive oil

Calorie Count: Approximately 600-650 calories

Protein Count: Around 30 grams

Please let me know if you’d like to continue with the meal plan for the remaining days of the week.

Don’t have an ingredient?

Not a problem! Just tell ChatGPT that you want to replace it with something else in your meal plan.

For instance, in the filled example ChatGPT recommended quinoa in many of the meals. But that’s not something that’s not readily available in our Pakistani market, so I just asked it to substitute quinoa with something else.

Remember, GPT isn’t going to create a perfect solution for you. The point here is to just get a basic guideline that you can then adjust to meet your own needs and preferences.

“I don’t have [ ] ingredient available. Substitute it with something else like [ ]

Want any specific meal, or don’t?

• I like ___ a lot. Can you create a healthier version of this meal for me?

(I like pizza a lot. Can you create a healthier version of pizza for me?)

• Can you add ____ to the diet?

(Can you add more high protein options to this diet?)

• Give me more _____ recipes for ____.

(Give me more recipes for high protein smoothies)

• I don’t like ___, replace it with ____

(I don’t like fish, replace it with recipes that include chicken instead.

Upscale or downscale the recipe

• I need to make these meals for [X number] of people. Adjust the ingredients accordingly.

(I need to make the first breakfast option for 5 people. Adjust the number of ingredients accordingly.)

• Add [X] more recipe options that are [specific dietary guideline]

(Add 2 more recipes that are high in protein)

• Give me recipe options that don’t take too long to cook up.

Other things you can do with ChatGPT for meal planning

• Create a shopping list with the ingredients grouped by category.

• Minimize the amount of [food category e.g. carbs, sugars].

• Ask it to include a must-have in each recipe [e.g. protein]

• Minimize food waste.

• Maximize variety.

Take-Home Message

Remember, with AI tools, the sky’s the limit. They are by no means perfect, and will definitely provide you with some inaccurate information. Therefore, do make sure that you fact check anything that the AI tells you.

Plus, ChatGPT can be terrible with numbers and will probably give you the wrong calories and protein count for each of the ingredients, so take those with a grain of salt too.

But there’s no denying that ChatGPT is a game changer when it comes to meal planning and getting new food ideas without having to scour the internet.

What else has ChatGPT helped you with? Comment down below!