Our meal planning methodology explains recipe selection, portion bounds, grocery weights and browser-only storage. The planning tools reuse the food and recipe calculations documented in our nutrition methodology. This page explains the additional selection, transfer and grocery rules.
Meal planning methodology: one set of source weights
First, multiply each ingredient’s nutrients per 100 g by edible grams ÷ 100. Next, divide a recipe batch by its stated yield before applying a portion factor. Protein blocks divide protein grams by 7; available-carbohydrate blocks divide max(total carbohydrate minus fiber, 0) by 9; total-fat blocks divide fat grams by 3. The separate historical added-fat equivalent divides fat by 1.5. The tools calculate counts before display rounding.
Selection and target differences
For example, supported durations are 1, 3, 7, 14 or 30 days, with 2–6 main meals and 0–3 optional snacks daily and a protein-block target of 1–40. Main meals receive equal target weights and each snack receives half a main-meal weight; the tool divides the daily target by the sum of those weights. This is an organizational convention, not a validated eating schedule. The tool ranks eligible recipes using separate protein, available-carbohydrate and total-fat differences, meal-slot fit and repeat penalties. For example, the seed provides repeatable tie-breaking for unchanged inputs and recipe data. Repeats within a day, on the previous day and across the plan receive penalties; the scoring encourages variety but cannot guarantee it.
In addition, the standard setting has 11 additional dietary preferences: vegan, vegetarian, Paleo-style, Mediterranean-style, pescatarian, gluten-free ingredients, dairy-free ingredients, low-carbohydrate portions, keto-style portions, high-protein portions and whole-food focused. Ingredient-based rules and actual portion nutrient checks support these labels; they are selection aids, not certification or proof of clinical outcomes. See the dietary-filter guide for practical review steps. Explicit recipe categories, exact-food exclusions, time limits, preparation collection and ingredient-budget groups constrain candidates. Budget groups are editorial ingredient heuristics, not live prices or a cost forecast. Slot categories are preferences; the results identify any fallback.
For safety, declared-ingredient allergen filters require complete metadata for every ingredient; the tool excludes unknown records while an allergen filter is active. This does not certify a recipe as allergy-safe or evaluate product labels, manufacturing or cross-contact. Exact-food exclusions do not exclude a whole allergen class. Review ingredients, packaging and substitutions yourself.
Next, each recipe portion must stay within 0.25–4 times one serving. Scaling by protein changes all ingredients and all nutrient counts. Next, the daily comparison reports protein, available-carbohydrate and total-fat differences separately. A difference within 0.10 blocks in all three is only a numerical comparison, not a claim of adequate energy, micronutrients or medical suitability. The tool does not invent food substitutions or hidden balancing ingredients.
Exact transfers and groceries
For consistency, a recipe ingredient transfers as its exact food identity and unrounded gram weight. Grocery totals add those weights across the current plan; different food IDs never merge merely because names are similar. For consistency with the existing calculator convention, ounces use 28.3495 g per ounce. Cups and other household units require the particular food’s documented gram weight. Without verified yield data, the tool cannot convert edible cooked quantities to raw purchasing weights. Check the preparation labels, food packaging and your own pantry.
Local state and privacy
Finally, the tools work without an account. Your browser processes meal edits and optional saved planning state; saving uses local browser storage when the remember option is enabled or you explicitly save a meal copy. Shared devices may expose saved preferences. Clearing saved data removes local and temporary transfer state. Food searches send the search query to this site, and selected or restored food IDs are fetched as needed. The complete plan and body measurements are not sent with those requests. In particular, recipe, meal and target transfers contain food quantities or a selected public block target, never body weight or body-fat inputs. Public query parameters can appear in browser history and ordinary hosting logs. Downloads stay on the device you choose.
Boundaries and sources
Overall, the tools organize reference estimates. They do not assess allergies, nutrient adequacy, medical conditions, pregnancy, eating disorders or sports requirements. We do not claim clinical validation for any generated schedule. Review the medical disclaimer, research standards and the selected evidence library. Source links and preparation states remain available in the food reference.