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Using AI to Help With Meals

While I hear frequent complaints about how AI is terrible for us and that daily we inch closer and closer to the world being taken over by Skynet when it becomes self-aware. There are some advantages to AI, such as having it collect, compile, and organize information.

There have been countless times when I promised myself that I would take the time to craft a weekly meal plan and create a grocery shopping list.  Then the day to go shopping rolls around and not only have I not taken the time to write out anything, but I am tired and frustrated for procrastinating and end up grabbing the usuals, making more promises that next week will be different.

Enter ChatGPT and the power of AI.

ChatGPT is free to use and while it is not a doctor or registered dietician providing you with advice, it can be a tool to give you some quick ideas and collect information to save you time when you are in a pinch. The key to success with using these tools will be the prompts you provide and the details you give.

For example, you could easily type in “I need a daily meal plan for someone who does not like vegetables and is gluten-free” which will give you some helpful suggestions.  To take that a step further, it would be better to use a prompt such as, “Create a daily meal plan for an 18-year-old female who does not like fish or vegetables and is gluten-free with a peanut allergy.  The plan should include three meals and two snacks, and also include calorie count.”

Specific Example

A woman shops in the produce section of a grocery store, bright colored watercolor painting

To begin, you might want to know your daily caloric intake.  There are many tools available online to find these, such as this one via the Mayo Clinic.  With that number in hand, let’s enter some specifics into ChatGPT.

I am a 20-year-old woman with Down syndrome who is lightly active.  Develop a meal plan for me with the goal of consuming less than 1900 calories per day.  The meal plan should include three meals and 2 snacks per day with a detailed calorie breakdown.  Provide alternatives for common allergens.

Here is what ChatGPT provided:

Here’s a meal plan tailored for you, keeping it under 1,900 calories while being balanced and enjoyable:

Daily Meal Plan (Approx. 1,850-1,900 Calories)

Breakfast (400 Calories)

  • Scrambled eggs (2 eggs, 140 cal)
  • 1 slice gluten-free toast with butter (120 cal)
  • ½ cup fresh berries (40 cal)
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (30 cal)
  • 1 teaspoon honey (20 cal)

Allergen Alternatives:

  • Egg allergy: Swap scrambled eggs for Greek yogurt with honey and gluten-free granola.
  • Dairy allergy: Use dairy-free butter or avocado instead of regular butter.

Morning Snack (250 Calories)

  • 1 small banana (90 cal)
  • 1 tablespoon peanut butter (95 cal)
  • 10 almonds (65 cal)

Allergen Alternatives:

  • Nut allergy: Swap peanut butter for sunflower seed butter.
  • Banana allergy: Use an apple instead.

Lunch (500 Calories)

  • 4 oz grilled chicken (160 cal)
  • 1 cup cooked rice (200 cal)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (120 cal)
  • ½ cup diced mango (50 cal)

Allergen Alternatives:

  • Chicken allergy: Swap for grilled fish or tofu.
  • Rice allergy: Use quinoa or mashed potatoes.

Afternoon Snack (250 Calories)

  • 1 cheese stick (80 cal)
  • ½ cup gluten-free granola (140 cal)
  • 1 teaspoon honey (30 cal)

Allergen Alternatives:

  • Dairy allergy: Swap cheese for hummus and gluten-free crackers.

Dinner (500 Calories)

  • 5 oz baked salmon (250 cal)
  • 1 small baked potato with butter (180 cal)
  • 1 teaspoon sour cream (30 cal)
  • ½ cup fresh fruit (40 cal)

Allergen Alternatives:

  • Fish allergy: Swap salmon for grilled chicken or lean beef.
  • Dairy allergy: Use dairy-free sour cream or avocado instead.

Total Daily Calories: ~1,900 Calories

Shopping Lists

A watercolor painting of a young adult man wearing an apron and cooking in the kitchen

You can tweak the information.  Let’s say you don’t like fish.  You can easily remove that entirely with a modified prompt. 

For the purpose of this example, let’s say that you were happy with the daily meal plan that ChatGPT provided but in a few days, you need to go grocery shopping.  Here is where ChatGPT can help you as well.

After making adjustments to the meals, have ChatGPT make your grocery list for you.

“Create a detailed grocery shopping list based on this meal plan. Organize ingredients by locations in the grocery store and include detailed quantities.”

Here is what ChatGPT provided:

Produce Section

  • 1 bunch bananas (4-5)
  • 1 pint fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries)
  • 1 medium apple
  • ½ cup diced mango (or 1 small mango)
  • 2 small baked potatoes
  • 1 small avocado (if using as a dairy alternative)

Meat & Seafood Section

  • 1 dozen eggs (or egg alternative if allergic)
  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (for 2 meals)
  • 5 oz salmon fillet (or alternative protein like lean beef or tofu)

Dairy Section (Choose Alternatives if Needed)

  • 1 stick unsalted butter (or dairy-free butter)
  • 1 small container sour cream (or dairy-free alternative)
  • 1 package cheese sticks (or hummus if dairy-free)
  • 1 container Greek yogurt (or dairy-free yogurt)

Grains & Dry Goods

  • 1 loaf gluten-free bread
  • 1 box gluten-free granola
  • 1 bag gluten-free rice cakes (for snack alternative)
  • 1 bag gluten-free crackers (if using as snack alternative)
  • 1 bag white rice or quinoa
  • 1 small jar honey

Pantry & Oils

  • 1 jar peanut butter (or sunflower seed butter if allergic)
  • 1 small bottle olive oil

Nuts & Seeds

  • 10 almonds (or 1 small bag)

Is this a perfect solution for every person and every athlete? Absolutely not.  Using ChatGPT, however, is free and fast.  If this provides you with one single useful tip or resource, then I would say it is worth it.

What About Picky Eaters?

Watercolor painting depicting a 10-year-old boy making a face at the dinner table because he does not like his food.

You may have a picky eater at home who does not like vegetables, or certain colors, or even specific textures. These are all parameters that can be entered into ChatGPT! For example:

I cannot eat gluten or dairy and do not like vegetables. Create three easy-to-prepare meals that include vegetables for someone who does not typically eat vegetables.

Here is one of the meals that ChatGPT provided:

Dairy-Free “Cheesy” Sweet Potato Pasta

  • Ingredients:
    • 1 cup gluten-free pasta (chickpea, rice, or lentil)
    • ½ cup mashed sweet potato
    • ¼ cup unsweetened coconut or almond milk
    • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (gives a cheesy flavor)
    • ½ tsp garlic powder
    • Salt to taste
  • Instructions:
    1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
    2. In a bowl, mix mashed sweet potato, dairy-free milk, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt.
    3. Stir into cooked pasta and serve.

Why it works: The sweet potato creates a creamy sauce that feels like mac & cheese without the dairy.

Example Prompts

A watercolor painting consisting of several bags of groceries sitting on top of a kitchen counter.

General Example

I am [Enter your age, sex, and diagnosis if necessary] and I am [Include your daily exercise activity level here]. Develop a meal plan for me with the goal of consuming less than [Add caloric intake goal here] calories per day. The meal plan should include [Number of meals you want each day] meals and [Number of snacks you want each day] per day with detailed calorie breakdown for each meal and snack. Provide alternatives for common food allergies.

Vegetarian Example

I am [Enter your age, sex, and diagnosis if necessary] and I am [Include your daily exercise activity level here]. Develop a vegetarian meal plan for me with the goal of consuming less than [Add caloric intake goal here] calories per day. Meals should be high in protein suitable for a vegetarian diet. The meal plan should include [Number of meals you want each day] meals and [Number of snacks you want each day] per day with detailed calorie breakdown for each meal and snack.

Snack Ideas with Shopping List

I am [Inlcude the problem you’re facing in detail with context]. Create [Number] healthy, easy-to-prepare snack ideas for children aged [age range]. Include simple preparation steps and a detailed shopping list.

Picky Eaters

I cannot eat [Add food limitations or restrictions] and do not like [Add dislikes]. Create [Number] easy to prepare meals that include [Add dislikes] for someone who is does not typically eat vegetables. Provide cooking instructions and a grocery shopping list.