Meal Planning Software for Dietitians
Build personalised diet plans for every client in minutes — not hours. Nutrena's free meal planner is designed specifically for dietitians and nutritionists.
Free forever for up to 10 clients
Why Most Dietitians Waste Hours on Meal Planning
Most dietitians build meal plans in Word documents, Google Docs, or Excel spreadsheets. The process looks like this: open a blank template, look up nutrition data for each food item, manually calculate macros, format everything nicely, export to PDF, email it to the client. Then the client replies asking to swap chicken for paneer — and you do it all over again.
For a practice with 20–30 active clients, this eats 10–15 hours a week that could go toward seeing more clients or growing your business.
Purpose-built meal planning software for dietitians solves this by storing your food database, auto-calculating nutrition, and letting you reuse template plans across similar clients.
What Nutrena's Meal Planner Includes
Drag-and-Drop Plan Builder
Add meals, snacks, and portions with a visual builder. Rearrange items across days without retyping.
Auto Macro Calculation
Calories, protein, carbs, fat, and fibre calculated automatically as you add foods. See running totals per meal and per day.
Indian Food Database
Search thousands of Indian dishes — dal makhani, idli, roti, biryani — with accurate nutrition data included.
Reusable Plan Templates
Save any plan as a template. Apply it to new clients in seconds and customise from there.
PDF Export & Sharing
Export branded PDF meal plans to share with clients via email or WhatsApp. No app download required for clients.
Easy Food Substitutions
Swap any ingredient without rebuilding the whole plan. Nutrition totals update instantly.
Weekly & Monthly Views
Plan one day, one week, or a full month. Useful for clients on structured programmes or detox plans.
Client-Specific Targets
Set per-client calorie and macro targets. The planner flags when a day goes over or under the goal.
How to Build a Meal Plan in Nutrena
Add the client and set targets
Create a client profile with weight, height, activity level, and goal. Nutrena calculates their TDEE and macro targets automatically, or you can enter custom values.
Open the plan builder
Click 'New Meal Plan', choose a start date, and name the plan (e.g. 'Week 1 – Weight Loss'). Add as many days as needed.
Add meals and foods
For each day, add meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks). Search the food database and add items with portion sizes. Macros update in real time.
Review and adjust
Check the daily macro summary against the client's targets. Swap foods or adjust portions if a day is over budget. The visual diff makes it easy to spot.
Share with the client
Export a PDF or share a link. The client sees their full plan, grocery list, and prep notes — no login required.
Nutrena vs Other Meal Planning Tools
Most meal planning tools for dietitians are either too expensive, too basic, or designed for the US market. Here's how Nutrena compares.
| Feature | Nutrena | NutriAdmin | Practice Better | Cronometer Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | ✅ Up to 10 clients | ❌ Trial only | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Meal plan builder | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ Basic |
| Indian food database | ✅ | ⚠️ Limited | ❌ | ⚠️ Limited |
| PDF export | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Reusable templates | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Client portal | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Macro auto-calc | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Starting price | Free | $13/mo | $25/mo | $14.99/mo |
Who Nutrena's Meal Planner is Built For
Solo Dietitians
Running a private practice and spending too much time on manual plan creation. The free plan covers you up to 10 active clients.
Nutritionists in India
Need INR-friendly pricing, Indian food database, and easy WhatsApp sharing. Nutrena is built with India-first features.
Online Nutrition Coaches
Coaching 20+ clients asynchronously. Reusable templates and easy plan duplication mean you can scale without hiring help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nutrena's meal planning software really free?
Yes. The free plan includes the full meal plan builder for up to 10 active clients — no trial period, no credit card required. You only pay when you grow beyond 10 clients.
Can I use Nutrena if most of my clients eat Indian food?
Absolutely. Nutrena includes an Indian food database covering common regional dishes, staples, and restaurant items. You can also add custom foods with your own nutrition values.
Can clients view their meal plans without an account?
Yes. You can share meal plans via a shareable link or PDF export. Clients don't need to create an account or download an app to view their plan.
What happens to my plans if I downgrade from a paid plan?
All your data stays intact. If your active client count drops to 10 or below, you automatically return to the free plan with no data loss.
Does Nutrena include grocery lists?
Yes. Once a meal plan is finalised, Nutrena can generate a consolidated grocery list grouping all ingredients by category, which you can share with the client.
Can I create meal plan templates for specific conditions like diabetes or PCOS?
Yes. You can save any completed plan as a template with a custom name (e.g. 'PCOS Weight Loss — 1500 kcal'). When a new client with similar needs joins, apply the template and adjust from there.
Start Building Meal Plans for Free
Join hundreds of dietitians who use Nutrena to create personalised nutrition plans faster. Free forever for up to 10 clients.
Create Free AccountNo credit card · No time limit · Full feature access