One piece of our new nutrition coaching features we’re really excited about is to ease trainers into meal planning with our NEW, soon-to-be-launched Smart Meal Planner. Trainers can create a smart meal plan for their clients by identifying a few variations, but there’s more to it than just generating meals! We built a comprehensive tool that can be really versatile—ultimately increasing adoption of nutrition plans for your clients!

We’ll definitely talk about offering meal plans as Option 3, but don’t knock out Option 1 and Option 2 either! If you’re already offering meal plans, here’s how you can offer them through the Trainerize app, little by little.

Option 1: For clients with dietary preferences/sensitivities

Offering your clients a sample meal plan for a few recipe ideas is low effort but big impact!

Three ways to use the Trainerize Smart Meal Plans with clients (COMING SOON!)

For clients with dietary preferences or restrictions this can be a great way to lay out some new eating habits. And for those considering a new diet, they can get a sneak preview! They can see what a day in the life of a vegan or pescatarian, for example, would look like.

A lot of clients read and hear about certain diets, or discover they are sensitive to certain foods but don’t know where to start. Trainers can quickly whip up a meal plan with the exact specifications they want and let their clients give it a go!

If the client has success, or feels better after trying out a certain dietary regimen, then they are more likely to want to continue and stick with it for the long term. This is when the trainer can then offer a more complex or long term meal plan strategy. It’s always tough to get started with something new (especially if they’re giving up something they really like, like dairy or gluten or bacon, ha)! The Smart Meal Planner will make it easy! Trust me, the recipes are so fun!

Option 2: For clients who need macro splits

Give clients ideas for low carb or low fat meal options.

A lot of clients want to try to eat more protein or try a low carb or low fat diet—but they don’t know what it’s going to take. This is a great “try before you buy” kind of deal. Low carb meals are quite popular these days but it’s not sustainable long term if a client goes about it the wrong way or for the wrong reasons.

This way you can ease a client into something like low carb, low fat, or even teach them what a balanced meal plan looks like. Give them a snapshot (you can choose from the number of meals per day and how many sample days you want) and for some it might just be enough to start there. Getting ideas on what a low carb meal looks like is a good way to get clients comfortable with the idea of eating less carbs on some days and more on others. You can also teach them not to demonize carbs, especially depending on their body and goals.

Option 3: Traditional meal planning

Sometimes a meal plan is just what a client needs. 

Not all clients are going to want or need meal plans! But here are some reasons why meal plans can be really beneficial to clients:

• They’ll save lots of money. No more last minute takeout or food deliveries.
• They’ll be more organized. They can plan a grocery list ahead of time based on the exact ingredients you recommend.
• Less food waste and less time at the grocery store! They’re buying exactly what they need, ahead of time.
• Daily vitamins and minerals, covered. Well-thought out meal plans provide you with a variety of foods and a healthy mix.
• Reach goals faster. Among many reasons why, portions are strategically planned out!
• No more decision fatigue. An expert can make the decisions on what to eat or what to buy

As always, be sure to check your local laws and legislations on what you can legally do based on the certification or education you have, as some laws may require you to be a Registered Dietician in order to prescribe a meal plan. We talk about this more in Part 2: Certifications vs. Guidance.

So here I’ve laid out three ways to use our Smart Meal Planner with your clients. Trust me, they’ll be super thankful that you’re doing this for them. The time and effort it takes you will be nothing compared to the impact for your clients and their choice to move forward with some sort of nutrition coaching.

🍓 We’re excited to share that a better new way to deliver nutrition coaching is here! From allowing clients to track their meals right within the app to delivering sample, custom meal plan suggestions in seconds and so much more, you’ll empower your clients to make healthier choices and level up on their health. Read our latest blog.