How to create a meal on Cronometer?

According to Cronometer's own user data, logging food with custom meals is a highly requested feature that significantly speeds up daily tracking. This guide will show you how to create a meal on Cronometer, so you can streamline your nutrition logging process for regularly consumed food combinations.

Quick Summary

This guide provides simple instructions for creating a custom meal in Cronometer using either the web or mobile app. It details the process from bundling ingredients to saving and logging your new meal. The article also clarifies the key difference between a custom meal and a custom recipe.

Key Points

• Access 'Custom Meals': Navigate to the 'Foods' tab on either the Cronometer web or mobile app to begin creating a new meal.

• Bundle Ingredients: Combine a specific set of foods, supplements, or even other recipes that you frequently eat together into a single, custom meal entry.

• Use the Multi-Select Feature: On the web and for Gold mobile users, you can quickly create a meal by selecting several items already logged in your diary.

• Understand the 'Explode Meal' Function: To make a one-time change to a meal you've added to your diary, use the 'Explode Meal' option to break it back down into individual components without altering the original saved meal.

• Differentiate Meals and Recipes: Use a custom meal for fixed, single-serving food combinations and a custom recipe for multi-serving dishes like casseroles or chili.

• Save Time with Favorites: Once a custom meal is created, it appears in your 'Custom' and general search tabs, allowing for easy, one-click logging in the future.

Step-by-step guide to creating a custom meal on Cronometer

Creating a custom meal in Cronometer is an excellent way to save time if you regularly eat the same combination of foods, supplements, or recipes. For example, if your weekday breakfast is always oatmeal with berries and a protein shake, bundling these items into one 'Weekday Breakfast' meal makes logging a single click. The process is straightforward whether you are on the web or using the mobile app.

Creating a custom meal via the 'Foods' tab

This is the most direct method for creating a new custom meal from scratch.

For the web app:

1. Navigate to the 'Foods' tab located in the left-side menu.
2. Click on the 'Custom Meals' sub-tab.
3. Click the '+ Create Meal' button.
4. Give your meal a descriptive and memorable name, such as 'Smoothie for Work' or 'Post-Workout Snack'.
5. Click '+ Add Item' to search for and add all the individual ingredients.
6. Adjust the serving sizes for each ingredient as needed.
7. Click 'Save Changes' to finish.

For the mobile app:

1. Go to the 'Foods' tab at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap 'Create Meal' from the options at the top.
3. Enter a name for your custom meal.
4. Tap '+ Add Meal Item' to add ingredients.
5. Select the desired serving size for each item.
6. Review the items and tap 'Save Meal'.

Creating a custom meal from your diary

Cronometer also offers a quick method for users who have already logged the items in their diary. This is available for both web and Gold mobile users.

For the web app:

1. Log all the foods for your desired meal into your diary.
2. Hold the Shift key and click all the items you want to bundle.
3. Right-click on your selection and choose 'Create meal from selected items'.
4. Name and save the meal in the editor that appears.

For Gold mobile users:

1. Add all the food items to your diary as you normally would.
2. Tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner of the diary.
3. Select 'Multi-Select'.
4. Tap on all the food entries you wish to include.
5. Tap the three-dot menu again and select 'Create Meal from Selection'.

Adding and editing your meal

Once saved, your custom meal is readily available for future logging.

To add: Click the add food button (+), search for the meal by name, and select it. You can also filter your search results using the 'Custom' tab.

To edit: If you need to make a one-time adjustment, such as using different fruit in your breakfast smoothie, you can 'explode' the meal.

For the web app: Right-click on the meal entry in your diary and choose 'Explode Meal'. The individual components will appear, allowing you to edit or delete them without changing the original custom meal.

For the mobile app: Swipe right on the meal entry, tap the three-dot menu, and select 'Explode Meal'.

Custom meal vs. custom recipe

Many users wonder about the difference between creating a custom meal and a custom recipe in Cronometer. It comes down to whether the item has a single, fixed serving size or multiple, variable ones.

Feature	Custom Meal	Custom Recipe
Serving Sizes	Assumed to be a single, fixed serving. Cannot log half a meal.	Designed to be divided into multiple servings. You can log fractions of the total.
Best Use Case	Logging daily, consistent food combinations like a specific breakfast or snack.	Tracking multi-serving dishes you prepare in bulk, like a casserole or chili.
Logging Flexibility	Cannot be broken down into portions during logging, but can be 'exploded' to edit or make a one-time adjustment.	Can be logged in various serving sizes, such as '1 cup' or '1/8th of recipe'.

Conclusion

Creating custom meals on Cronometer is a powerful feature for anyone looking to optimize their food logging routine. By grouping frequently consumed items, you can dramatically reduce the time spent tracking your daily nutrition. Understanding the distinction between a custom meal for single-serving consistency and a custom recipe for multi-serving dishes will help you get the most accurate and efficient results from the app. For anyone serious about health and wellness tracking, leveraging this feature is a significant step toward achieving your goals faster. You can find more tips and details on the official Cronometer blog.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between a custom meal and a custom recipe in Cronometer?

A custom meal is used for a fixed, single serving of a food combination that you eat often, like your daily breakfast. A custom recipe is for dishes that yield multiple servings, such as a large pot of chili, allowing you to track individual portions accurately.

Can I edit a custom meal after I have logged it in my diary?

Yes, you can edit a meal entry for a single day without changing the original saved custom meal. Simply find the entry in your diary, right-click (web) or swipe right and tap the three-dot menu (mobile), and select 'Explode Meal' to break it down and make changes.

How do I create a custom meal from food I've already logged today?

If you are a web user, you can use the multi-select feature. Hold the Shift key, click all the relevant food items in your diary, right-click, and choose 'Create meal from selected items'. Gold mobile users can also access this via the multi-select menu.

How do I delete or retire a custom meal?

To manage your custom meals, go to the 'Foods' tab and select 'Custom Meals'. Click on the meal you wish to remove. The overflow menu (three dots) will provide the options to either 'Delete' or 'Retire' the meal.

Is creating a custom meal available for free users?

Yes, creating custom meals is a feature available to all Cronometer users, including those on the free plan. Gold users may have extra features like scheduling repeating meals.

Can I include a custom recipe within a custom meal?

Yes, a custom meal can be composed of any combination of food entries, including other custom recipes you have already created. This allows for complex combinations to be logged efficiently.

Where can I find my custom meals after I have saved them?

Your custom meals are saved under the 'Custom' tab in the food search function. When you go to add a new food, you can either search its name in the general search or filter specifically under the 'Custom' section to find it.