Using Artificial Intelligence to Create Meal Plans for Weight Loss: A Cautionary Tale

mclapham9
2 hours ago
4 min read

Food on a blue plate. Courtesy of Unsplash

Why utilize meal planning for weight loss?

Weight loss can be challenging and, to be honest, boring at times. A recommended method for weight loss is to keep daily calorie intake (calories consumed) less than calorie output (calories burned). The saying “You can’t outrun your plate” applies here. Maintaining a calorie deficit contributes to weight loss.

There are many options available on the internet to assist with weight loss efforts. Websites abound with recommendations regarding what type of diet to choose, such as keto, high-protein, low carbohydrate, etc. to meet your weight loss goals. While providing general guidelines, not all websites have meal plans available to provide guidance on recipes, portion sizes and nutritional intake to maximize your weight loss goals.

Meal planning for weight loss has been shown to (7):

Help control portion sizes
Provide nutritionally balanced meals
Reduce impulse eating
Save time
Reduce stress knowing you have the ingredients on hand to prepare meals

In an effort to streamline the process of meal planning, some people are choosing to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to help design a meal plan to meet their dietary needs.

What is Artificial intelligence (AI)?

Artificial intelligence is a computer system which can perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence including reasoning, learning, decision-making and perception. AI uses algorithms to make decisions or predictions. AI is utilized in search engines, digital assistants, recommendation systems (streaming services), autonomous cars, healthcare and finance (1, 2).

Using AI can be efficient, innovative and provide more personalized recommendations and services. However, AI has its disadvantages including issues like privacy, vulnerability to hacking and misuse (3).

AI is not fool proof. AI only provides answers from data which is supplied by humans. If the data is not comprehensive, the AI system may become one-sided, prejudiced or incorrect. Plus, AI is largely unregulated, therefore, companies and institutions can design AI systems which expand their revenue, policies and influence (3).

How to utilize artificial intelligence to design a meal plan for weight loss.

The latest recommendations for weight loss include a higher intake of protein, lower intake of processed foods and sugars, a higher intake of fiber/whole grains and intake of good fats (4).

Using the above dietary guidelines, Copilot, Microsoft’s AI program, was asked to “Design a breakfast meal high in protein and fiber, low in carbohydrates utilizing good fats and include recipe, portion sizes and nutritional information which includes total calories, protein, fat, carbohydrate, sodium and fiber information”. Below is what CoPilot created:

Spinach and Feta Omelet

Recipe: Whisk together 2 large eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté 1 cup fresh spinach in 1 tsp olive oil until wilted, then pour eggs over spinach. Sprinkle 1 oz crumbled feta cheese and cook until set. Serve with 1/4 avocado sliced on the side.

Portion Size: Serves 1

The CoPilot generated recipe appears to be healthy, low in carbohydrates, high in protein and lower in fiber.

Is the AI generated meal nutrition information accurate?

Copilot’s nutritional information for this recipe was entered into the Very Well Fit Recipe Calorie and Nutritional Calculator and the Lose It diet tracker app with the results listed below.

Nutritional Information:

Total Calories:

Copilot: 320 kcal

Very Well Fit: 436 kcal

Lose It: 356 kcal

Protein:

Copilot: 21 g

Very Well Fit: 32 g

Lose it: 22 g

Fat:

Copilot: 22 g

Very Well Fit: 32.1 g

Lose It: 25.8 g

Carbohydrate:

Copilot: 7 g

Very Well Fit: 7 g

Lose It: 11.6 g

Sodium:

Copilot: 420 mg

Very Well Fit: 675 mg

Lose It: 87 mg

Fiber:

Copilot: 5 g

Very Well Fit: 2.7 g

Lose It: 6.6 g

There is discrepancy between the total protein, total fat amount between the Copilot and the Very Well Fit nutritional calculator. Also, the amount of total sodium in the nutritional analysis tools range from 87mg to 675mg, which is a sizable difference. Sodium intake is recommended to be no more than 2000mg a day. Individuals with hypertension or other chronic conditions that are affected by sodium (example: heart failure and heart disease) are advised to eat a diet low in salt. This meal would be approximately 34% of the recommended daily sodium intake for such individuals.

Caveats for using AI to generate meal plans for weight loss

There are somethings to keep in mind when using artificial intelligence to generate meal plans for weight loss:

Expect to find data discrepancies between AI systems and manually entering recipe information into a nutritional analysis tool.
AI-generated meal plans may be more valuable in terms of generating recipes ideas and options for meals.
Meal-tracking apps, such as My Fitness Pal or Lose It, have the option to create a nutritional analysis using your recipe ingredients. These may or may not, be more accurate than what is generated within independent AI systems. It does allow you the opportunity to double check AI generated nutritional data, however.
Garbage in, garbage out. AI is only as good as its algorithms. If you plan to use AI for meal planning, remember that you need to be very specific in your description of what you want AI to create.

Finally, please consider meeting with a registered dietician in order to design a meal plan specific to your needs and any pre-existing health conditions. A registered dietician is a credentialed healthcare professional who specializes in nutrition and uses evidence-based knowledge to help people improve their health through diet management.

Citations:

Artificial intelligence – Wikipedia; found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence
What Is Artificial Intelligence? Definition, Uses, and Types | Coursera; found at https://www.coursera.org/articles/what-is-artificial-intelligence
AI - the good, the bad and the scary; 2023; found at https://eng.vt.edu/magazine/stories/fall-2023/ai.html
Fact Sheet: Trump Administration Resets U.S. Nutrition Policy, Puts Real Food Back at the Center of Health | HHS.gov, 2026; found at https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/fact-sheet-historic-reset-federal-nutrition
Very Well Fit recipe calorie and nutrition calculator found at https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Lose It app diet tracker found at https://www.loseit.com/
How to start a beginner-friendly weight loss program with meal planning; Mayo Clinic, 2026; found at https://diet.mayoclinic.org/us/blog/2025/how-to-start-a-beginner-friendly-weight-loss-program-with-meal-planning/

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