How do I create a custom food?
Add your own foods with servings, macros, and micronutrients, then choose which clients can find them in search.
Custom foods are your own items, for when the verified database doesn't have what you need — branded supplements, house mixes, regional staples. They live on the Custom foods tab under Nutrition → Foods and can be used in any recipe, meal plan, or client food log.
Create a custom food
- On the Custom foods tab, click New food.
- Optionally add a cover image — PNG or JPG, up to 5 MB.
- Enter a food name (required) and, optionally, a brand.
- Set the serving size (required, more than zero) and pick a unit. Grams is the default, with options from milligrams through cups, scoops, slices, and more.
- Enter protein, carbs, and fats in grams. A live bar shows the macro split as you type.
- Leave calories blank to have them calculated from the macros — 4 kcal per gram of protein and carbs, 9 per gram of fat — or enter a value yourself.
- Optionally open the Micronutrients section and fill in any of 15 values: saturated fat, sodium, fibre, sugar, vitamins, and so on. Each accepts up to 9,999.
- Optionally add notes, then click Create food.
Custom food settings and limits
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Food name | Shown everywhere the food appears; up to 100 characters | Required |
| Brand | Shown alongside the name; up to 100 characters | Empty |
| Image | Cover photo, PNG or JPG up to 5 MB | None |
| Serving size | The base serving the macros describe; above 0, up to 99,999 | Required |
| Serving unit | grams, milligrams, ounces, pounds, millilitres, litres, teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, fluid ounces, pieces, slices, servings, scoops, portions | grams |
| Protein / carbs / fats | Macros per serving in grams, 0 to 9,999 each | 0 |
| Calories | Blank means calculated from the macros | Calculated |
| Micronutrients | 15 optional values, up to 9,999 each | Empty |
| Notes | Free text, up to 300 characters | Empty |
Edit, duplicate, or delete a custom food
Use the row menu on any custom food to Edit, Duplicate, or Delete it.
Choose which clients see your custom foods
The public food database is always searchable by every client. Your own sources are opt-in per client:
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Your recommended foods | Shows your recommended list first in the client's food picker | Off |
| Your custom foods | Shows your custom foods in the client's food search | Off |
Set these on the client's profile → Settings tab → Nutrition, where they save automatically. To set defaults for future clients, use the Nutrition section of your display settings (Show recommended foods in search, Show custom foods in search) and click Save changes. Account-level defaults only apply to clients created after you save them.
Build your recommended foods list
- Go to the Recommended foods tab and click Add to list.
- Pick the foods you want to highlight and confirm.
- To take one off, use the row's Remove from list action — it only removes the highlight, and you can re-add it anytime.
Quick answers
Why doesn't my custom or recommended food show up in my client's search?
The Your custom foods and Your recommended foods settings are both off by default for every client. Turn them on in the client's profile → Settings → Nutrition, or set account defaults for future clients.