Menu Creation ($99.95)
The Menu Creation program can prepare weeks of menus that meet patient nutritional needs and food preferences. Using the most basic options, weeks of menus can be prepared in less than five minutes by a person with no background in nutrition. If additional time and nutritional expertise is available the menus can be customized to meet patient's desires (e.g. a bagel for breakfast on Tuesday or no apples in the menus).
Busy diabetes clinics, pharmacy clinical services and rural health care facilities are all ideal locations for the use of the Menu Creation program.
Menu Creation Program Preview Download a Menu Creation Program Demo Version Recent Reviews of the Menu Creation Program
The operation of the Menu Creation program is outlined below, click the hyperlinks in the program description to see example screens and printed reports.
Develop Nutritional Goals for the Patient
 | Enter patient name, gender, weight, height, waist circumference (optional), average daily activity level. The program will automatically compute basal metabolic index , basal energy expenditure, total energy expenditure and a weight loss recommendation. These calculations are based on the most recent NIH data. (Menu Creation Main Form) |
| Enter patient history relevant to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and renal disease. The program will automatically compute a set of nutritional goals (e.g. calorie level). If the patient is at risk for diabetes or has a history of diabetes, meal and snack carb goals will be included. Corresponding nutritional goals will be included for cardiovascular and renal disease. |
| You can accept these recommendations or edit them if you wish. |
Menu Planning Options
| You can specify a number of features of the menus such whether carb counting or Exchange Lists information will be included for people who have diabetes. Another option is whether or not recipes will be used in the menus. |
| Select a menu type based on ethnic (e.g. Latin) or food preference (e.g. vegan) menu planning themes. The program will then create one to four weeks of menus that meet the nutritional goals in less than a minute . The menus will be planned using a library of over 550 completely planned meals. The meals will be selected to match the menu type (e.g. no meats, milk or eggs for vegans). |
| Enter food types that are not be used in menu creation (food allergies, food-medicine interactions or foods the patient doesn't like to eat) |
| Menu food names and units types can be displayed in Spanish. |
Automatically Create Menus
| You can accept the menus as they have been created or edit them if you wish. Basic and Advanced menu editors are included. |
| The menus, menu nutritional analysis, a shopping list, recipe preparation information (if recipes have been used in the menus) and a food information list can be printed. The food information list includes the carbohydrate content (for one serving) of the foods used in the menus plus any other foods you wish to include (e.g. fast foods). The patient can use the menus and this list to make appropriate changes to the menus as they are used. |
Customize the Program's Nutritional Material
| Add your own foods to the food database (e.g. your favorite fast foods or convenience foods) |
| Edit the Favorite Meals to meet your preferences (e.g. replace an orange with an apple) |
| Add your own Favorite Meals to the Favorite Meal library |