For the past two weeks, I've been experimenting with the "Eat This Much" Pro free trial software at www.eatthismuch.com and their iPhone app. Their newest beta was released in September 2023. My mission was to see how this meal planning app could help me create nightshade-free meals within the framework of a Mediterranean diet that's also low in carbohydrates. Eat This Much has garnered attention for its innovative approach to meal planning, and I was eager to put it to the test.
Overview of Eat This Much
Eat This Much (eatthismuch.com) is a versatile weekly meal generator that aims to simplify meal planning by generating customized meal plans, grocery lists, and recipes. The app is designed to cater to a variety of dietary preferences and restrictions, making it a valuable tool for individuals seeking convenience and control in their meal preparation.
Features I Explored
Meal Planning: Eat This Much generates meal plans for an entire week, taking into account your dietary preferences, restrictions, and nutritional targets. It also provides recipes for each meal based on the specified portion sizes.
Leftover Utilization: A standout feature of Eat This Much is its ability to map out where you can use leftovers from your meal prep. This minimizes food waste and streamlines your cooking efforts.
User-Friendly Interface: The app boasts a user-friendly interface, making it accessible for individuals with varying levels of tech-savviness.
Pantry Integration: You can inform the software about the ingredients you already have in your pantry, helping it create more accurate meal plans and grocery lists.
Recipe Imports: While the app allows you to import recipes from websites, I found that many of these recipes needed corrections, which could be a minor inconvenience.
Customization: Eat This Much offers customization options for personal trainers and dietitians, allowing them to create branded meal plans for their clients.
Nutritional Targets: You can specify various nutritional targets, such as daily carbohydrate intake and foods to avoid, like nightshades.
Integration with Grocery Delivery: The app can integrate your grocery list with services like Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods, making it convenient to order groceries with just a few clicks.
Pros of Eat This Much
Convenient Meal Planning: The app excels in generating meal plans that align with your dietary goals. It's particularly useful for busy individuals who want to stay within calorie bounds and maintain control over their cooking and food preparation.
Diet Customization: Eat This Much allows you to select and customize specific diets, such as keto or Mediterranean. You can also tailor your nutritional targets, which is helpful for those with dietary restrictions. Since I need to avoid nightshades, I could manually select nightshade foods like tomatoes and potatoes and let the software know to avoid those in the meal planning.
Grocery Integration: The integration with grocery delivery services simplifies the shopping process, saving you time and effort.
Cons of Eat This Much
Dairy-Heavy Recipes: During my two weeks of using Eat This Much, I noticed that many of the generated meal plans were dairy-heavy. For instance, I encountered separate dishes with blue cheese and yogurt for the same lunch, which seemed excessive and not in line with a Mediterranean diet.
Pre-Existing Recipe Database: It appeared that some of the meals generated were pre-existing recipes added by the company rather than true AI-generated meal plans. This can limit the variety and authenticity of meal options.
Pantry Integration Limitations: While the app allows you to input pantry ingredients, it doesn't fully utilize this information to generate meal plans. Instead, it often suggests meals that require ingredients you don't have, leading to a less seamless meal planning experience.
Lack of Mediterranean Authenticity: I was disappointed to find that the recommended Mediterranean dishes lacked the authenticity and flavor I expected. The recipes seemed uninspired and didn't capture the essence of Mediterranean cuisine.
Complex Dietary Restrictions: Creating a meal plan with multiple dietary restrictions, such as a nightshade-free, low-carb Mediterranean diet, proved challenging for the software. It often struggled to provide satisfying meal options that met all these criteria.
Final Thoughts
Eat This Much Pro has its strengths, particularly in simplifying meal planning, offering customization options, and integrating with grocery delivery services. However, there are notable shortcomings, including the heavy reliance on dairy (in my case), pre-existing recipes, and limited pantry integration.
For those with straightforward dietary preferences, this app could be a valuable tool in their meal planning arsenal. However, individuals with complex dietary restrictions or those seeking truly authentic and flavorful Mediterranean cuisine might find it falls short of their expectations.
In conclusion, while Eat This Much Pro offers convenience and customization, there's room for improvement in its recipe selection, pantry integration, and the ability to cater to intricate dietary needs. For now, it serves as a useful starting point for meal planning but may not fully replace the expertise of a seasoned cook or dietitian.
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