How to use AI to eat better
# How to Use AI to Improve Your Nutrition and Boost Energy and feel healthier
Would it be useful if you could use AI to help you to eat better? To plan recipes that actually helped you to increase your energy, improve your mood & help you to get to your fitness and weight goals?
Before diving in, I want to emphasize that I’m no nutrition expert. My goal here is to outline a process to extract the best insights from leading authorities in nutrition and tailor them to your everyday life. I have set out the prompts that you can use so that you can tailor them to your needs and do this for yourself.
This idea started as a personal project. Like many parents, my diet shifted over time to accommodate what my kids prefer: pasta, chips, and convenience foods. I wanted to reclaim healthier eating habits for myself. The process was also inspired by Brian Johnson of Heroic—a fantastic personal development resource that has kicked me into action to eat better than I had been.
Let’s get started!
Step 1: Identify Nutrition Experts
The first step is to find credible experts in nutrition. My personal goal is to feel fitter and more energized, so I sought out general nutrition advice. If your goals differ—such as weight loss or managing a specific dietary restriction—you might adjust the following prompts.
Prompt 1
Who are the five most well-known experts in nutrition who can help me eat more healthily? Please provide their names and a short summary of their teachings.
Here’s what I learned:
Dr. Michael Greger
Advocates a whole-food, plant-based diet to prevent chronic diseases.
Founder of NutritionFacts.org.
Author of How Not to Die and How Not to Diet.
Dr. Joel Fuhrman
Promotes a nutrient-dense, plant-rich diet.
Focuses on greens, beans, berries, and seeds.
Author of Eat to Live and The End of Diabetes.
Dr. Megan Rossi
Specializes in gut health.
Encourages diverse plant-based diets to support the microbiome.
Author of Eat Yourself Healthy.
Dr. Andrew Jenkinson
Examines metabolism and weight regulation.
Highlights sustainable weight loss strategies.
Author of Why We Eat (Too Much).
Professor Tim Spector
Advocates for personalized nutrition and gut health.
Author of The Diet Myth and Spoon-Fed.
Step 2: Look for Common Ground
To synthesize their teachings and make sure I’m not following the advice of one radical nutcase (with all due respect to all five of them - since I haven’t heard of them before I don’t know whether any of them are controversial), I asked AI for common principles among these experts - so as to reach a consensus.
Prompt 2
What do these teachings have in common?
Here’s the consensus:
Whole, Unprocessed Foods: Focus on fresh vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, healthy fats, and whole grains.
Personalized Nutrition: Tailor your diet to your body’s needs.
Nutrient Density: Choose foods rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Avoid Inflammatory Foods: Limit refined sugars, processed oils, and additives.
Connection Between Diet and Health: Emphasize how diet impacts physical and mental well-being.
Step 3: Applying That Expert Advice
With these principles in mind, I tailored prompts to help incorporate these insights into daily life.
Prompt 3
How can you help me incorporate these suggestions into my daily routine? Please provide five actionable prompts.
Here are the five prompts that were returned:
Personalized Meal Planning
“Using principles of whole, nutrient-dense foods, create a weekly meal plan tailored to my preferences for chicken, fish, and vegetables. Include quick-to-prepare options for my running routine.”Identify and Replace Inflammatory Foods
“Analyze my current diet and suggest healthier alternatives to any processed or inflammatory foods.”Support Gut Health
“Recommend ways to add gut-friendly foods like probiotics and prebiotics into my meals. Include specific recipes.”Sustainable Eating
“Design a grocery list of sustainable, ethically sourced foods to reduce waste and improve health.”Track Progress
“Create a daily journal template to monitor changes in energy, digestion, and mood as I implement these strategies.”
Step 4: Recipes Tailored for You
Now comes the practical part—what to buy and cook. I asked AI to generate quick, healthy recipes based on the above prompts.
Prompt 4
Provide five recipes that:
Can be cooked in 20 minutes or less.
Use ingredients available in UK supermarkets.
Focus on whole foods, nutrient density, and gut health.
Here are the results:
Recipe 1: Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
4 cups mixed salad greens
1/2 cucumber (sliced)
1/2 red onion (thinly sliced)
10 cherry tomatoes (halved)
50g feta cheese (crumbled)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and oregano.
Heat a pan with olive oil over medium heat. Cook chicken for 5-6 minutes per side until fully cooked.
Toss salad greens, cucumber, onion, and tomatoes in a bowl.
Slice chicken and arrange on top of the salad. Sprinkle with feta and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Recipe 2: Salmon and Avocado Rice Bowl
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
2 salmon fillets
1 cup microwaveable brown rice
1 avocado (sliced)
1/2 cup edamame (shelled, frozen)
1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 spring onion (sliced)
Instructions:
Cook salmon fillets in a non-stick pan for 3-4 minutes per side.
Microwave rice and edamame as per package instructions.
Assemble the bowl with rice, salmon, avocado, and edamame. Drizzle with soy sauce and sesame oil, then garnish with sesame seeds and spring onion.
Recipe 3: Veggie-Packed Egg Scramble
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
1/2 cup spinach
1/2 cup mushrooms (sliced)
1/4 red bell pepper (diced)
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms, bell pepper, and spinach for 3-4 minutes.
Beat eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper, then pour into the pan.
Cook and scramble gently until eggs are set. Serve immediately.
Recipe 4: Lentil and Tomato Soup
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 can (400g) lentils (drained and rinsed)
1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes
1 small onion (diced)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes.
Add chopped tomatoes, lentils, stock, and paprika. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Blend half the soup for a creamy texture or leave chunky. Season to taste.
Recipe 5: Quick Cod with Steamed Vegetables
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cod fillets
1 lemon (sliced)
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup green beans
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Place cod fillets on a baking tray, season with salt, pepper, and lemon slices. Drizzle with olive oil.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.
Steam broccoli and green beans in a microwave steamer or on the hob for 5-7 minutes. Serve alongside the cod.
Shopping List:
Proteins: Chicken breasts, salmon fillets, eggs, cod fillets
Vegetables: Mixed salad greens, cucumber, red onion, cherry tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, red bell pepper, broccoli, green beans
Carbs: Microwaveable brown rice, lentils (canned)
Condiments: Balsamic vinegar, soy sauce/tamari, sesame oil
Pantry Items: Feta cheese, avocado, edamame (frozen), chopped tomatoes (canned), vegetable stock
Seasonings: Oregano, smoked paprika, sesame seeds, spring onion, lemon
Mediterranean Salmon Salad
Ingredients: Salmon fillets, mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, olives, lemon, olive oil.
Instructions: Pan-sear salmon, assemble salad, drizzle with lemon and olive oil.
Vegetable Stir-Fry with Tofu
Ingredients: Firm tofu, broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic.
Instructions: Stir-fry vegetables and tofu with seasoning.
Chicken and Quinoa Bowl
Ingredients: Chicken breast, quinoa, avocado, spinach, cherry tomatoes, lime, olive oil.
Instructions: Grill chicken, cook quinoa, and combine with fresh toppings.
Miso Soup with Veggies
Ingredients: Miso paste, tofu, seaweed, mushrooms, spinach, spring onions.
Instructions: Simmer all ingredients in water until hot.
Berry and Yoghurt Parfait
Ingredients: Greek yoghurt, mixed berries, granola, honey.
Instructions: Layer yoghurt, berries, and granola in a glass.
Final Thoughts
This process has been a revelation for me, helping to align my diet with my energy and fitness goals. The key takeaway? Nutrition is deeply personal, and AI can help you leverage expert knowledge to create a plan that works for your unique lifestyle.
Feel free to tweak the prompts and recipes to suit your needs. Let me know how it works for you!
Notes
Find the recipes and and additional resources linked below.
Check out Brian Johnson’s Heroic for personal development insights around nutrition and generally living a healthier lifestyle.
Happy eating. Did you find this useful? Will you use it yourself? Please do let me know. You can also listen to this episode as a podcast here.