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Kenji Meals

How Kenji makes recommendations

Sources, assumptions, and limitations behind calorie targets, macros, and meal suggestions. Last updated: June 23, 2026.

The short version

Kenji turns your profile, goals, diet preferences, budget, allergies, and cooking preferences into general nutrition guidance. Calorie targets and macro ranges are estimates based on established equations and public dietary references. Meal nutrition values are estimated from recipe ingredients and standard food-composition data, primarily USDA FoodData Central.

Kenji is not a medical device and does not provide diagnosis, treatment, or clinical nutrition care. The app is designed for everyday meal planning and education, not for managing a disease or replacing a physician, registered dietitian, or other qualified healthcare professional.

How calorie targets are calculated

Kenji estimates resting energy needs with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then applies an activity multiplier based on the activity level selected in the app. The result is an estimated Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). Depending on the selected goal, Kenji may apply a moderate calorie deficit, maintenance target, or surplus.

These values are population-level estimates. Real energy needs can differ because of health status, genetics, medication, training load, sleep, hormones, and measurement error in height, weight, and activity reporting.

How macro recommendations are made

Kenji starts from dietary reference ranges and adapts them to your selected goal and diet style. For example, high-protein and muscle-building plans place more emphasis on protein, while keto-style plans limit carbohydrate-heavy recipes. These adjustments are general guidance and are not a prescription.

Protein, carbohydrate, and fat recommendations are informed by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the World Health Organization, the International Society of Sports Nutrition, and related nutrition references listed below.

How meal plans are selected

Kenji filters and ranks recipes using your diet style, allergens, disliked foods, budget, preferred cuisines, cooking level, prep time, and prior choices in onboarding. The app then surfaces recipes that best match those constraints while keeping enough variety for the week.

Recipe cards show estimated calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, prep time, and cost. Actual nutrition and cost can vary by brand, ingredient size, preparation method, region, and serving size.

Nutrition data sources

Food and recipe estimates use publicly available food-composition references where possible. USDA FoodData Central is the primary cited database for calories and macronutrients. When a recipe is generated or imported from a photo, the result is an estimate based on recognized ingredients and likely portions.

Disclaimer

Always seek advice from a physician, registered dietitian, or qualified healthcare professional before beginning a diet, weight-loss plan, exercise regimen, or other wellness program, especially if you have a medical condition, are pregnant, are breastfeeding, are under 18, or have a history of disordered eating.

The information on this page and in the Kenji Meals app is provided for informational purposes only. It should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, and it should not be relied on for medical decisions.

References

Questions or feedback

If you have a question about a specific recommendation or want to suggest another source, email kenjimeals@protonmail.com.