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Using the menu editor

The menu editor is step 2 of the menu template wizard. It shows the menu as a tree, with the menu at the top and days, meals, and foods nested beneath it. The same editor is used when you add menus to a client or client group.

Add a day​

  1. Select the menu in the tree.
  2. Click Add Day. A new day is added to the menu.
  3. To rename the day, click its name and type over it. Day names are edited inline.

Add a meal​

  1. Select a day in the tree.
  2. Click Add Meal.
  3. Choose a Data Source, Axxya Systems or My Data.
  4. Select one or more meals from the Meal list, for example Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner. Select All ticks every meal in the list at once, and turns into Clear so you can untick them again.
  5. Click Save.

The day gets exactly the meals you ticked. Changing the Data Source only reloads the list you are choosing from; it does not add anything on its own. The Axxya Systems list holds the six standard meals: Breakfast, Morning Snack, Lunch, Afternoon Snack, Dinner, and Evening Snack.

If the day already contains one of the selected meals, you are asked whether to replace the existing meal. Click Yes to replace it or No to keep it.

Add a food​

  1. Select a meal in the tree.
  2. Click Add Food. The food search dialog opens.
  3. Search for the ingredient or recipe and select it.
  4. Enter the Serving Amount and choose a Serving Amount Unit. You can also set a Preparation Method and a Meal Component, and add a note in the Text field. A nutrient preview table shows the values for the serving you entered.
  5. Confirm to add the food to the meal.

Add a food set​

A food set is a named group of foods inside a meal, useful for side-item combinations you reuse, such as bread, milk, and coffee.

  1. Select a meal in the tree.
  2. Click Add Food Set, then name the set inline.
  3. Select the food set and use Add Food to fill it.

Edit properties​

Select the menu in the tree and click Properties to set the menu's Name, Start Date, End Date, and Note. For a food, Properties reopens the food's serving form so you can adjust the amount, unit, and other details.

Rearrange the menu​

  • Every row in the tree has Cut, Copy, and Delete icons, and a Paste icon where pasting is allowed.
  • Copy or cut an item at one level and paste it at the matching level: a meal onto a day, a food or food set onto a meal, or a food onto a food set.
  • Drag menus up or down to reorder them.

Copying a day onto another day is the fastest way to build a cycle menu with repeating days.

Analyze the menu​

Click Analysis to open the Analysis dialog, which compares the menu to a nutrient goal template.

  • Analyze By sets the scope: Normal, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly. You can narrow the analysis with the From Day, To Day, Meal, and Day options.
  • The Nutrients tab lists each nutrient's name, unit, value, goal value, and percent of the goal, along with the macronutrient kilocalorie percentages.
  • The Exchanges tab lists the exchange values for the analyzed selection.

You can change the Nutrient Goal Template in the dialog to compare the menu against a different set of goals.