Image by: Igor Omilaev 3
INTRODUCTION
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is a new technology that can help us better our everyday lives. One area where AI can be especially useful is in our own kitchens. With the right prompts, AI can help us plan balanced meals, create grocery lists, use ingredients we already have, and even reduce food waste 1.
Story time: when I was moving out of my college house, I had so many random items of food left in my fridge, and I had no idea what to make with them. I put a list of what I had left into AI, and it helped me create balanced meals that used up the rest of the ingredients I had. This led me to think, how else can I use AI in my meal planning? Here's what I came up with.
AI AS YOUR SOUS CHEF AND PERSONAL SHOPPER
AI can do so much more than you may have thought in your own kitchen.
AI can:
Take your weekly grocery budget and make a grocery list that fits in that price range
Look at your local grocery store and tell you what is on sale
Make a list of dinner ideas with ingredients you need to get from the store
Come up with your meal prep for the week
Take the random ingredients in your fridge and pantry and incorporate them into your meals for the week
AI IS TURNING INTO EARTH’S BEST FRIEND
A major issue in society today is food waste. The United States wastes about 60 million tons of food every year 2.
This breaks down to:
120 billion pounds per year 2
Almost 40% of the US food supply 2
325 pounds of waste per person 2
This is like if everyone in America threw away 975 average-sized apples 2
22% of US landfills come from food waste 2
$218 billion, or 130 billion meals wasted 2
43% of the food waste comes from homes 2
Why is this an issue?
35 million people across America, including 10 million children, suffer from food insecurity 2
More than 80% of Americans discard perfectly good food because they misunderstand expiration labels 2
Food waste generates 11% of the world's emissions, like methane, carbon dioxide, and chlorofluorocarbons, which contribute to global warming 2
AI can help reduce this through:
Planning exact meals so you know the measurements and do not have to throw extra ingredients away
Explain expiration, sell-by, and other dates on the package to you
Give you ideas of where to donate food if you are not going to eat it
Make meal ideas with extra ingredients to help incorporate them
AI IS YOUR DIETITIAN’S ASSISTANT
While AI cannot treat or diagnose any conditions, it can do so much that will help your dietitian.
For example, if your dietitian places you on a therapeutic diet and you feel overwhelmed with what you can and cannot eat, AI can simplify the work and help design meals for you.
While AI is a great tool, it still can make mistakes, so make sure to double-check with your care team.
PROMPTS TO TRY
You are my personal shopper. I have 200 dollars to use this week for my groceries and a family of 4. I need breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. Please make me a grocery list that fits within this budget that I can make meals with. I live in [insert town and state here] for reference on prices.
You are a personal shopper. I go to [insert grocery store here] in [add location here]. I want you to tell me what is on sale for the week. After that, make me a list of ideas of how to incorporate these products into meals and recipes for my family of 4 for the week.
Act as my personal chef and create a meal plan for the week. I need breakfast, lunch, and dinner for my family of 4. Give me exact recipes as well as a grocery list for when I go to the store.
You are my personal chef. I need to meal prep breakfast, lunch, and dinner for my family of 4. I also need some snacks for the middle of the day. Please come up with 2 breakfast recipes, 3 lunch recipes, 3 snack recipes, and 3 dinner recipes that I can use to meal prep this week.
You are a creative chef and dietitian. I want to make balanced meals for my family this week using ingredients I already have. They include [add ingredients that you have here]. Please help me brainstorm meal ideas, or let me know where I can add these ingredients to other dishes.
PLATFORMS TO USE
New to AI? Some common platforms include:
Chat GPT
Claude
Microsoft Copilot
Google Gemini
**I recommend doing research before using AI platforms, as some require payment while others offer free versions with different features. It is also important to understand where a platform gets its information and review its privacy policy, since AI companies can differ in how they collect, store, and use the information users provide 1.
CONCLUSION
AI is here to stay, and learning how to use it as a tool will help many people in the long run. While it can be very useful in many aspects, it is important to remember that it is not always correct, especially when it comes to medical advice. It is important to speak to your health care team. When used correctly, AI can be a helpful addition to the kitchen, making meal planning easier, helping reduce food waste, and supporting more sustainable choices while leaving health care decisions to qualified professionals1.
SOURCES
ChatGPT - Latest News and Chat About AI. chatgpt.com. Accessed September 13, 2026. http://www.chatgpt.com
RTS. Food Waste in America in 2024: Statistics & Facts. Recycle Track Systems. 2025. Accessed September 13, 2026. https://www.rts.com/resources/guides/food-waste-america/
Unsplash. Igor Omilaev. unsplash. 2026. Accessed September 14, 2026. https://unsplash.com/@omilaev