Meal Plans & Personal Trainers

Let’s talk meal plans.

To no fault of the clients’, there’s a common misconception about personal trainers and their ability to prescribe/ distribute meal plans….probably because so many personal trainers choose to create and sell meal plans, despite this being ILLEGAL.

Unless your PT is also a registered dietitian, they should NOT be selling you prescribed meal plans. I’m talking the kind of meal plans that tell you what to eat, how much, & when to eat it.  

So what CAN personal trainers do?

-Encourage clients to eat more lean protein and nutrient rich vegetables.

-Educate clients about the benefits of protein, healthy fats, and other macronutrients. 

-Educate clients about the principles of good nutrition and provide them with coaching to improve their eating habits.

-Help clients choose the right foods to eat before and after workouts.

-Offer clients recipes or food prep skills. 

-Let clients know about evidence-based nutritional supplements that might augment their healthy lifestyle.

(Above info found on precisionnutrition.com) 

For example:

Trainers CANNOT prescribe a diet to treat someone’s obesity. 

Trainers CAN share nutrition ideas to support the client’s healthy lifestyle.

See the difference? 

I am happy to provide nutritional guidance to my clients and teach the basics of nutrition. BUT, if you are looking for specific meal plans, I will ALWAYS suggest you seek out a Registered Dietitian. Trainers DO NOT receive the same education on nutrition that RDs do! 

Because I regularly receive meal plan requests, I wanted to write this post to inform more people about personal trainers’ role with this. I hope this helps!