Customizing Targets & Limits

Learn how to adjust nutrient targets and limits to match your specific needs.

Overview

Platebreaker allows you to customize any of the 110 tracked nutrient targets and upper limits (65 nutrients with default targets + 45 with custom targets). This guide explains how to make safe, effective adjustments based on your health goals, medical needs, or professional guidance.

When to Customize

Good Reasons to Adjust

• Healthcare Provider Recommendations: Following specific medical advice
• Verified Deficiencies: Blood test results showing low levels
• Medical Conditions: Doctor-managed conditions requiring adjustments
• Athletic Training: Specific performance or recovery needs
• Life Goals: Weight management, muscle building, etc.

Situations Requiring Caution

• Self-diagnosis without professional confirmation
• Extreme dietary restrictions without guidance
• Children and adolescents (consult pediatrician)
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding (consult OB-GYN or midwife)
• Multiple medications (check interactions)

Types of Customization

1. Absolute Amounts

Set exact daily amounts in standard units:

• Grams (g): Protein, carbs, fat, fiber
• Milligrams (mg): Most vitamins and minerals
• Micrograms (mcg): Trace nutrients

Example Uses:

• Doctor recommends 100g protein daily
• Nutritionist sets 30g fiber target
• Blood work shows need for 18mg iron

How to Set:

1. Navigate to Settings → Nutrition Targets
2. Find the nutrient
3. Select “Absolute Amount”
4. Enter value and unit
5. Save changes

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2. Percentage of Energy

Express targets relative to your daily calories:

• Protein: Usually 10-35% of calories
• Carbohydrates: Usually 45-65% of calories
• Fat: Usually 20-35% of calories
• Specific fatty acids: As % of total fat or calories

Example Uses:

• Ketogenic diet: 70% fat, 20% protein, 10% carbs
• High-carb athlete: 60% carbs, 20% protein, 20% fat
• Balanced: 50% carbs, 25% protein, 25% fat

How It Works:

• Target automatically adjusts with calorie changes
• Maintains ratio as energy needs fluctuate
• Updates with activity level changes

Calculation:

Target (g) = (Calories × Percentage) / Calories per gram

Examples:
- 30% protein at 2000 calories = (2000 × 0.30) / 4 = 150g
- 50% carbs at 2000 calories = (2000 × 0.50) / 4 = 250g
- 25% fat at 2000 calories = (2000 × 0.25) / 9 = 56g

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3. Per Kilogram Body Weight

Scale targets with your body size:

• Protein: 0.8-2.5 g/kg based on goals
• Some minerals: Scale with body mass
• Therapeutic amounts: Medical protocols

Example Uses:

• Muscle building: 1.6-2.2 g/kg protein
• Endurance training: 1.2-1.4 g/kg protein
• Medical need: Specific nutrient per kg dosing

How It Works:

• Target updates when weight changes
• Scales automatically with body size
• More personalized than fixed amounts

Common Protein Ranges:

• Sedentary: 0.8 g/kg (minimum requirement)
• Recreationally active: 1.0-1.2 g/kg
• Strength training: 1.6-2.2 g/kg
• Endurance athlete: 1.2-1.6 g/kg
• Weight loss (preserve muscle): 1.8-2.2 g/kg

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4. Nutrient Weights

Adjust the relative importance of nutrients in search rankings:

• Weight 0: Turns off the target completely (nutrient won’t affect rankings)
• Weight 1: Default importance (standard influence on rankings)
• Higher weights: Emphasize specific nutrients (e.g., weight 2 makes a nutrient twice as important)
• Lower weights: De-emphasize nutrients (e.g., weight 0.5 reduces importance by half)

Example Uses:

• Set water weight to 0 if you don’t want to actively track water intake
• Set vitamin D weight to 0 during onboarding if you prefer not to track it
• Increase iron weight to 2 if focusing on addressing iron deficiency
• Reduce fiber weight to 0.5 if consistently meeting fiber targets

How It Works:

• During search, nutrient gaps are multiplied by their weights
• Higher weights make recipes rich in that nutrient rank higher
• Weight 0 completely removes the nutrient from ranking calculations
• Targets still exist but don’t influence which recipes are recommended

Onboarding Defaults:

• Water: You’ll be asked if you want to actively track water. If not, weight is set to 0.
• Vitamin D: Same pattern—opt-in for active tracking or weight set to 0.

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Customization Workflow

Step 1: Understand Current Targets

Before changing:

1. Review current target and its source
2. Understand why it’s set at current level
3. Check if it’s authority-based or already custom
4. Note the reasoning for the default

Step 2: Determine New Target

Decide your new target based on:

• Professional recommendations (preferred)
• Blood test results
• Specific health goals
• Research-backed protocols

Step 3: Choose Expression Type

Select how to express the target:

• Absolute: Fixed daily amount
• % Energy: Relative to calories
• Per kg: Scaled to body weight

Step 4: Enter and Validate

1. Input new value
2. System checks for:
   • Extremely high/low values (warning)
   • Conflicts with upper limits
   • Unrealistic combinations
3. Confirm changes

Step 5: Document Reasoning

Record why you made the change:

• Note source of recommendation
• Date and reason for adjustment
• Expected outcomes
• Plan for re-evaluation

Step 6: Monitor and Adjust

After customizing:

• Track how you feel
• Monitor relevant health markers
• Check with provider at follow-ups
• Adjust if needed based on results

Common Customizations

Weight Loss

Typical adjustments:

• Calories: 300-500 below maintenance
• Protein: Higher (1.8-2.2 g/kg) to preserve muscle
• Fiber: 30-40g to increase satiety
• Water: Increase for appetite control

Muscle Building

Typical adjustments:

• Calories: 200-500 above maintenance
• Protein: 1.6-2.2 g/kg for muscle synthesis
• Carbohydrates: 4-7 g/kg for workout fuel
• Creatine: 3-5g daily (if supplementing)

Endurance Training

Typical adjustments:

• Calories: Significantly increased
• Carbohydrates: 5-10 g/kg based on volume
• Protein: 1.2-1.6 g/kg
• Sodium: Higher for sweat losses

Low-Carb / Keto

Typical adjustments:

• Carbohydrates: 20-50g daily
• Fat: 60-75% of calories
• Protein: 20-30% of calories
• Electrolytes: Higher sodium, potassium, magnesium

Medical Conditions

Diabetes:

• Controlled carbohydrate targets
• Emphasis on fiber
• Monitoring specific foods

Kidney Disease:

• Restricted protein (0.6-0.8 g/kg)
• Limited phosphorus
• Controlled potassium
• Sodium restriction

Heart Health:

• Sodium: Under 2000mg/day
• Omega-3: Increased EPA/DHA
• Saturated fat: Under 7% calories
• Fiber: 25-35g

Note: Medical conditions require professional oversight. Always consult healthcare providers.

Upper Limit Customization

When to Adjust Upper Limits

Lower Limits:

• Specific health conditions (kidney issues, high blood pressure)
• Doctor-prescribed restrictions
• Medication interactions
• Personal sensitivities

Raise Limits (Rare):

• Therapeutic dosing under medical supervision
• Specific deficiencies requiring high intake
• Professional protocols
• Always requires professional guidance

Safety Considerations

Never Exceed:

• Well-established toxicity levels
• Medication interaction thresholds
• Authority-defined safety limits (without professional guidance)

When Raising Limits:

• Get professional approval
• Understand risks
• Monitor for adverse effects
• Have regular check-ins
• Document everything

Saving Custom Targets

Target Profiles

Create named profiles for different situations:

• Training Days: Higher carbs and calories
• Rest Days: Lower carbs
• Competition: Specific pre-race protocol
• Recovery: Adjusted macros

Switching Between Profiles

• Change active profile anytime
• All tracking adapts to current profile
• History preserved for each profile
• Compare results across profiles

Resetting to Defaults

When to Reset

Consider returning to defaults if:

• Medical situation resolved
• Experiment didn’t work
• Professional recommends standard approach
• Unsure about customizations

How to Reset

1. Go to Settings → Nutrition Targets
2. Select nutrient(s) to reset
3. Click “Reset to Default”
4. Confirm authority-based calculation
5. Review new targets

Note: Historical data preserved, only future targets change.

Working with Healthcare Providers

Sharing Your Targets

Providers can better help if they see:

• Current target settings
• Customizations you’ve made
• Your tracking history
• How you’re meeting targets

Implementing Professional Recommendations

From Dietitian/Nutritionist:

1. Request specific nutrient targets
2. Ask which expression type (absolute, %, /kg)
3. Understand rationale
4. Enter in Platebreaker
5. Follow-up to assess results

From Physician:

1. Discuss any medical restrictions
2. Get specific nutrient limits
3. Understand medication interactions
4. Implement cautiously
5. Monitor health markers

Advanced Customization

Nutrient Priorities

Emphasize specific nutrients:

• Set higher priority for biggest gaps
• De-prioritize nutrients you consistently meet
• Macro-only tracking (set micronutrients to lower priority)

Conditional Targets

Some situations call for different targets:

• Exercise Days: Higher carbs and calories
• Fasting Days: Adjusted protocols
• Travel: Flexibility settings
• Social Events: Temporary adjustments

Common Questions

”Can I customize all nutrients?”

Yes, all 110 tracked nutrients can be customized. The system will warn about extreme values but allows professional-guided adjustments.

”Will customization affect recommendations?”

Yes, recipe recommendations adjust immediately to help you meet your custom targets.

”Can I customize for family members differently?”

Yes, each family profile has independent target settings.

”What if I set conflicting targets?”

The system will warn about conflicts (e.g., macros exceeding calories) and help you resolve them.

”Can I export my custom targets?”

Yes, all customizations can be exported for sharing with healthcare providers or backup purposes.

Important Reminders

Professional Guidance

• Significant changes should involve healthcare providers
• Medical conditions require professional management
• Blood tests confirm nutrient status
• Regular monitoring ensures safety

Individual Response

• People respond differently to dietary changes
• Track how you feel, not just numbers
• Adjust based on outcomes
• Trust your body’s signals

Documentation

• Keep records of why you made changes
• Note expected benefits
• Track actual results
• Share with healthcare team

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Next: Custom Recipes guide (coming soon)