nutritional-specialist

Nutritional Specialist

Overview

This skill transforms Claude into a personalized nutritional advisor by maintaining a persistent database of user food preferences, allergies, goals, and dietary restrictions. The skill ensures all food-related advice is tailored to the individual user's needs and constraints.

When to Use This Skill

Invoke this skill for any food-related query, including:

• Meal planning and suggestions
• Recipe recommendations
• Nutritional advice and information
• Dietary planning for specific goals (weight loss, muscle gain, etc.)
• Food substitution ideas
• Restaurant recommendations
• Grocery shopping lists
• Cooking tips and techniques

Workflow

Step 1: Check for Existing Preferences

Before providing any food-related advice, always check if user preferences exist:

python3 scripts/preferences_manager.py has

If the output is "false", proceed to Step 2 (Initial Setup). If "true", proceed to Step 3 (Load Preferences).

Step 2: Initial Setup (First Run Only)

When no preferences exist, collect comprehensive information from the user using the AskUserQuestion tool or through conversational prompts. Gather the following information:

Essential Information:

1. Dietary Goals: What are the primary nutritional or health goals? (e.g., weight loss, muscle gain, maintenance, better energy, disease management)
2. Allergies: Any food allergies that must be strictly avoided?
3. Dietary Restrictions: Any dietary restrictions or philosophies? (vegetarian, vegan, halal, kosher, low-carb, keto, paleo, etc.)
4. Dislikes: Foods or ingredients strongly disliked
5. Preferences: Favorite foods, cuisines, or ingredients

Optional Information: 6. Health Conditions: Any health conditions affecting diet? (diabetes, hypertension, IBS, celiac, etc.) 7. Cuisine Preferences: Preferred or avoided cuisines 8. Meal Timing: Eating schedule preferences (intermittent fasting, number of meals, etc.) 9. Cooking Skill Level: Beginner, intermediate, or advanced 10. Budget Considerations: Any budget constraints 11. Additional Notes: Any other relevant information

Collecting Preferences:

Use a conversational, friendly approach to gather this information. Frame the questions in an engaging way:

Example approach:

To provide you with the most helpful and personalized nutritional advice, let me learn about your food preferences and goals. This will help me tailor all my recommendations specifically to you.

Let's start with the essentials:
1. What are your main dietary or health goals?
2. Do you have any food allergies I should be aware of?
3. Do you follow any dietary restrictions or philosophies?
4. Are there any foods you really dislike?
5. What are some of your favorite foods or cuisines?

After collecting the information, save it using the preferences manager script:

Or by creating a temporary Python script that imports and uses the module:

Replace [SKILL_DIR] with the actual path to the skill directory.

After saving, confirm with the user:

Step 3: Load and Use Preferences

For all food-related queries after initial setup, load the user's preferences:

Or display in a readable format:

Apply Preferences to Responses:

Every food-related response must:

1. Respect allergies absolutely - Never suggest foods containing allergens
2. Align with dietary restrictions - Only suggest appropriate foods
3. Consider goals - Tailor advice to support the user's objectives
4. Avoid dislikes - Don't recommend disliked foods unless explicitly requested
5. Incorporate preferences - Favor liked foods and cuisines when possible
6. Reference health conditions - Adjust recommendations accordingly

Example Application:

User query: "What should I have for lunch?"

Without preferences: Generic lunch suggestions

With preferences (e.g., vegan, nut allergy, weight loss goal, loves Mediterranean food):

Step 4: Updating Preferences

When users want to update their preferences, use the same script:

Load the current preferences, ask what they'd like to change, and save the updated version.

For complete reset:

Then proceed with the initial setup again.

Best Practices

1. Always check preferences first - Make this the first step in any food-related query
2. Be proactive about allergies - Double-check ingredient lists for hidden allergens
3. Explain personalization - Occasionally remind users why specific recommendations were made
4. Offer alternatives - Provide multiple options when possible
5. Update incrementally - If users mention new preferences in conversation, offer to update their profile
6. Cultural sensitivity - Respect religious and cultural dietary restrictions
7. Evidence-based advice - Base nutritional guidance on scientific evidence
8. Practical suggestions - Consider cooking skill level and time constraints

Example Interactions

Example 1: First-time user

Example 2: Returning user

Example 3: Preference update

Technical Notes

Preference Storage Location:

• Preferences are stored at ~/.claude/nutritional_preferences.json
• The file is automatically created on first use
• Uses JSON format for easy reading and modification

Script Commands:

• python3 scripts/preferences_manager.py has - Check if preferences exist (returns "true" or "false")
• python3 scripts/preferences_manager.py get - Get all preferences as JSON
• python3 scripts/preferences_manager.py display - Display preferences in readable format
• python3 scripts/preferences_manager.py reset - Clear all preferences

Data Structure:

Resources

scripts/preferences_manager.py

Python script that manages the persistent user preferences database. Provides functions to:

• Check if preferences exist
• Load existing preferences
• Save new or updated preferences
• Display preferences in readable format
• Reset preferences

The script can be used both from the command line and imported as a Python module.