Overview
Noom’s Custom Meal feature lets you add and save your own recipes, dishes, or meals so you can log them easily and accurately. Understanding the difference between serving size and portion size can help you log meals more consistently and stay aligned with your goals.
What to Know
- A serving size is a standardized way to measure food based on nutritional guidelines
- A portion size is how much you actually eat, which may be more or less than a standard serving
- You can add custom meals by building them ingredient-by-ingredient and assigning total servings per recipe
- Custom meal creation is currently available on iOS only.
What to Do
To create a custom meal (iOS only):
- Tap the Log Your Meals card on the Home screen OR tap Track More Habits > Meals
- Select the meal type (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snack)
- Tap My meals tab
- Tap Add your first meal
- Add meal name > Tap + Add Ingredient
- Search for each ingredient and select the amount
- You can choose from predefined units or tap Other Units to enter a custom amount
- After adding all ingredients, tap Done
- Tap Total Servings and adjust the slider to set total servings
- Tap Save Meal
- After you select Save Meal, the Servings Eaten slide will surface. Choose how many servings you ate.
- Tap Log [X] Serving(s) and then Done > Log Lunch
Your saved custom meal will appear under My Meals so you can quickly log it again later.
To edit or delete a custom meal:
Edit a custom meal:
- Open the Log Your Meals card or go to Track More Habits > Meals
- Select a meal type > Tap My meals tab, then select the meal
- Edit the name, ingredients, or servings
- Tap Log [X] Serving(s) and the screen should return you to the meal list.
Delete a custom meal:
- Follow the same steps above to find your meal
- Tap the three dots (⋯) next to the meal name
- Tap Delete Custom Dish, then confirm by tapping Delete
Tips for Understanding Serving Sizes
Every food and recipe has a different nutritional makeup, so servings vary. For example, a Noom recipe might say it makes 6 servings—so one serving = one-sixth of the total dish.
If you’re not using a food scale or packaging, here are quick visual cues to estimate serving sizes:
| Food Item | Approximate Visual Comparison |
|---|---|
| 1 tsp butter | Tip of your thumb |
| ½ cup mashed potatoes | Half an apple |
| ½ cup cooked pasta | Baseball |
| ½ cup ice cream | Tennis ball |
| 3 oz beef | Deck of cards |
| 1 cup green salad | Baseball |
| ½ cup broccoli | Light bulb |
| 3 oz fish | Checkbook |
| ½ cup rice | Fits into a cupped hand |
You may eat more than one serving—just be sure to adjust Servings Eaten when logging.
Need to Know More?
Q: What’s the difference between a serving and a portion?
A: A serving is the recommended amount based on nutrition standards. A portion is what you actually eat. Logging accurately means understanding the difference and adjusting when needed.
Q: Can I create custom meals on Android?
A: Custom meal creation is currently available on iOS only.
Q: What if I can’t find an exact ingredient?
A: Use the closest match available, or select a similar food and note the difference for yourself if needed. You can always add it to your custom meal for future use.
