A focused setup gives a nutritionist a clear path through three jobs: invite a client, set the targets that belong to the professional relationship and review the client’s food diary before a consultation. The time depends on what information you have ready and how many clients you are setting up. Work through the steps in order, check what each client will see and leave room to complete the rest later.
Prepare what you need first
Before opening the dashboard, gather the information required for your own profile and practice, such as your professional details, business name, working hours and time zone. Decide what client details you need to invite someone and how you will explain the service. Avoid collecting information just to fill a field. Keep client information private while you prepare it.
Think about which clients you want to invite first. You can begin with people who already understand your service and are ready to use a client app. The invitation needs to be tied to the email the client will use to join. Explain that they will need the Shellel app and that they choose whether to accept and share their diary.
Have a clear note about your practice boundaries ready. Tell clients what you will review, how they can contact you and what information remains private. Make sure your invitation message describes the next step without promising a particular nutrition result.
Invite clients with clear expectations
Add the client using the information your workflow requests, then review the invitation details before sending. Check the spelling of the client’s name and email. Explain which email account they should use to accept. A clear invitation reduces confusion if the client has more than one account.
The client joins through the Shellel app. They choose whether to accept the invitation and share information. Do not treat an invitation as access to the person’s food record until they have accepted. If they have not joined, the dashboard should not be described as showing their diary.
Give the client a short welcome message that explains what to do after joining. They can begin logging meals in familiar words, including English, Hindi or Hinglish. Tell them that everyday portions are acceptable and that estimates are not exact measurements. Invite questions if a food name or portion is unclear.
Set client targets thoughtfully
Once a client has accepted and the relationship is active, review the target settings available to you. The nutritionist can use their own professional judgement to set client targets or consider a suggestion where available. Confirm the intended values and timing before saving. Do not copy a sample client’s values or assume that one set of targets is appropriate for another person.
Explain to the client who set the targets and where they can ask a question. A target is part of your professional plan; it is not a guarantee about what the client will experience. If the target changes, let the client know and make the reason understandable. Keep the discussion within your professional scope.
Target fields may include nutrition and routine measures. Use only what is relevant to the client and your work. If a value depends on uncertain data, say so. Avoid setting a target simply because the system displays an empty field.
Review the food diary before the consult
The diary is the starting point for review. Look at the meals the client actually logged, the language they used and any portions marked or described as approximate. Choose a question that will make the consultation more useful. You do not need to comment on every entry.
For example, if Priya S. logs “two roti, dal fry, one katori curd,” you can ask what size roti she means or whether the dal was prepared at home. Keep her words in the conversation. If the description is clear enough for the question, do not ask for unnecessary detail.
Nutrition values in the diary are estimates. Home recipes and household portions vary. A value displayed beside a meal does not mean that the exact plate was measured. When a number matters, explain the assumptions and invite the client to correct the food or portion.
Use the review to prepare a consultation
Before a scheduled consultation, note the client’s priority, the diary detail you want to clarify and what you agreed to revisit last time. This keeps the call focused. Avoid turning the review into a judgement about whether the client followed a plan. A missed entry is not evidence that they skipped a meal.
In-app consult calls are audio-only. You can discuss the record by describing an entry aloud and asking the client to confirm what they meant. Summarise important details so the person can correct you. If the client cannot speak privately or the call connection is poor, follow the agreed process to reschedule or continue appropriately.
At the end, agree on one next step. It may be to keep logging in the same way, clarify a particular meal next time or adjust the target discussion. Record the decision in the client’s context and explain how you will follow up.
Use a simple setup checklist
- Complete the practice profile and working details.
- Confirm which clients are ready to receive an invitation.
- Check each invitation email and explain how the client joins.
- Wait for the client to accept before expecting diary information.
- Set targets using your professional judgement and explain them.
- Review the client’s own diary entries before the consultation.
- Keep uncertainty visible and nutrition values labelled as estimates.
- Agree on a clear follow-up question or next step.
If you are not ready to complete every step, use the dashboard checklist to return later. A thoughtful setup is more important than filling each section quickly. Work through the clients in a manageable order and check each person’s context before saving changes.
How Shellel helps
Shellel guides nutritionists through inviting clients, setting their targets and reviewing client food diaries. Clients choose whether to join and share their meals, and in-app consult calls are audio-only. Explore the nutritionist workspace and read how to spend a consultation on advice rather than recall to see how diary review fits into the conversation.
Quick answers
Asked and answered
Does every client need to accept an invitation before I can review a diary?
Yes. The client’s information becomes available after they accept and choose to share it. An invitation alone is not access to the client’s log.
Should I use the same targets for every new client?
No. The nutritionist sets targets for each client using professional judgement and the information available. Do not reuse sample values or treat a default as universally appropriate.
Do I need to finish setup in one sitting?
No. Use the checklist to complete steps carefully and return when you have the information you need.
