LSC S2:Meal Planning

LSC S2:Meal Planning

Introduction
Planning your own meals may allow you to see how much you are eating on a daily basis. This will help you and your family members to get the right nutritional requirements for the body. This helps you to decide on what to eat in each meal and guides you on shopping wisely. Good budgeting is essential after planning your meal and it saves you from being extravagant and wasting of food.
Meal planning is having time to put down a number of meals for yourself or family while putting into consideration balancing them. This can be a daily guide for your meals.

Making wise choices of food when shopping
Choice of the foods to include in a meal is very important to ensure that individual needs are catered for and a balanced meal is attained. You need art, skills, nutritional knowledge and good judgment to make good balanced menus for you and your family. The meals chosen and the number of courses will
depend on occasion or the. family. For you to appreciate the food, it must be well prepared, tasty, and well presented.

Activity 7.1
Explaining the factors for choice of food items
In small groups,
1.Discuss the different things you can put in mind before shopping food items for a meal of yourself and the family.

2. List them down in your notebooks.
   Write them on a chart or classroom chalkboard andpresent them to the whole class.
   Making a budget when planning for a meal
   Before budgeting for the meals, the following should be considered:

• Decide on the food you are going to include in your meal.
• Check on the number of people you are planning for to avoid wastage or shortage.

• Plan your meals putting in mind the foods on season or on sale.
• Check your store, refrigerator or freezer to find out what you do not need to buy.
• Packaged foods are also good but check the consumer information, e.g. unit pricing, labelling, nutritional
• information, and quality indicators.
• The costs of different foods versus the available money.

Making shopping lists
Activity 7.2
In your group,
1.Make a list of at least five food items from each of the three food groups.
2.Attach the amount required for three people and the cost of each.
3.Arrange these foodstuffs into balanced meals putting the different individual needs into consideration.
4.Write your list on a chart and display it to your class for comparison.

The importance of consumer information
The information given to consumers on the packaging may include unit pricing, labelling, nutritional information, and quality indicators.
Food labelling is a legal requirement for all food producers. It helps consumers make informed decisions when buying foodstuffs. It also helps them to store and use the food they have bought safely.
Different sizes of packages cost differently.

LSC S2:Meal Planning

Therefore unit price helps you to make a right choice and save money per unit. The nutritional information on the food label will inform you of nutrients in the food. This will help you to check on some
nutrient intake. They also include information on fat, saturates (saturated fat), carbohydrates, sugars, protein and salt.
Food consumers are susceptible to any form of contamination that may occur during the manufacturing process. Food quality also deals with originality of the product indicating the manufacturer and the location of the factory.

Developing menus of nutritious and attractive meals for different groups
In order to meet the individual needs of the family members, some special considerations have to be put in place. Foods that are rich in particular nutrients have to be included in their meals. A day’s meal may vary according to the circumstances of the family, working hours, healthy status of individuals and
variation in age of the family members.

Pregnant women/Expectant mothers
A pregnant woman is known to “eat for two”; this means she needs to eat foods with enough nutrients for herself and the fetus. When a woman is pregnant, the fetus gets the nourishment from the food she eats. Therefore a mother to be, should include a variety of healthy foods in her meals to provide the nutrients for growth and development of her baby. More protein, calcium, folic acid, and iron are required in higher amounts than others.

Discussing the nutrition requirements of a
Activity 7.3
pregnant woman

1. In small groups, find out the different foods that are rich in the nutrients required by a pregnant woman.
2. Discuss the factors that affect the nutrition of the expectant mother.
3. Plan breakfast/lunch for a pregnant woman.
4. Share your findings with the whole class.
   Infants meals
   New born babies should be breastfed in the first hour afterbirth if the mother is well and able to feed the baby. Exclusive breast feeding is essential because breast milk has got all the nutrients
   required by the baby except iron. The iron stores are able to support growth of the baby for the first six months of life before introducing other foods. If your baby is exclusively breastfed, it is less likely to fall sick.

Toddlers meals

At this stage, the toddlers are growing very fast yet their appetite is still small. Meals should be enjoyed by the toddlers all the time. The meals should be on time with attractive small portions. Plenty of time should be given for the meals to be eaten. New flavours can also be introduced carefully and avoid
highly spiced foods. Attractive colourful crockery and cutlery can be used. Table manners can be emphasised at this time. Can you think of other factors that can be considered when feeding
a toddler? Write them down in your notebook.

Developing menus for toddlers
Plan some meals for the toddler.

1. Make a budget for the required ingredients.
2. Design a menu card for the day’s meal.
3. Present your budget and menu card to higher classes to choose the best among all groups.
   Meals for the adolescents

As a teenager, your growth rate is high. This is when you grow tall and also gain weight at a high rate. Support the rate of growth by eating a wide range of foods in form of meals and snacks.
This will give you the nutrients you require in your body. You need to increase on the intake of some nutrients like calories, proteins, fats, vitamins and mineral salts. Adolescents usually
spend most of their time away from home in school, work, and SPONs schedules. Eat meals provided at school or packs or find some healthy snacks at the canteen if the school does not
provide meals to cater for your nutritional needs.

Try to balance your meals as much as possible even if they are obtained from the canteen; include fruits and vegetables. Avoid eating a lot of junks or foods with high fat contents these cause extra body weight that will lead to obesity. If you eat too much or too little, it can affect your growth. Advice for healthy eating may include the following:

• Eat 3 meals a day, with healthy snac s.
• Increase fiber in the diet.
• Drink water.
• Eat balanced meals.
• Make use of healthy cooking methods to cook your food.
• Watch your fat and sugar intake.
• Eat fruit or vegetables for a snack.

Meals for the elderly
During this time, bodies of old people have health challenges. Some old people have digestive problems, loss of teeth and other health issues like non-communicable diseases so their meals may have restrictions in choice. These may determine the method of cooking to be used. Continue giving the old people
a balanced diet but the energy giving foods should be reduced because they have fewer activities. The old people should be given soft foods which are easy to chew.

Sample menu for the elderly
Breakfast
Orange/passion fruit drink/sweet banana
o African tea
O Toasted bread
Boiled egg
Lunch
O
Lunch/dinner
Chicken luwombo
Mashed matooke
Steamed nakati
Mixed fruit drink

or
Pasted roasted meat
Millet bread/ka/o
Marakwan in groundnuts
A mango fruit
Some drinking water
Dinner
O
Or
o
Beef stew
Boiled vegetable rice
Stir fried nakati
Mixed fruit drink
Dry fish in groundnuts
Steamed sweet potatoes
Steamed dodo
Orange drink
Snack
0 Fruits like apple, mango, banana, pawpaw, jackfruit
@ Fat-free strawberry yoghurt

Meals for the invalids

If you are sick, you need to take in maximum nourishment in little food. The food should be fresh with a good amount of nutrients. It should be rich in protein, vitamin C, A, and B to speed up healing by replacing the wasted tissues. It should contain iron and roughage. You should take in less energy foods since activity is restricted.
Your digestive system is usually impaired at this time so foods that are not easily digested should be avoided, for example fried foods, oily foods, cheese, and highly seasoned foods. There are
three stages in illness:

During the onset of fever
At this stage, the temperature is high and the patient’s appetite is low. In this case, a liquid diet should be given. Drinks and light meals should be provided, frequently to cool down the high
temperature.
To avoid becoming weak, the patient should be given some energy giving drinks. Proteins can also be provided in form of drinks like milk drinks, egg flips, fruit fool, soups, porridge, and
milk pudding.

After fever
This is when the temperature has been lowered. Continue giving the patient more drinks and a light diet. All the foods given should be well cooked and easy to digest. Examples of foods may include fruit drinks/fruits salads, milk drinks/shakes, poached or boiled eggs, steamed dishes and stews.
In convalescence
This is the recovery stage, the temperature is now low but the patient is still weak. The body system is just starting to function well. The patients are able to eat small portions of most foods but they should be easy to digest. The suitable foods for convalescents include: Fruits: Fresh fruit drinks, whole fruits, and salads. Vegetables: Steamed green vegetables, vegetable salads. Protein foods: Eggs, fish, meat, and milk dishes. Carbohydrate dishes: Whole meal cereals, root vegetables, creamed potatoes, soups, sauces, and porridge.

Question:
Have you ever been sick or has any member of your family ever been sick?
Planning a meal for the invalid
Activity 7.5
In your groups,
1.Find out the points to consider when planning meals for invalids.
2.Plan a one day menu for an invalid giving reasons for your choice.
3.Present your menu on a chart to the whole class.

Breakfast for the family

When you take breakfast, it helps break the overnight fasting period. It replenishes your supply of glucose and provides other essential nutrients to keep your energy levels up throughout the day. In general, your healthy breakfast contains protein foods, fruits, carbohydrates, or vegetables and a hot drink. If you skip
breakfast, you are more likely to reach for high sugar and fatty snacks by mid-morning. If you eat breakfast each day, you will meet your daily nutritional requirements, as a good quality breakfast can provide you with about a third of your daily nutrient needs.

Planning a breakfast for the family
Activity 7.6
In your groups,

1. Plan a breakfast for your family.
2. Give reasons for the choice of foods you have made.
3. Find some paper cut outs or draw pictures for a well balanced breakfast and display them in class.
   Sample breakfast dishes

• Beverages — tea, coffee, cocoa, chocolate with or without
• milk.
• Fruit drinks — orange, passion fruit, watermelon, cocktail/
• mixed fruit drink.
• Porridge with milk (millet, maize flour, rice, soy-cereal).
• An egg (scrambled, boiled, fried or omelet).
• Bread toast, sandwich, french toast.
• Vegetable salad/fruit salad.

Planning a dinner/lunch for a family
When you plan meals for the family, include a variety of foods. This will help your family to get all the nutrients needed each day. For instance, consider the family’s favourite dishes and also introduce new recipes. Vary the methods of cooking like

baking, steaming, grilling, and stewing. Avoid duplicating the same foods in the same day.
Sometimes, meals may be made simple. This may be due to limited time for meal preparation or a lack of any important ingredients or equipment.

A family meal may be composed of courses for example a full- course dinner consisting of multiple dishes, or courses. There are three main courses of meals that are commonly
prepared. These include:
A one course meal: This is a meal containing a protein dish, a carbohydrate dish, a vegetable and a drink. The drink may be a fruit drink or water. This usually forms the main course.
A two course meal: This contains the main course (protein, carbohydrates, vegetable and drink) plus the first course (appetizer) or the last course (sweet dish dessert).
A three course meal: This contains the first course, main course and the third course. This is an elaborate meal. These can be served in an elaborate way using a variety of crockery and cutlery set in a particular way.

A simple meal may include only the main meal that is a protein,
carbohydrates, vegetables, and a fruit drink.
Planning a dinner for the family
Activity 7.7
In your groups,
1.Plan an elaborate dinner for your family.
2.Make a shopping list for the items planned in the dinner.
3.Draw a menu card showing the dishes in the meal. Present it in class.
4.Identify the different crockery and cutlery that will be used in the serving of the meal.
5.Serving an elaborate dinner with several courses

Serving an elaborate dinner with several courses

A sample menu card
Anyone going to a restaurant or café does it for two reasons. You will do it either for the good food or the good experience. The menu is part of the overall feeling you will be left with and you will speak of the restaurant’s qualities.