Meal management part 1

• Planning meals can lead to individuals and families eating healthy, balanced meals that meet their nutritional requirements.
• Planning meals allows for greater variety in the meals eaten each week.
• Individuals and families tend to shop for groceries more efficiently when they have a list of the items they need, eliminating impulse buying or overspending.
• Planning meals can save money as dining out and reliance on takeaways is reduced.
• A blank meal planner can be used to plan meals.
• When planning a meal, factors to consider include healthy eating guidelines, specific dietary requirements, availability of foods, resources such as time, money, food preparation and cooking equipment, and occasion.
• A menu can be designed by reading the exam question thoroughly, using a full A4 page of your exam paper, giving the menu a title, dividing the menu into courses, checking that foods selected meet specific requirements, stating each food type and cooking method, and drawing a mini food pyramid on side of page and making sure each meal is balanced (it contains 3 out of the 4 main food groups).
• Recipes are adapted to meet current healthy eating guidelines, cater for specific dietary requirements, add interest or variety to the diet, increase or decrease the quantity served, substitute expensive ingredients for less expensive ones, and suit personal likes or dislikes.