planning meals for different groups

• there are many factors to consider when planning meals eg costing, portion size and dietary requirements
• healthier and more nutritional ingredients are more expensive - eg lean meat
• buying individual ingredients for a recipe is often cheaper per portion than buying ready-made food , eg a pizza
• you can compare the prices of ingredients at different shops (or use comparison websites) and reduce the quantity of expensive ingredients to make the meals cheaper
• you can work out the total cost of a meal by working out the cost of each individual ingredient - write down the cost of each ingredient and calculate its cost from its weight
• portion size is important - good portion control means you can avoid overfeeding and underfeeding people
• for ingredients and meals you may want to use guidelines and equipment to get the portion size correct
• one portion of meat should be the size of your palm
• one portion of cooked vegetables should be roughly the size of your fist
• use scoops to measure out the same portion size each time
• use cutters and dividers to evenly divide pizzas, pies, cakes etc
• make sure to plan your meals to be nutritionally balanced, appropriate for the age group and that any dietary requirements are catered for
• lactose intolerance:

  • people with lactose intolerance need to avoid food containing a type of sugar called lactose.
  • lactose is found in milk, so it is important to check labels for any milk based ingredients
  • consider substituting cows milk for a lactose free milk such as soya or almond milk
  • dairy products have lactose free alternatives
• nut allergy:

  • people with nut allergies have to avoid nuts and foods that may contain traces of them
  • allergic reactions can be fatal, so its important you check labels very carefully - if you have any doubts, its safest not to use it
  • nuts arent vital for a balanced diet, so substitutions can be made
  • some biscuit and cake recipes only use nuts to add flavour, so the nuts can just be removed
• coeliac disease:

  • people with coeliac disease cannot eat food containing gluten
  • they must avoid wheat, barley and rye and products made with them
  • many basic foods are fine for a coeliac - meat, vegetables and dairy products are all naturally free of gluten and should be included in their normal diet
  • check the labels just in case
  • use alternative flours such as coconut, tapioca or rice
• vegetarians:

  • a vegetarian is someone who chooses not to eat any meat, and sometimes products derived from animals, like milk and eggs, due to personal or religious beliefs
• pescatarians:

  • will not eat meat
  • will consume fish and animal products such as eggs, cheese and mikj
• lacto-ovo:

  • will not eat any meat or fish
  • will eat milk, eggs and other animal products
• lacto vegetarians:

  • will not eat any meat, fish or eggs
  • will eat milk and other dairy products
• vegans:

  • will not eat meat, fish or animal products
• vegetarians:

  • dishes with vegetables are generally healthy and nutritionally balanced, but you will have to include protein from alternative sources than meat
  • quorn products contain microprotein and have a similar texture to meat but they contain egg whites so arent suitable for vegans
  • look out for gelatine in jelly and marshmallows and rennet in cheese
• obesity and cardiovascular disease:

  • need to lower their calorie intake and amount of saturated fat
  • use portion sizes to control the amount of calories in a meal
  • reduce the amount of saturated fat by using vegetable oils when frying and opt for cooking methods without fat eg grilling
  • include more fruits and vegetables to replace fatty and sugary foods
• diabetes:

  • people with diabetes need to control their blood sugar levels
  • avoid adding sugar or use natural sweeteners
  • use low GI foods such as brown rice or quinoa because they are digested slowly and gradually raise blood sugar levels
• anaemia:

  • people with anaemia need good sources of iron in their diet
  • include foods high in iron eg red meat and dark-green leafy vegetables
  • include foods high in vitamin C eg tomatoes and citrus fruits
• bone diseases:

  • people with bone diseases need good sources of calcium in their diet
  • include foods high in calcium eg milk, cheese, calcium set tofu
  • include foods high in vitamin d eg tuna and salmon
• dental caries:

  • people with dental caries need to limit intake of sugary foods
  • use less free sugar in recipes or use natural sweeteners instead (xylitol may help prevent dental caries)
  • offer fluoridated water or unsweetened tea or coffee with meals rather than sugary drinks