PLANNING FOR GOOD NUTRITION: MEAL PLANNING FOR ADULTS
Basic considerations in meal planning
A family may sit down, day by day, at the same table and partake of the same choice of food with apparently different results. A six-year-old boy seems to grow slowly, the teenage boy may be a foot taller and 15 lb heavier in a year's time, one parent may gain weight, and the other maintains constant weight. The six-year-old is often finicky about his food, the teenager never seems to get filled up, and the parent whose weight never changes appears to have a hearty appetite. If there are toddlers, preschool children, or grandparents at this table, the homemaker makes particular adaptations for them and yet tries to keep the meal as uniform as possible. Many factors enter into meal planning.
Four food groups
When only the specified amounts of the foods from ups are consumed, the caloric intake will range from about 1100 to 1400 kcal - far below the needs of the teenager or adult.
It has often been stated: "First include the specified amounts of each of the Four Food Groups in your diet. Then complete your caloric need by eating any foods you like to maintain your normal weight." This rule may work reasonably well for some people, but it is not necessarily the best advice. It could lead to excessive use of sugars and fats that supply little else than calories. A much better selection to fill the caloric need would include additional amounts of whole-grain or enriched breads, cereals, pastas, legumes, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. These foods supply not only calories, but additional minerals, vitamins, and protein.
The teenage girl and woman must select foods added to the skeleton menu pattern with care because their caloric requirements are lower than those of the man and their iron requirements are much higher. A serving of liver weekly, enriched or whole-grain breads and cereals, frequent use of dried fruits, molasses, and legumes enhance the intake of iron. Nevertheless, the recommended allowance of 18 mg iron is not likely to be met without the use of an iron supplement.
Adaptations for dietary goals
If the Dietary Goals are to be incorporated with the Four Food Groups into menu planning, the following changes would need to be made:
Milk group: use skim or low-fat milk. Children may be given whole milk. Use low-fat cheeses. Cheeses made from whole milk may be used occasionally.
Meat group: include not more than 5 oz meat, fish, or poultry daily. Select meats that are lean; trim off visible fat. Use fish and poultry more frequently, and beef, pork, ham, Iamb less frequently. Use up to 3 to 4 eggs per week; count one egg as a substitute for 1 oz meat. Legumes and nuts are not restricted; they are a good protein source when combined with grain foods.
Vegetable-fruit group: increase the intake of this group.
Bread-cereal group: substantially increase the intake of this group to meet energy needs and to supply B-complex vitamins and iron.
In addition the goals recommend:
Reduced consumption of sugars, sweets and foods high in sugar content.
Reduced consumption of fat, especially saturated fat: butter, cream, bacon, lard, hydrogenated fat, visible fat on meats, regular margarines.
Moderate increase in the consumption of polyunsaturated fats: corn, cottonseed, soybean and safflower oils for cooking, baking, and in salad dressings; soft-type margarines made from these oils.
Reduced intake of salt: omit salting food at the table; reduce the amount of salt added to food in preparation; limited use of very salty foods such as pickles, catsup, meat sauces, pretzels, potato chips, salted fish and meat, and many others.
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