Transcript Meal planning.

Meal planning
Learning objective
• To identify different factors which can help when planning for a meal
occasion.
Lunch options – make your selection
Option one
Option three
Option two
Option four
Things to consider
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Dietary recommendations
The meal occasion
The money available for catering
Time available for preparation and cooking
Cooking facilities available
Season of the year
Where will the food be consumed
Level of skill
Colour, texture and flavour of food
Individual requirements
Dietary recommendations
The Eatwell Guide and the 8 tips for
healthy eating provide consumers with
a guide as to how to plan their meals
and diet. The Eatwell Guide shows the
types and proportions of foods which a
healthy diet should consist of.
8 tips for healthy eating
1. Base your meals on starchy
foods
2. Eat lots of fruit and veg
3. Eat more fish
4. Cut down on saturated fat
and sugar
5. Eat less salt
6. Get active and be a healthy
weight.
7. Don’t get thirsty
8. Don’t skip breakfast
Time the meal is to be consumed
• It is useful to think in terms of three meals. Healthy snacks can also
be consumed throughout the day.
What are some ideas for the following meal occasions?
• Breakfast
• Morning tea/Brunch
• Lunch
• Afternoon tea
• Evening meal
Occasion
• Is it an everyday meal or a formal occasion?
• The cost of food and time taken to prepare the meal may take longer
for a formal occasion.
Where the meal is to be eaten
Meals locations can vary from packed meals, school dinners, takeaway meals, sit-down or buffet meal in a restaurant?
Money available
When planning meals, try to think of recipes that you can
double up for ingredients to save money. For example,
using leftover vegetables to make soups and salads.
Avoid wasting food by planning with portion sizes in mind.
This helps to reduce food waste and prevent over-eating.
Using seasonal foods, e.g. fresh fruit and vegetables, are
often cheaper as well as tastier.
Money available
Some cuts of meat and fish can be expensive, but there are affordable
alternatives. Speaking to a butcher or a fishmonger about the different
types of cuts can help you know how to prepare them.
Frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables tend to be cheaper than fresh
varieties but still count towards your 5 A DAY. Also, Vegetables and
beans tend to cost less than meat, so try adding more vegetables to
your meat based meals.
Time for food preparation
Time to cook: 2 ½ hours
Recipes vary in time taken to cook. Meal
preparation can be broken up if it is a very
long recipe. The cooking time for different cuts
of meat will vary.
Bulk cooking for the freezer can make a
valuable contribution where time saving is
concerned.
Various pieces of equipment can save you
time during food preparation. Some cooking
techniques are quicker than others, e.g. stirfrying compared with pot roasting.
Time to cook: 30 minutes
Facilities for food preparation
Some pieces of equipment will make food
preparation easier.
With careful planning, food preparation can
be done with limited space and few pieces of
kitchen equipment.
Level of skill
The type of meal prepared will be influenced by the level of skill of the
cook. Recipe videos and cookbooks can help to support cooks who
lack confidence and experience.
Colour, texture and flavour of food
Fruit and vegetables and the addition of herbs and spices can add
colour to meals as well as texture and flavour. Shorter cooking methods
can help to retain the colour and texture, e.g. stir-frying or grilling.
Individual requirements
When planning meals, individuals likes and dislikes should be taken
into account.
In addition, some individuals may have specific nutrient requirements or
special dietary needs, e.g. food allergies or intolerances.
Religious beliefs of individuals may also impact on the food preferences
and choices made, e.g. Halal or Kosher food.
This poster can be downloaded here: http://bit.ly/29BR3qC
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Summary
• There are many factors to consider when planning meals.
•Taking these factors into consideration before preparing the food can
help to save time, money and improve efficiency of the preparation.
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For further information and support,
go to:
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