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Principles of meal planning

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65 views18 pages

Principles of meal planning

Uploaded by

babaleysa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PRINCIPLES AND

MECHANICS OF
MEAL PLANNING
Principles of meal planning
• It refers to essential guidelines that help that help
create nutritious and balanced meals. This principles
aims to streamline meal preparation, enhance dietary
quality, and support overall health.
6 Principles of meal planning
• 1. Adequacy
• 2. Balance
• 3. Calorie control
• 4. Nutrient density
• 5. Moderation
• 6. Variety
1.Adequacy
Healthy eating should involve eating foods that contain
adequate nutrients, fiber
, and calories to promote overall well-being.
1.Adequacy
You can aim for adequacy in your diet by selecting foods
that are rich in nutrients but low in calories. This has
several benefits:
• Promotes healthy growth and development
• Reduces the risk of chronic diseases
• Prevents serious conditions such as osteoporosis and
vitamin D deficiency
2. Balance
• Your diet can be balanced if the items you choose to eat
provide you with a wide range of nutrients. The key is to
consume enough, but not too much, of each food category.
3. Calorie control
• While it may be difficult to calculate the number of
calories required to maintain or achieve a healthy
weight, the idea is to eat enough calories your body
needs to maintain your normal metabolic activities.
3. Calorie control
The formula for weight maintenance is fairly
straightforward:
• Your weight will remain constant if you eat the same
number of calories that you use each day.
• You will gain weight if you eat more calories than you
use, and you will lose weight
if you eat less than you use.
4. Nutrient density
• The nutritional density of food indicates the ratio of
nutrition to calorie content. Nutrient-dense meals
include a high concentration of vitamins and minerals
while being low in calories.
5. Moderation
Practicing moderation in healthy eating means that while
you don’t completely exclude certain foods from your
diet, you consume them in reasonable amounts when
you do decide to have them. Moderation involves not
going too far in either direction.
6. Variety
• Variety involves including a wide range of foods in your
diet, not just different food groups but also diverse
items within each group.
6 mechanics of meal planning
• It refers to the practical steps and strategies involved in
organizing meals effectively. It emphasizes the
importance of balancing various food groups to ensure
nutritional adequacy
Step 1: Take Stock
• Check your pantry and fridge for staples you have on
hand and like as well as items that need to be used.
Make a grocery list of remaining items you need!
Step 2: Map Your Meals
• Map out your meals - outline meals to use for the week
and use it as your guide. It can be helpful to have a
theme for each day (Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday,
Leftovers Wednesday, Crockpot Thursday, etc.).
Step 3: Focus on Fresh
• Incorporate fresh fruits and a variety of veggies! Look
for new recipes and vary your favorite fruits and
vegetables throughout the week to hit all of your food
groups throughout each day! As the seasons change, be
on the lookout for seasonal items at their peak!
Step 4: Pack in Protein
• Tired of chicken? Mix up your protein sources—beans or
tofu for a meatless meal, chicken the
next day, and round out the week with beef and fish to
create variety in your meals!
Step 5: Love Your Leftovers
• Make a plan for leftovers! Grilled chicken breast can be
sliced and top a salad, leftover meat and vegetables
can become the base for a soup or rice bowl. Leftovers
can be great for busy days!
Step 6: Plan Ahead
• Consider devoting a couple of hours on a weekend or
evening to cook and prepare ingredients for meals for
the week. This can include healthy snacks like grapes or
celery sticks.

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