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Menu planning
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Foundation
Learning objectives
• To understand how The eatwell plate can be used
in menu planning.
• To know the impact of ingredient selection and
methods of food production and processing on the
nutritional value of food.
• To identify individual nutritional needs in respect to
stage of life, religious or cultural beliefs and some
health concerns.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
A balanced diet
There are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods – it is the overall
balance of the diet that is important.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
The eatwell plate
This eating model for the UK promotes:
• increased consumption of fruit and vegetables and
starchy foods;
• moderate consumption of meat, fish, eggs, beans
and other non dairy sources of protein;
• moderate consumption of milk and dairy foods;
• small consumption of food containing fat and sugar.
The eatwell plate can be used to achieve healthier
menu planning.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Serve more bread, rice, potatoes,
pasta and other starchy foods
Ideas for increasing foods from this
group in the menu include:
• using thick cut bread for sandwiches;
• using more pasta in relation to
meat sauce in lasagne;
• using more potato in relation to meat in cottage pie;
• serving Naan bread and plenty of rice with curries;
• experiment with different cereals e.g. quinoa or polenta.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Serve more fruit and vegetables
Ideas for increasing foods from this
group in the menu include:
• add extra vegetables into casseroles;
• offer colourful and interesting salads (with low fat
dressings) and vegetables with main course;
• incorporate fruit into desserts and
dishes, including cold starters,
e.g. apricot chicken or
asparagus and orange salad.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Serve moderate amounts of
milk and dairy foods
Ideas for including foods from this
group in the menu include:
• use fromage frais, quark or plain yogurt in dishes in
place of some of the cream in soups and sauces;
• switch to semi skimmed or skimmed milk when serving
adults and older children;
• serve fromage frais, quark or plain yogurt with
dessert;
• use small amounts of stronger
tasting cheese or grate cheese
when adding to pasta and salads.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Serve moderate amounts of meat, fish,
eggs and beans
Ideas for including foods from this
group in the menu include:
• add pulses to increase the fibre content, reduce the
overall fat content and add extra protein to a dish;
• experiment with alternatives
to meat, such as mycoprotein,
tofu, texturised vegetable protein
based products and soya;
• use lean meat, and trim fat from meat or remove
the skin to reduce the fat content.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Serve smaller amounts of food
high in fat and/or sugar
People do not need to eat foods from this group.
However fat and sugar help to make foods tastier or
more palatable.
Ideas for making a menu healthier include:
• reduce the amount of sugar added,
where acceptable;
• use dried or fresh fruit to sweeten
dishes, as an alternative.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Serve smaller amounts of food
high in fat and/or sugar
Ideas for making a menu healthier include:
• choose healthier cooking options rather than frying
(steaming, poaching, baking);
• use ingredients such as unsaturated fat or reduced
fat alternatives;
• serve salad dressings and dessert toppings separately
to allow people to add their own.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Cut down on salt
Salt is not found on The eatwell plate.
However, it can be found in many processed foods as
well as added during cooking.
Ideas to reduce salt in the menu include:
• use combinations of fresh herbs and spices instead
(this creates a much wider range of flavours that salt
could use alone);
• use reduced salt foods as an alternative;
• experiment with dishes to see how much salt can be
reduced without compromising on taste.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Food preparation and cooking
The way in which food is prepared and cooked can
have a large impact on the amount of fat it contains,
e.g. removing skin from poultry, trimming excess fat off
meat before cooking.
Using different methods rather than frying or roasting
will also substantially reduce the fat content.
Instead choose methods such as:
• grilling;
• steaming;
• baking.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Food preparation and cooking
Chips are an example of a food which gain nutrients
during cooking. Deep frying chips will increase the fat
content of the food.
Tips on making healthier chips include:
• cutting the chips larger, so less fat will be absorbed
when deep frying;
• baking the chips instead of deep frying;
• adding herbs or spices rather than salt.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Food preparation and cooking
Tips to prevent the unnecessary loss of vitamins from fruit
and vegetables include:
• short storage periods;
• using minimum water during cooking, e.g. steaming;
• placing foods directing into water that is already
boiling or steaming.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Individual nutritional needs
Nutritional needs alter throughout the different stages
of life.
These can also vary according to physical activity
levels.
Religious groups may abstain from particular foods,
meaning they will choose different foods to meet their
nutritional needs.
Some individuals cannot eat certain foods for health
reasons, and will also choose different foods to meet
their nutritional needs.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Pregnant women
Pregnant woman do not need to eat twice as much
food, but they do need to continue to eat a healthy
and varied diet.
Folate (and folic acid) is an important nutrient for
woman just prior and during the first trimester of
pregnancy.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Pregnant women
Public health recommendations include avoiding:
• alcohol;
• shark, marlin and swordfish;
• raw shellfish;
• uncooked or undercooked ready meals;
• undercooked meat;
• unwashed fruit and vegetables;
• unpasteurised dairy products;
• foods high in vitamin A, e.g. liver or pâté.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Infants
Infants have high needs of energy because their
bodies are growing and they are physically active.
Public health recommendations
include avoiding:
• honey (under 1 years);
• salt, sugar and foods that
contain added sugar.
• nuts (children under 5 may
choke on these);
• shark, swordfish and marlin;
• reduced fat dairy food (under
2 years);
• skimmed milk (under 5 years).
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Children
It is important for children to eat a balanced diet and
be exposed to a wide variety of foods.
Ideas for the menu include:
• serve portion size appropriate for the child;
• at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
Some children are fussy eaters.
This does not mean that they should
never be offered new food, but
they should never be forced to eat
a food they dislike.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Adolescence
Adolescents have high needs of energy because
their bodies are growing and they are physically
active.
Ideas for the menu include:
• use food high in iron, e.g. red meat or wholegrains.
Adolescent females have a higher need for iron due
to iron loss during menstruation.
• use food high in calcium, e.g. low fat milk and dairy
foods.
This helps adolescence develop, increase and
strengthen bones and this will reduce the risk of
osteoporosis developing later in life.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Elderly people
Elderly people do not have high energy needs,
because they generally are less active.
Some elderly adults may encounter problems when
eating such as:
• trouble with teeth. This may mean that they find food
difficult to chew;
• trouble with arthritis. This may mean they find it
difficult to use cutlery and slice and chop food on their
plate.
Suitable meals could include, shepherd’s pie, soup, or
casserole.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Ethnic minority groups
Some religious groups do not eat certain food or drinks.
The following table summarises some of these.
Religious group
Food and drinks which may be avoided
Muslim
Pork, non-halal meat and chicken,
shellfish, and alcohol.
Hindu
Meat (some eat lamb, chicken), fish
(some eat white fish), eggs, and alcohol.
Sikh
Beef, pork (some are vegetarian),
and alcohol.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Ethnic minority groups
Religious group
Food and drinks which may be avoided
Buddhist
Chicken, lamb, pork, beef, shellfish (some
avoid all fish), and alcohol.
Rastafarian
Animal products (except milk), foods
which are not ital (i.e. avoid tinned or
processed food) alcohol, tea and coffee.
Jewish
Pork, meat which is not kosher, or shellfish.
Meat and milk products must not be
served at the same meal.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Vegetarians
Vegetarians need food high in protein and iron from
non meat sources.
Ideas for the menu include:
• offer plenty of fruit and vegetables
(serve orange juice to help absorb non-haem iron);
• offer lower fat dairy products or calcium fortified
soya-based milk;
• offer a variety of non-meat alternatives, e.g. fish and
eggs (if eaten), pulses, tofu, nuts and seeds.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
People on gluten free diets
People with coeliac disease need to avoid gluten
which is found in products made from oats, wheat, rye
and barley.
Ideas for the menu include:
• offer gluten free cereals, e.g. rice, potatoes,
buckwheat, tapioca, breakfast cereals made from corn
or rice;
• offer some lower fat varieties of dairy products
(avoiding cheese spreads and artificial creams
containing gluten);
• offer lean meat, fish, eggs, pulses, nuts (check the
labelling if sauces or crumbs have been added).
© Food – a fact of life 2009
People with high cholesterol
A person with high cholesterol should reduce saturated
fat intake and increase intake of soluble dietary fibre.
Ideas for the menu include:
• use plenty of wholegrain bread, rice, pasta, cereals,
potatoes;
• use plenty of fruit and vegetables;
• experiment using different pulses and legumes in
dishes;
• offer some lower fat varieties of milk and dairy
products;
• offer a moderate amount lean meat or fish.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Review of the learning objectives
• To understand how The eatwell plate can be used
in menu planning.
• To know the impact of ingredient selection and
methods of food production and processing on the
nutritional value of food.
• To identify individual nutritional needs in respect to
stage of life, religious or cultural beliefs and some
health concerns.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
For more information visit
www.nutrition.org.uk
www.foodafactoflife.org.uk
© Food – a fact of life 2009