Question

Discuss any five factors which affect meal planning.

Describe any five factors affecting meal planning.

Answer 1

1. Nutritional Need: A family may comprise of adults, children, adolescents, and old people. The diet should be such that it caters to individual nutritional needs.
2. Sources of Nutrients: Knowledge of different sources of food nutrients is very J ' important. (e.g., protein from milk and pulses).
3. Budget of the Family: The money available for the family. When the budget available per day is low, it is necessary to have knowledge of cheap foods with high nutritive value.
4. Likes and Dislikes: Food preferences of family members should be remembered while meal planning. However, one should carefully develop good eating habits in children, as excluding some foods just because one does not like them may cause loss of certain nutrients essential for the body.
5. Balance Diet: All the nutrients required by the body must be present in the appropriate proportion.
6. Availability: Due to improved methods of food preservation and distribution, even the most perishable foods are available all over the country nowadays. Effective preservation methods help to increase the shelf life of food.
7. Satiety Value: Foods rich in proteins and fats have a higher satiety value compared to carbohydrates. The interval between two meals should be considered, and meals should be planned accordingly. A meal must allay the feeling of hunger for 3-4 hours.
8. Season: Seasonal foods are cheaper and have higher nutritive value.
9. Suitable Combinations: The protein content of the diet can be improved if rice ·and pulses are taken together. Idli-dosa, Dal-Chapati, etc., are examples of good combinations, as they enhance the nutritional value of food.
10. Time and Energy Involved: The meal should be such that it involves the minimum time, energy, and expenditure. Elaborate meals are not always the most nutritious meals.
11. Variety: Variety in meal patterns, through appearance, texture, and taste, results in better acceptability.
12. Religion, Traditions, and Customs: Muslims cannot eat pork, and Hindus do not consume beef. Customs and traditions differ from community to community and impact meal planning.
13. Use of Leftover Food: Change how the basic products look by creatively modifying it. Knead leftover dal with atta and make Chapaties or parathas. Use boiled rice for making vegetable rice, etc.
14. Use of Roughage: Like whole grains, whole cereals and pulses, green leafy vegetables,· etc: As apart from the important food groups, roughage forms an important part to digest the food.
15. Use Some Raw Foods: Raw food in the form of salad or fruits in the diet because cooking destroys some important vitamins and minerals, which are essential for our body, and it gets better when we eat some foods in their raw form.