Meal Planning & Nutrition Labels

October 26, 2010

Why plan your meals?

Meal PlanningEasier to have well balanced, healthy mealsHelps to avoid unnecessary purchases at the

grocery store, saving time, money, and yourself from empty calorie, energy dense foods

Less eating outSaves money and calories

How can meal planning help you meet your weight management

goals?

Manage portion sizesReduce grazingTakes the “what can/should” I eat factor away

Other Benefits of Meal Planning:

Avoid throwing away leftovers by reusing them in a new meal ($$)

Save time by preparing key ingredients ahead and using them for multiple meals

Step 1: Consider your circumstancesSchedule for meal

Time for meal preparation Who is eating & how manyHow many meals to plan each week

Method of organization Computer, poster, calendar, etc

Special needsSmall children, picky eaters, food allergies

What to do with the leftovers

2. Make a PlanWill your meal plans be weekly or monthlyWhere will you get ideas?How will you record your all your ideas to use

later?

Tips to Get StartedThink of the main dish first, and then work sides into the planStrategize around a theme

Monday meatless, Tuesday ethnic, Wednesday Pasta, Thursday slow cooker, Friday eat out, Saturday leftover

Create a list of meals on index cards & choose a few to do each week

Make dual meals Cook something one day and use the leftovers in another meal

later in the week. Cook 2 meals, and freeze on for a later date. Book: Quick Fix Meals by Robin Miller

Remember to Plan Vegetables and Fruit

Get at least 2 different colors in your meals i.e. red and yellow or blue/purple and green

Always serve 2 vegetables at dinnerPlan fruit for dessertHave fruit at breakfastPacket p.77-78

3. Keep Your Ideas/Plans for Future UseMake a notebookPut your ideas in an excel fileUse index cards

Use Your Plan to Grocery Shop!

Recipe AdjustmentIt is wise to look over recipes and see if

adjustments can be made to make your meals more more nutrient dense or less energy rich

Don’t adjust too muchAccomplished:

SubstitutionOmissionAddition of ingredients

How can you improve the nutrition in the

recipes and food you are preparing?

Helpful Tips Cut fatty foods such as butter, cheese, avocados, etc. in half. (Note this may not

work with baked products) Use fat-free version of products Use lean meats (ground turkey, lean ground beef, fish) Cut off visible fat from non-lean selections (skin on poultry, fat on pork and beef) Add vegetables to combination dishes (stir fry, sandwiches, soups, salads, pizzas,

casseroles...everything!) This adds bulk/volume with few calories Use cooking spray (Pam), water, or broth when sauteing or frying on the stovetop

to cut back on fat Try reducing the sugar (note this will be trial and error, especially in baked

products) Consider using a different cooking method:

More grilling, boiling, broiling, steaming, roasting, baking Less frying

Potato Casserole

Potato Casserole

VideoLabel Reading

1. Serving SizeThe amount of food that

contains the nutrients described in the food label

Given in common measurements

Standardized for the same kinds of food

Allows for comparison

2. CaloriesMeasure of the energy

contained in the food Calories from fat are

also shown. About 40 calories is low. 100 calories is

moderate. 400 calories is high.

3. Nutrients to LimitFat, total fat, saturated

fat, trans fat Cholesterol Sodium

4. Nutrients to IncreaseDietary fiber Vitamin A, vitamin C Calcium, and iron

5. Percent Daily Values (%DV) Based on 2000 kcal diet and gives

the percent of fat, carbohydrate, etc. the

If you need more or less calories the %DV will be different for you If you need 1600 kcals per day and

the %DV for fat on a label says 20%, the percent for you is actually higher

If you need 2400 kcals per day and the %DV for carbohydrate says 10%, the percent for you is lower.

Note: the percent daily values remain quite consistent for vitamins and minerals among calorie levels

General guide %DV 5% or less is low 20% or more is high

6. Footnote Includes more specific

information about the upper and lower limits for nutrients

Allergy information

7. Ingredient ListsListed by weight from

most to least Determine how salty or

sweet a food is by where the sugar or salt is listed in comparison to other ingredients

Dextrose, sucrose, maltose, high-fructose corn syrup, and fruit juice concentrate all mean sugar

Team Time:Lasagna Recipe

1 pound sweet Italian sausage 3/4 pound lean ground beef 1/2 cup minced onion 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato

sauce 1/2 cup water 2 tablespoons white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 tablespoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 4 tablespoons chopped fresh

parsley 12 lasagna noodles 16 ounces ricotta cheese 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese,

sliced 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese