Meal planning is a process of determining, selecting and preparing foods to ensure a balanced diet for target groups or individuals. People will always want to eat food that is acceptable, therefore knowing the consumers’ characteristics, food preferences and location is important in proper meal planning.
⦁ A meal is a selection of foods prepared and served in a single serving. The number of meals an individual eats in a day depends upon age, physiological status, health status, and physical activity level. Children eat small portions because their stomachs are small. However, they have increased nutrient requirements for growth and development and thus require more frequent feeding compared to adults.
⦁ A balanced diet is a feeding pattern that provides adequate amounts of nutrients in their correct proportions as required by the body at a particular time. In order to obtain an adequate supply of nutrients human beings need at least three balanced meals a day in case of adults and at least five meals a day for children. Attaining a balanced diet requires that one: eats various food stuffs in a day, makes careful food choices from different food groups, and eats food in the right proportions and quality as required by the body.
⦁ Variety means including different foods from different food groups and within each food group, for example consuming cereals, root tubers (sweet potatoes, cassava), meat, vegetables and variety of fruits.
⦁ A serving is a quantity of food suitable for or given to one person in one meal.
⦁ Moderation means keeping servings reasonable. This involves selfcontrol and addresses the aspect of too much food intake that leads to becoming overweight and obese.
A food pyramid is a guide showing how different categories of foods should be utilized to achieve proper health. The foods at the base of the pyramid can be eaten more and those at the tip of the pyramid eaten in small amounts or sparingly. All of these types of foods shown in the pyramid should be eaten but foods at the bottom should be eaten most and those at the top more sparingly.
Points to consider while planning a meal
⦁ Family incomes and lifestyles
⦁ Individual habits and preferences
⦁ Nutritional/health status of target consumers
⦁ Daily routines of family members such as work and school
⦁ Food and Nutrition Handbook for Extension Workers 30
⦁ Availability of storage and cooking facilities
⦁ The occasion for which meals are required
⦁ Food availability and season
⦁ Nutritional needs of targeted consumers
⦁ Time available for cooking
⦁ Balance and variety in making food choices
PALEOLITHIC DIETS
The particular focus in Paleolithic diets is on emulating the dietary pattern of our Stone Age ancestors with an emphasis on avoiding processed foods, and the intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, eggs, and lean meats. In principle at least, dairy and grains are excluded entirely. Arguments for a Paleolithic diet derived initially, not from modern science, but from the universal relevance of adaptation. We may note, without debate or conflict, that the native diet of any species other than our own is clearly relevant to food selection. Zoological parks do not feed wild animals in captivity based on randomized trials; they feed them based substantially on the diets of their counterparts in the wild.
Many of the plant foods and nearly all of the animal foods consumed during the remote Stone Age are now extinct. Whereas the composition of some animals’ flesh may mimic that of mammoths, the composition of the flesh of animals most often appearing in the food supply does not (78, 85). If Paleolithic eating is loosely interpreted to mean a diet based mostly on meat, no meaningful interpretation of health effects is possible. Even more meticulous interpretations of the Paleolithic diet tend to omit details, including but not limited to the very high-caloric throughput of Paleolithic humans, the dramatically different ratio of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids that now prevails, the dramatically different ratio of potassium to sodium that now prevails, the dramatically lower intake of fiber that now prevails, etc.
Cost reduction in meal planning
Important issues to be considered:
⦁ Knowledge about nutrient content of foods, food groups and food
⦁ guides. Foods are selected from each of the groups according to the required servings.
⦁ Plan several meals in advance.
⦁ Consider foods available according to season.
⦁ Take off time to look for affordable places to buy food to reduce on expenditure.
⦁ If possible purchase in bulk as it reduces expenditure.
⦁ Avoid foods which are poor value for money such as food containing only energy, e.g., sodas and many artificial soft drinks.
⦁ Except for special occasions, plan several meals at least a week before.
⦁ Within a week or the day take advantage of opportunities when food supply is plentiful and cheap. For instance on market days or times of the day when farmers are selling directly to urban consumers.
Muscle-building foods “GROW” (proteins)
The best sources among these foods are animal foods i.e., milks, meats, fish, eggs, poultry. However, for those with a lot of money it is important to note that too much feeding on red fatty meat (meat from animals with four legs and hoofs, e.g., beef, goat, pork, and sheep) and eggs can also be dangerous. It can result in diseases such as high blood pressure, heart attack and to some extent diabetes. Fish is the best among these animal proteins, followed by poultry and to some extent rabbits. Many people cannot afford animal protein. In that case they can use much of plant protein, e.g., soybeans, peas, cow peas, pigeon peas, common beans and ground nuts. Soy bean protein is exceptional in the plant group as it is almost equivalent to animal meats except it needs better processing in order to utilize it in the body. Feed on some little animal protein in particular milk which is also rich in protective nutrients, if you are getting most of your protein supply from plants. This lowers the cost of feeding but maintains the quality. Milk is both a protective food and a body building food. Thus, as much as possible, it must be put in place for families to access it.
Protective foods “GLOW” (vitamins and minerals)
Select dark green leafy vegetables (DGLV), e.g., dodo, malakwang, (at least one serving per day) and yellow fruits (ripe bananas [2 small ripe apple/sweet bananas or 1 bogoya per day], one orange or one mango). Citrus fruits are very good but we don’t have much in some parts of Uganda. The guavas can however substitute the citrus fruits well. Two guavas per day can be very healthy.
OTHER DIETARY PATTERNS
Claims for the specific advantages of diverse dietary practices abound. Many such practices, such as juicing or intermittent fasting, do not constitute a complete dietary pattern. Others, such as rawfood eating or calorie restriction, may be a complete dietary pattern but have limited populationlevel application, even if they do enjoy considerable attention in the media and popular culture.
Multisectoral nutrition plans
Multisectoral nutrition plans are a tool forcoordinated action, bringing together joint efforts from across sectors and stakeholders. Addressing the direct and underlying drivers of malnutrition requires working across multiple sectors (from health to agriculture, water and sanitation, social protection, education, women’s empowerment, trade and natural resource management, etc.). To steer coordinated and harmonized efforts, costed multisectoral nutrition plans are critical tools, based on a country-specific analysis of malnutrition drivers and national malnutrition objectives, to prioritize actions needed to meet these goals, across different sectors and by different stakeholders. Governments, development partners and other key stakeholders are encouraged to come together around these plans, prioritize nutrition financing, and support coordinated implementation and mutual accountability so that no community is left behind. The government should carefully assess the risk of engagement with any stakeholder, and prevent and manage conflicts of interest and vested interests.
Non-communicable diseases
NCDs include heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease and are collectively responsible for almost 70 percent of all deaths worldwide. One of the major risk factors of NCDs is unhealthy diets. These include diets high in fats (especially saturated fats and trans fats), sugars and salt and low in fruits and vegetables and other sources of dietary fibre such as whole grains.
How food systems affect nutrition?
Put simply, food systems encompass all the people, institutions and processes that play a part in food production (crop and livestock production, forestry, fisheries, aquaculture), processing, distributing, marketing, supplying, eating and disposing of ffood. Food systems have three core constituent elements: food supply chains, food environments and consumer behaviour. Figure 1 depicts how these elements can shape diets and determine the final nutrition and health outcomes of food systems.20 These elements of food systems are in turn influenced by myriad external drivers, such as climate change, globalization and trade, income growth and distribution, urbanization, population growth and migration, policy and investment, and socialcultural contexts.
Food and nutrients
Fruits and vegetables independently contribute to preventing cardiovascular disease. It is likely that particular vegetables and fruits, including cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli, and many fruits or vegetables that are rich in folate, also protect from developing cancers of the colon and rectum, mouth, pharynx, larynx and oesophagus. Eating red and processed meat increases risk of developing colorectal cancer. Saturated fat and trans fats increase blood cholesterol and cardiovascular risk. Higher sodium/salt intake is a major risk factor for elevated blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases, and probably stomach cancer. Diets high in meat and dairy also increase blood pressure. Diets high in energy-dense, highly-processed foods and refined starches and/or sugary beverages contribute to overweight and obesity.
National Coordinating Committee on Food and Nutrition (NCCFN)
Is a high level coordinating committee on food and nutrition in the country to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the National Plan of Action for Nutrition of Malaysia (NPANM) III, 2016-2025. Dis Committee is a platform to discuss issues pertaining to nutrition which need commitment and collaboration from other health sectors. De members of NCCFN consist of representatives from various ministries and government agencies, NGOs, academia and private sector. It is important that the implementation of NPANM III, 2016-2025 be implemented with the guiding principle of close collaboration within the multi-sectoral framework. NPANM III, 2016-2025 recognises that direct nutrition interventions need to be coordinated at all levels of government – Federal, State, and Local Government – with complementary actions to address the underlying determinants of good nutrition: food security, health services, a healthy environment, and adequate care for the nutritionally vulnerable. De strategies identiCed in NPANM III, 2016-2025 will be delivered through three main delivery platforms to ensure that maximum coverage is attained for targeted population: health facility; community structure; and campaigns/ outreach activities.De road ahead is likely to be more if not equally challenging. Undeniably there are still key issues to be resolved particularly implementation issues like convergence of interventions at the district levels, vertical and horizontal integration and coordination, and absorptive capacity of frontline nutrition, health and other development workers. Nevertheless, with all of us joining hands, I believe that we will be able to achieve the targeted indicators.
SUMMARY
⦁ Eat a lot of whole cereals and beans or legumes generally, if you can’t afford animal protein and as much as possible take some milk in your meals.
⦁ Eat a variety of food types from different main three groups (energy giving, body building and protective foods) at a very meal.
⦁ For lunch and supper take a fruit and a serving of vegetables (100g or one handful of fresh vegetables).
⦁ Avoid eating too much salt, too much sugar, drinking too much alcohol and too much fatty red meat.
⦁ These feeding habits predispose people to diseases such as:
⦁ high blood pressure, diabetes, overweight, obesity.
