MEAL PLANNING

Nutrients perform different functions in the body and for a meal to contain all the important nutrients, we must combine a number of food together and this combination will leads to what we called a Balance meal. meal planning means choosing a menu of food that will contain all the six classes of food for proper body functioning.

Factors that a meal planner must put into consideration when planning meal for a family.

1 . age of each family members ÷ age influence the nutritional need of the body so when planning for a meal the age of each family members must be put into consideration.
2 . the occupation of each family members ÷ a manual worker or people that deal with stressful activities will need more energy giving food that a member that works in the office and sit all day long.
3 . health condition of family members ÷ some health conditions required food modifications for example a diabetic patient has to reduce his salt, carbohydrates intake and eat all food in moderation.
4 . family members food preference ÷ for effective meal planning the food preference of each family members must be put into consideration to avoid planning for meals that they will not eat.
5 . family size ÷ the quantity of meal to be plan for will be determined by the family size.
6 . money available ÷ the money/ income available for the family will determine the types of food, quantity to go for during meal planning.
7 . availability of equipment and facility to prepare the food ÷ some food preparation need special equipment to be able to prepare it and without those equipment the food will be difficult to prepare imagine you want to bake without an oven.
8 . season of the year ÷ when planning food the season of the year matter because some food are cheaper and more fresh at a particular time of the year.
9 . The location of the family ÷ some food are grown and easily available at a particular place than others.

In conclusion

Meal planning is important to a family as it helps regulated the types of food eaten, maintaining balance diet and helps in time of budgeting the money needed to cater for the family meal.