MEAL PLANNING AND

MANAGEMENT
Food Guides for Selecting an Adequate Diet

In developing a food guide, the foods are

classified on the basis of their use and the major
nutrients which they provide. Such a
classification can serve as a guide for the
selection and use of foods.
 FIVE FOOD GROUPS suggested by ICMR and
their nutritional contribution
Group 1: Cereals and Breads
•It provide more than half our body’s daily need for energy
and proteins.
•If the whole grain or its flour is used in the preparation,
these foods can be a valuable source of thiamin (one of the B
vitamins) and iron.
•The foods in the group include rice, wheat
( wheat bread), maize or corn, rice flakes, and other cereal
products.
Serving Size:
1 serving of these foods is any preparation made from 25g of any
cereal of Millet (cereal grain).

Suggested number of servings:

A sedentary person may need about ten servings.
Those who need more servings of foods in this group are:
• Teenagers.
• Expectant mothers (latter half of pregnancy) and nursing mothers.
• Persons involved in heavy physical work such as lifting and
carrying heavy loads, agricultural work, pulling rickshaw, etc.
• Players who practice for hours games such as badminton, tennis,
squash, etc.
• Persons whose hobbies involve intense physical exertion for
some hours each day.
Group 2: Protein Foods
 Major sources of proteins in our dietary (legumes,
beans, whole pulses, milk, eggs, fish, poultry and
meat).
 A third or more of our protein requirement is met
by these foods.
 Good sources of proteins, minerals, and vitamins.
• Good Sources of Iron – Dals (legumes, beans),
eggs, and meat
• Calcium & Riboflavin – milk
• Vitamin A - Milk, eggs and liver
 These foods also supply part of our
requirement of the B vitamins. Foods in this
group are varied in their composition.
 Serving size of these foods varies as given
below:
 Dals and whole legumes or pulses - 25 g
 Milk and milk preparations - 1 medium cup or
150 ml
 Egg (medium size 50–52g) - 1
 Fish, meat and poultry - 25 to 30 g
Group 3: Protective Vegetables and Fruits
 The protective vegetables and fruits are rich
sources of beta-carotene or provitamin A and
ascorbic acid or vit. C.
 
• The group is divided into group 3(a) and
group 3(b)
Group 3(a)
Vitamin A - Rich Green and Yellow Vegetables and Fruits
- All dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, radish leaves, colocasia
leaves, etc.
- Light green leafy vegetables such as cabbage, onion tops, and lettuce,
and yellow-orange vegetables and fruits such as carrots, pumpkin,
mangoes, papaya, oranges, cantaloupe, apricots, etc.

 All of these vegetables and fruits share one common component, which
brings them together in one group.
 This component is the yellow plant pigment beta-carotene, which is a
precursor of vitamin A.
 One serving of this group provides 75–120% of our day’s need of vitamin
A. The dark green leafy vegetables provide about 50 per cent need for
vitamin C.
Serving size:
1 serving is 50 g of the vegetables or fruit, or half a
small bowl of cut vegetables or fruit.

Suggested number of servings:

It is suggested that one or more servings a day be
included from this group.
- You can include dark green leafy vegetables three
times a week
- yellow —orange vegetables two times a week
- light green vegetables two times a week
Group 3(b) — Vitamin C Rich Vegetables
and Fruits
- Rich sources of ascorbic acid or vitamin C
- Guavas, cashew apples, cabbage, and
drumsticks (both leaves and pods), and contain 3
to 6 times the amount provided by citrus fruits.
- Citrus fruits such as oranges, pummelo,
grapefruits, etc., & other fruits such as papaya,
mangoes, pineapples and tomatoes, which are
also good sources of vitamin C.
Serving size: 1 serving is a 50 g portion or half a bowl of cut
vegetable or fruit.
- Some exceptions to this serving size, when we choose a very
concentrated source. For example, you need only 25 g of guava
or cashew apple to comprise a serving.
Suggested number of servings: 1 or more servings a day are
suggested. It provides half or more of our day’s need for vitamin C.
- Some vegetables and fruits are good sources of both beta-
carotene and vitamin C.
• (Cabbage, drumstick leaves, amaranth, oranges, mangoes and
papaya).
• If you choose one of these, you will take care of the servings
from both group 3(a) and group 3(b).
Group 4: Other Vegetables and Fruits

- All the vegetables and fruits not mentioned as part of Group 3(a and
b) are included in this group.

The members of this group are:

•Fruit and flower vegetables — cucumber, cauliflower, capsicum, etc.
•Gourds — ash gourd, bottle-, snake-, bitter-, ridge-, sponge gourd and
others.
• Immature beans and peas — French beans, cluster beans, chawli, etc.
•Roots and tubers — beetroot, radish, potatoes, yams, onion, etc.
•Other Fruits — bananas, melons, grapes, apples, jackfruit, plums,
berries, chikus, etc.
 
• These vegetables and fruits supplement the
minerals, vitamins, and fiber provided by Group 3 in
our dietary.

Serving size:
One serving is a 50 g or half a bowl of cut vegetable or
fruit.

Suggested number of servings:

Include at least three or more servings from this group
each day.
Group 5: Oils, Fats and Sugars

2 major classes of foods included in this group:

• oils and fats (oils, ghee, butter and vanaspati, used
as a spread, seasoning or shortening and sugars.
• Sugar, jaggery and preparations (jams, syrup) are
included as sugar serving.
- These foods enhance the taste and acceptability of
any preparation and provide energy.
- Sugars are a readily available energy source, while
oils and fats are a concentrated energy source.
Oils and fats – It is necessary to transport and utilize fat-soluble
vitamins in the body.

Vegetable oils - contain essential fatty acids

- Necessary for growth in the young
- It maintains the health of our skin.

Serving size: A typical serving size for oils, fats and sugars is 5 g, or
about a teaspoon, since we use a teaspoon to add sugar to beverages
and also to serve oil or ghee.

Suggested number of servings: It is not an essential component in

nutritional planning, so no recommended amount for sugar.
 
 Four to five servings a day of fats and oils is suggested.
 We must include about 10 g or two servings of vegetable
oil to meet our need for essential fatty acids.
 The remaining servings needed can be taken as ghee,
butter, or vanaspati.
 The total amount of oils and fats in the diet will vary with
our total energy needs and our energy intake from the
other food groups.
 Remember that high fat diets are harmful to our health.
 ICMR Advisory Committee (RDI, 1991) suggested that the
intake of dietary fat be 20% or less of the total calorie
intake for adults and 25% for young children.
How much do we need of these foods?
- Only as much as is required to meet our nutrient and
energy needs and to make the food palatable.

Plans for Food Budget

- This step is essential whether the plan is for a single
person, a family or an institution. The food purchase is
guided by nutrient needs and also the food budget.
- Planning helps to make the best use of the available
money to meet the needs of the family members.
- The food choices within a group can be guided by one’s
food budget.
Steps to get the best returns for the food money include:

 Buying the staple foods, dals legumes) and pulses in bulk,

when the prices are competitive, just after the harvest.
 Buying milk and milk products from government dairy
outlets.
 Buying fruits and vegetables from main markets at
competitive rates.
 Buying seasonal vegetables and fruits.
 Buy sugar, jaggery in bulk from wholesale dealers.
 Buy oil from wholesale depots in bulk.
 Make butter and ghee at home.
 Buy spices in bulk and prepare the spice mix at home.
Government programs which subsidize foods
for the various socio-economic strata’s:
 Rationed food grains- foods given to children
in grade schools to ensure attendance
 School lunch programs and supplementary
feeding of expectant and nursing mothers

 These programs help to meet the nutritional

needs. It reduces the food budget of the
family.
Nutrition Education
 It is a very important input to help people to
select an adequate diet. Children learn food
selection and how to select an adequate diet
from their parents.
 At present nutrition is taught in limited
number of faculties. It should form a part of
primary school curricula.
Fallacies about Foods and Nutrition

 A fallacy is a false or wrong idea. Wrong ideas

about effect of food on health may be spread
deliberately by those, who wish to promote
their products.
 Food fallacies exist because of ignorance of
basic scientific information about the subject.
Food quacks exploit this ignorance to sell their
products.
 Some Misconceptions about
Carbohydrate in the Diet

 Potatoes are fattening

 Honey is said to contribute significant amounts of
minerals and vitamins.
 Jaggery contributes more nutrients to the diet than
white sugar.
 Sucrose (sugar) is injurious to health because it is
pure refined food.
General Fallacies

 It is said that cooking or processing vegetables

results in loss of nutritive value.  
 Water is: “fattening”
Natural Foods
Health Foods
Organic Foods
Lactation
 The process of making human milk.
 Hormonally driven and occurs naturally in
pregnant woman.
 It can also be induced in those who are not
pregnant.
 Nutrition During Lactation

Introduction to breastfeeding
- Recommend at least 6 months; ideally through first 12
months with appropriate weaning foods
-Benefits of breastfeeding for mother and infant
Anatomy and physiology of lactation
- Anatomy: milk-producing glands
- Changes during pregnancy
 influence of progesterone
Hormonal control of lactation
- Prolactin: responsible for milk synthesis
- Oxytocin: involved with milk ejection from breast: let-down
reflex
- Supply-and-demand mechanism

Promoting breastfeeding
- Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative
- Cultural considerations: acceptability of lactation
Energy and nutrient needs during lactation
- Energy: 500 to 800 kcal expenditure to produce breast
milk each day
- Protein: 71 g/day
- Fluid: 750 to 1000 mL lost in milk production
- Rapid weight loss discouraged

Contraindications to breastfeeding
- Medications; HIV and AIDS; maternal hepatitis C
• Calories – additional 1000 calories help to produce
milk
• Protein – additional of 20 grams. , to compensate the
protein lost in milk
• Calcium & Phosphorous – Increase of 0.5 mg., to
prevent severe depletion of maternal calcium for milk
production
• Iron – additional intake is recommended for blood lost
• Vit. A – additional 2000 IU, needed in the milk
secretion
• Riboflavin, Vit. C – increase
• Fluids – 8 glasses or more
• In some rare cases women produce too little milk for
adequate nourishment of the infant.
– Severe consequences: infant dehydration, malnutrition, and brain
damage if undetected for long.
– Early warning signs: dry diapers and infrequent
bowel movements.
Will the mother’s milk be affected by nutritional
deprivation?
• Nutritional deprivation of the mother reduce the QUANTITY
not quality of milk.
• Women can produce milk with adequate protein, carbohydrate,
fat, folate, and most minerals, even when their own supplies
are limited.
• Milk quantity is maintained at the expense of maternal
stores.
– Example: dietary calcium has no effect on the calcium concentration of
breast milk, but the mother’s bones lose some density during
breastfeeding. No long-term effect on the mother’s bones.
– Excess water soluble vitamins are excreted in the urine and not
release into the milk. The amount of vitamins in the milk, however,
are affected by the mother’s excessive or deficient intakes.
 Benefits of Breastfeeding
For the Mother
■ Promotes optimal maternal–infant bonding
■ Simulates uterine contractions to help control postpartum bleeding and
regain pre pregnant uterus size
■ Is readily available and requires no mixing or dilution
■ Is less expensive than purchasing bottles, nipples, sterilizing equipment, and
formula
■ Decreases risk of breast and ovarian cancer and type 2 diabetes
■ Reduces postpartum bleeding and delays resumption of menstruation,
although not
reliable for birth control
■ Conserves iron stores by prolonging amenorrhea
■ Improves bone density and reduces risk for hip fracture
■ Reduces risk of postpartum depression
■ Enhances self-esteem as a competent mother
For the Infant
■ Increases bonding with mother
■ Optimal “natural” nutrition that contains no artificial colorings, flavorings,
preservatives, or additives
■ Safe and fresh
■ Reduces risk of acute otitis media, non specific gastroenteritis, severe
lower respiratory tract infections, and asthma
■ Enhances immune system
■ Protects against allergies and intolerance
■ Promotes better tooth and jaw development than bottle feeding because
the infant
has to suck harder
■ Associated with higher IQ and school performance through adolescence
■ Reduces the risk of chronic diseases, such as obesity, type 1 and 2 diabetes,
heart
disease, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and childhood leukemia
■ Reduces risk for infant morbidity and mortality
 Advantages of Breast Feeding

COLOSTRUM – thin yellowish fluid secreted during the first 2 days

1. Breast milk produces anti bodies, immunity against diseases
2.Lactose is higher in breast milk, to produce beneficial bacteria in the GI tract.
3.Calcium and Phosphorus level are regulated
4. Prevent dental arch
5.Cow’s milk protein causes allergy
6. Less incidence of lung cancer
7. Fast return of the uterus to its original size
8. Biologically complete
9. Easily digested
10. Convenient and dependable
11. Safe
12. Emotional satisfaction between mother & child
 Factors Affecting Milk Secretion
1. Diet – intake of meat & veg. soup (tahong, tulya, malunggay)
“galactogue”
• Stimulate milk secretion
• Water should not be drunk beyond the level of natural thirst.
It suppress milk secretion
2. Nutritional State of Mother – Malnutrition and illnesses
(cardiac and kidney diseases, anemia, beri-beri, tuberculosis)
can lessen the quantity and quality of milk
• Emotional & Physical State – relax, pleasant surroundings,
lots of rest and good sleep
• Suckling - suckling right after delivery stimulate milk secretion
• Contraceptives & Drugs – depress milk flow
Encourage lactating women to follow dietary
guidelines that promote a generous intake of
nutrients from fruits and vegetables, whole-
grain breads and cereals; calcium-rich dairy
products; and protein-rich foods such as meats,
fish, and legumes. The evidence does not
warrant recommending routine vitamin-mineral
supplementation of lactating women.
Factors Involved in Milk Secretion
The mother’s desire to feed the baby is a very
important factor.
Normal lactation helps the mother to regain
her natural figure effortlessly.
A mother, who does not nurse her baby, may
need to exercise more vigilance to avoid losing
her figure, than a mother, who is able to nurse
her baby.
 A calm, quiet life favors maximal secretion of
milk.
 Fear, worry, grief, anxiety, excitement, anger,
tend to retard milk secretion.
 Moderate exercise helps milk secretion,
excessive exercise depresses it.
 A comfortable seat, a calm atmosphere,
freedom from pre-occupations and quiet are
essential during nursing a baby.