Meal Planning & Nutrition Labels

1. Meal Planning & Nutrition Labels October 26, 2010

2. Why plan your meals?

3. Meal Planning • Easier to have well balanced, healthy meals • Helps to avoid unnecessary purchases at the grocery store, saving time, money, and yourself from empty calorie, energy dense foods • Less eating out • Saves money and calories

4. How can meal planning help you meet your weight management goals?

5. Manage portion sizes • Reduce grazing • Takes the “what can/should” I eat factor away

6. 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

7. Step 1: Consider your circumstances • Schedule for meal • Time for meal preparation • Who is eating & how many • How many meals to plan each week • Method of organization • Computer, poster, calendar, etc • Special needs • Small children, picky eaters, food allergies • What to do with the leftovers

8. 2. Make a Plan • Will your meal plans be weekly or monthly • Where will you get ideas? • How will you record your all your ideas to use later?

9. Tips to Get Started • Think of the main dish first, and then work sides into the plan • Strategize 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

10. 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 dinner • Plan fruit for dessert • Have fruit at breakfast • Packet p.77-78

11. 3. Keep Your Ideas/Plans for Future Use • Make a notebook • Put your ideas in an excel file • Use index cards Use Your Plan to Grocery Shop!

12. Recipe Adjustment • It 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 much • Accomplished: • Substitution • Omission • Addition of ingredients

13. How can you improve the nutrition in the recipes and food you are preparing?

14. 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 sautéing 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

15. Potato Casserole

16. Potato Casserole

18. Video Label Reading

19. 1. Serving Size • The 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

20. 2. Calories • Measure 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.

21. 3. Nutrients to Limit • Fat, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat • Cholesterol • Sodium

22. 4. Nutrients to Increase • Dietary fiber • Vitamin A, vitamin C • Calcium, and iron

23. 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

24. 6. Footnote • Includes more specific information about the upper and lower limits for nutrients • Allergy information

25. 7. Ingredient Lists • Listed 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 otheringredients • Dextrose, sucrose, maltose, high-fructose corn syrup, and fruit juice concentrate all mean sugar

27. 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