2.3.2
Informed Choices for a Balanced Diet 2
Planning Meals - Costs and Portion Sizes
Planning Meals - Costs and Portion Sizes
The kinds of things you'll need to think about when planning meals include dietary needs, portion sizes, costs and the ages of those you're cooking for.
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Costs
Costs
- Unfortunately, ingredients that are more nutritional and healthier usually cost more than those that are less nutritional.
- You could use comparison websites or compare prices at different supermarkets to find the cheapest ingredients.
- It's often less expensive to buy the ingredients for a recipe that serves many people than it is to buy individual ready-made dishes. You might have leftover ingredients though, as you'll probably end up buying more ingredients than the recipe requires.
![Illustrative background for Total and individual ingredient costs](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-05/55d1db19-7997-4e8a-a7b9-00459381490b/shutterstock_268996268,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
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Total and individual ingredient costs
Total and individual ingredient costs
- The total cost of a meal is the sum of the costs of the individual ingredients.
- To find out how much each ingredient costs, work out the exact cost by weight.
- E.g. 100g chicken = £0.579.
- If the recipe uses 800g of chicken, the cost = £0.579 × 8 = £4.63.
![Illustrative background for Portion sizes](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-05/e640fa9a-b882-46a2-8ffc-fa6d819ae8d9/shutterstock_791066053,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
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Portion sizes
Portion sizes
- To make sure you don't underfeed or overfeed people, use guidelines and/or equipment to get portion sizes right.
- Some useful guidelines are:
- 1 portion of cooked vegetables ≈ fist-sized (roughly).
- 1 portion of cooked meat ≈ palm-sized (roughly).
- For serving things like desserts and pizzas, try using cutters and slicers.
Planning Meals - Catering to Different Age Groups
Planning Meals - Catering to Different Age Groups
Here are some meal suggestions for different age groups:
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Children
Children
- Fishcakes or homemade fish fingers - sources of protein.
- Peas and broccoli - contain lots of vitamin C.
- Mashed potatoes - starchy carbohydrate made using milk (calcium).
![Illustrative background for Teenagers](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-05/8fb825dd-1403-4e09-9057-673b82dde99b/shutterstock_424222168,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
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Teenagers
Teenagers
- Grilled salmon fillet - protein source.
- Quinoa - a source of carbohydrate, fibre and iron.
- Spinach - another source of iron, which is especially important for girls.
- Broccoli or red pepper - both sources of vitamin C.
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Elderly
Elderly
- Chickpea stew - pulses contain lots of fibre (good for the digestive system) and protein.
- Butternut squash or sweet potato - high in carotene (vitamin A).
- Slices of wholemeal bread - a source of fibre.
- Nuts or tofu - sources of calcium.
Planning Meals - Dietary Requirements
Planning Meals - Dietary Requirements
Some people are intolerant to certain foods, while others suffer from allergies and diseases that affect their diet.
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Nut allergy
Nut allergy
- People who have nut allergies must avoid foods that contain nut traces as well as straight-forward nuts.
- Some people are so allergic that their reactions can be fatal.
- In some recipes, nuts are only used for flavour so can just be taken out.
- As nuts aren't essential for a balanced diet, you can easily substitute them for other things.
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Lactose intolerance
Lactose intolerance
- Lactose is a type of sugar found in milk. Therefore, someone with lactose intolerance must cut out foods containing milk-based ingredients.
- Neither oat nor coconut milk contains lactose.
- Supermarkets sell lactose-free ice-cream and spread as well as other dairy product alternatives.
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Coeliac disease
Coeliac disease
- Coeliac disease is caused by the immune system's reaction to gluten. Therefore, a Coeliac should avoid consuming foods that contain gluten. This means staying clear of pasta, wheat, cereals etc.
- Although lots of foods don't contain gluten - such as meat, dairy products and vegetables - it's still worth checking the labels for these foods.
- Gluten-free alternatives to wheat flour include almond, buckwheat and oat flour.
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Vegetarians
Vegetarians
- Vegetarians avoid eating meat. Some vegetarians also chose to not consume animal products like honey and eggs.
- The different types of vegetarians include:
- Pescatarians - won't consume meat; will eat fish and animal products.
- Lacto vegetarians - won't consume meat, eggs or fish; will eat dairy products (including milk).
- Lacto-ovo vegetarians - won't consume fish or meat; will eat eggs, milk and animal products.
- Vegans - won't consume fish, meat or animal products.
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Vegetarians (continued)
Vegetarians (continued)
- A lot of people who aren't vegetarians get protein from meat. Vegetarians must get protein from other sources.
- The meat-substitute Quorn contains mycoprotein. Most Quorn products are not suitable for vegans as they contain egg-white.
- Animal-based ingredients include lard (fat from pigs' stomachs) and pepsin (found in pigs' stomachs).
1Food Preparation Skills
1.1Food Preparation Skills
1.1.1General Practical Skills
1.1.2Knife Skills
1.1.3Preparing Fruit, Vegetables & Using Equipment
1.1.4Cooking Methods: Prepare, Shape & Combine
1.1.5Sauce Making, Tenderising & Marinating
1.1.6Dough & Pastry
1.1.7Shaping & Finishing Dough
1.1.8Raising Agents & Mixtures
1.1.9End of Topic Test - Food Preparation Skills 1
2Food, Nutrition & Health
2.2Micronutrients
3Food Science
3.1Cooking of Food & Heat Transfer
3.2Functional & Chemical Properties of Food
4Food Safety
4.1Food Spoilage & Contamination
5Food Choice
5.1Factors Affecting Food Choice
5.2British & International Cuisines
6Food Provenance
6.1Environmental Impact & Sustainability of Food
6.1.1Food Sources - Intensive & Organic Farming
6.1.2Food Sources - Genetically Modified Crops
6.1.3Food Sources - Reared Food
6.1.4Food Sources - Caught Food
6.1.5Food & The Environment
6.1.6Food & The Environment 2
6.1.7Sustainability of Food
6.1.8Sustainability of Food 2
6.1.9End of Topic Test - Environmental Impacts
Jump to other topics
1Food Preparation Skills
1.1Food Preparation Skills
1.1.1General Practical Skills
1.1.2Knife Skills
1.1.3Preparing Fruit, Vegetables & Using Equipment
1.1.4Cooking Methods: Prepare, Shape & Combine
1.1.5Sauce Making, Tenderising & Marinating
1.1.6Dough & Pastry
1.1.7Shaping & Finishing Dough
1.1.8Raising Agents & Mixtures
1.1.9End of Topic Test - Food Preparation Skills 1
2Food, Nutrition & Health
2.2Micronutrients
3Food Science
3.1Cooking of Food & Heat Transfer
3.2Functional & Chemical Properties of Food
4Food Safety
4.1Food Spoilage & Contamination
5Food Choice
5.1Factors Affecting Food Choice
5.2British & International Cuisines
6Food Provenance
6.1Environmental Impact & Sustainability of Food
6.1.1Food Sources - Intensive & Organic Farming
6.1.2Food Sources - Genetically Modified Crops
6.1.3Food Sources - Reared Food
6.1.4Food Sources - Caught Food
6.1.5Food & The Environment
6.1.6Food & The Environment 2
6.1.7Sustainability of Food
6.1.8Sustainability of Food 2
6.1.9End of Topic Test - Environmental Impacts
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