Informed Choices for a Balanced Diet 2

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.

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.

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.

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

Here are some meal suggestions for different age groups:

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).

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.

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

Some people are intolerant to certain foods, while others suffer from allergies and diseases that affect their diet.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

2.1Macronutrients

2.1.1Proteins

2.1.2Proteins 2

2.1.3Fats

2.1.4Carbohydrates

2.1.5Carbohydrates 2

2.2Micronutrients

2.2.1Fat-Soluble Vitamins

2.2.2Water-Soluble Vitamins

2.2.3Minerals & Water

2.2.4Minerals & Water 2

2.2.5End of Topic Test - Macro & Micronutrients

2.3Nutritional Needs & Health

2.3.1Informed Choices for a Balanced Diet

2.3.2Informed Choices for a Balanced Diet 2

2.3.3Energy Needs

2.3.4Nutritional Analysis

2.3.5Diet Modifications

2.3.6Diet-Related Problems

2.3.7Diet-Related Problems 2

2.3.8End of Topic Test - Nutritional Needs & Health

3Food Science

3.1Cooking of Food & Heat Transfer

3.1.1Reasons for Cooking & Heat Transfer

3.1.2Water-Based Cooking Methods

3.1.3Fat-Based Cooking Methods

3.1.4Dry Cooking Methods

3.1.5Dry Cooking Methods 2

3.2Functional & Chemical Properties of Food

3.2.1Proteins & Carbohydrates

3.2.2Fats & Oils

3.2.3Raising Agents

3.2.4End of Topic Test - Food Science

4Food Safety

4.1Food Spoilage & Contamination

4.1.1Microorganisms & Signs of Food Spoilage

4.1.2Enzymes & Signs of Food Spoilage

4.1.3Food Poisoning

4.1.4Bacterial Contamination

4.1.5Microorganisms in Food Production

4.2Principles of Food Safety

4.2.1Temperature Control

4.2.2Ambient Foods & Food Labels

4.2.3Preparing, Cooking & Serving Food

4.2.4End of Topic Test - Food Safety

5Food Choice

5.1Factors Affecting Food Choice

5.1.1Factors Which Influence Food Choice

5.1.2Food Choices

5.1.3Religious Food Choices

5.1.4Food Labels

5.1.5Mandatory Food Labels

5.1.6Optional Food Labels

5.1.7Marketing Influences

5.1.8End of Topic Test - Food Choice

5.2British & International Cuisines

5.2.1British Cuisine

5.2.2Japanese Cuisine

5.2.3Japanese Ingredients & Dishes

5.2.4Spanish Cuisine

5.2.5Spanish Ingredients & Dishes

5.3Sensory Evaluation

5.3.1Taste Receptors & Olfactory Systems

5.3.2Sensory Testing Methods

5.3.3Sensory Testing Methods 2

5.3.4End of Topic Test - Cuisines & Senses

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

6.2Food Processing & Production

6.2.1Primary Food Processing

6.2.2Primary Food Processing 2

6.2.3Secondary Food Processing

6.2.4Fortification

6.2.5Additives

6.2.6End of Topic Test - Food Processing & Production

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