Factors affecting meal

planning
Meal Planning
• Nutrition is a basic prerequisite to sustain life.
• A diet consisting of foods from several food groups provides all the
required nutrients in proper amounts.
• A well planned diet with the inclusion of a variety of foods will
therefore ensure good health and well being.
Factors affecting meal planning
Nutritional Requirements
• An important factor to consider during meal planning is the
individuals nutritional requirements. The meals planned and
consumed provide all the necessary nutrients for optimal health.

• These requirements vary based on factors such as:

❖Age
❖Gender
❖Level of Physical activity (Sedentary, Moderate & Heavy work)
❖Physiological status (Infancy, Pregnancy, Lactation)
Health and Nutritional status
• Disease will determine the type of diet planned for an individual.
e.g. Low sodium diet (Hypertension)
Low fat Diet (Heart disease)
Allergy (Diet which excludes milk protein, gluten, soybean, nuts etc.)
Economic factors
• Meal planning has to consider the economic status of the patient.
• Meals planned that are not within budget cannot be put into practice
• A low cost diet based on local available seasonal foods is planned
when there are budgetary constraints.

• List down some examples of low cost foods:

Individuals likes and dislikes
• Food preference- Vegetarian, Non vegetarian, Vegan
• Dislike towards certain foods- Some individual may dislike leafy
vegetables, karela, milk etc.
Religious and cultural factors
• These factors determine the food choice of individuals.
• Certain foods may be forbidden in some religions and communities.
e.g. Consumption of
oOnion, garlic and underground roots and tubers
oNon vegetarian foods
oRed meat (Beef, Pork)

• The meal consumption pattern also changes during religious events

e.g. Fasting
Festivals
• Cultural beliefs and taboos
Some examples:
Hot foods vs. cold food
Food combinations (Curd and fish should not be eaten together)
Papaya can cause miscarriage in pregnant women
Environmental Factors:
• Geographic location
The availability of food may also be based on geographic region.
e.g. Availability of seafood in Himalayan regions is limited
Military locations (Soldiers patrolling borders at high altitude and
cold regions)- difficulty in transporting fresh food supplies

• Seasons
The season will determine the availability of certain foods
e.g. Winter- fresh vegetables such green peas, red carrots
Summer- Mangoes
Monsoon- local traditional leafy vegetables
Availability of time and energy
• Planning of meals should be done in such a way that the recipes
should be simple and nutritious.
• This is important for:
-People who spend long hours at work
-Individuals who live alone- young working professionals, elderly
• Labour and time saving devices can be used.
Other factors:
• Occupation- Field job(Community workers, marketing job), desk job
etc.
• Variety- color, texture & taste
• Cooking skills
• Availability of facilities for cooking food or ordering food