THE GALAXY EDUCATION SYSTEM
STD-10
Meal Planning + Nutritional Needs of Pregnant Woman,Young Children,
Adolescents and Older people
Definition:
Food: Defined as anything solid or liquid which when swallowed, digested and assimilated in the
body keeps it well
Nutrition: it is a combination of processes by which the living organism receives and utilizes the
material necessary for the maintenance of its function and for the growth and renewal of its
components
Nutrition is also defined as Food at work in the body
Nutrients: Constituents in food that must be supplied to the body in suitable amounts like
Proteins, Carbohydrates, Fats-lipids, Vitamins, Mineral, Water, Roughage
Health: WHO world health organization defines heath as a state of complete physical, mental, and
social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity
Calorie: A unit of measuring the energy provided by food
Meal Planning:
It is a process of deciding what we should eat each day at each meal
Importance of meal planning /Points to be kept in mind while planning a meal






Meet Nutritional needs
Fulfill Family needs
Saves time and energy
Provides variety
Takes into consideration individuals likes and dislikes
Not too expensive
Meal Pattern: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Nutritional Requirements: Our body gets the supply of nutrients regularly from these meals of
the day. Hence it is necessary to make sure that all three meals include food which would provide
to our body everything that requires. Carbohydrates ,Proteins and fat with variety of food from
basic five groups.
Fulfill the family needs: Besides our own requirements, we look into the needs of our other
members of the family. The meals should satisfy the requirements acc to the age, occupation and
lifestyle
Home Science
Facilitator : Jasmina Sangani 2010-2011
Page 1
Personal Likes and Dislikes: Try to include dishes which fulfill the nutritional requirements and
liked by everyone. Vegetarian people cannot eat non-vegetarian diet. Old people can not eat hard
food and oily or spicy food.
Availability: Locally available and seasonable foods can be chosen in menu preparation
Economic Consideration: Meal prepared should satisfy the family budget.Soyabeans low cost
proteins can be used instead of meat or fish
Conservation of nutrients: During washing, cutting and cooking of vegetables nutrients are loss
.so steps should be taken to minimize the loss, by cutting the vegetables after washing using
minimum water while cooking
Saving of resources: Simple and nutritious menu can save time and energy. Using pressure
cooker, microwaves can be used to save time, energy and fuel.
Variety: Use of different types, color, texture of food, and also using different cooking method
Satiety: Meals should be prepared with fiber, fat , carbohydrate and protein to provide satiety
during interval hours between meals.
Flexibility: Meal planned should be flexible enough to meet the nutritional requirements of the
family members. Member suffering from therapeutic control of disease like diabetes etc
Time to collect things, cook and serve the meal on time in an attractive manner in order to plan the
day’s meal in advance
Good use of left over’s in kitchen or in the refrigerators
Factors Affecting Meal Planning
Age: Infants drink milk or eat semi liquid food like dalia or khichdi. Young babies and children eat
everything but less, hence have to be fed more often as compared to adults. Adults and old people
may suffer from illness and therefore cannot eat certain food e.g. if they are suffering from
diabetes they should not eat rice, potatoes, sugar etc If they are suffering from constipation, they
need more fiber as compared to other adults. Age of an individual influences both quantity and
quality of food and while planning the meal we have to keep this in mind.
Sex: Men are more muscular than women and they can do more manual and strenuous work as
compared to women. They need more proteins and energy than woman
Climate: We tend to eat more in winter than in summer, because in winter our body needs more
energy and therefore, we tend to include more of energy rich food.
Occupation : Some people do more manual work. Others work while sitting, farmers’ players,
labourers need more food and food which is rich in energy and proteins
Home Science
Facilitator : Jasmina Sangani 2010-2011
Page 2
Individual Physical Needs of the members: A growing child needs more proteins. A sick person
needs a diet which is light and easily digestible. A person suffering from constipation needs more
fiber and pregnant woman needs food for the feotus. A lactating mother has to feed the baby hence
needs nutritive food
Economic Condition: Selecting of food items get limited if the family income is limited. Cheese,
meat, fish, milk, nuts are expensive items. A family can include these in daily diet meal only if
they have enough money to buy.
Managerial Aspects : Food Budget
How to save money, time and energy











Plan the meal for several days or at least for a week
Make an accurate shopping list,including quantities and qualities of good you need
Purchase from market after comprising prices
Seasonal foods are cheaper and have immediate nutritional value
Choose food items from each group which has low cost but same nutritive value
Avoid wastage of food whether it is raw or cooked>It adversely affects the economy.
Appropriate preparation techniques and adequate storage facilities saves energy and time
Avoid Impulsive buying
Meals cooked at home are cheaper ,healthier and better than bought from market
If possible grow fruits and veg at home or kitchen garden
Menu adjustments saves time, money and energy
Food for the Family
There are various factors which influence the planning of a balanced meal based on the everyone
whether young or old, man or woman ,boy or girl ,sick or healthy ie a meal should contain all the
nutrients that are required in our body ie.proteins, carbohydrates,fats ,minerals,fats , vitamins etc
When we are planning a meal for the day,see that every meal has these imp nutrients in it.Five
food groups should be included in atleast one of the item ,if not two .
Five Groups
Cereals
Pulses
Milk, egg and flesh foods
Fruits and vegetables
Oil, ghee and sugar
Meal
Chapatis or rice
Dal-moong or arhar
Curd or raita
Palak and cauliflower vegetables and guava
Oil, ghee
It’s called as family pot or the family meal or the thali meal
Adjustments and modifications in this meal can be done based on the family requirement
Adjustments
Home Science
Facilitator : Jasmina Sangani 2010-2011
Page 3
Boys eat more than girls and men eat more than women. There is difference in quantity Hence we
just increase the portions e.g. two chappatis to girl than 3-5 to boys
Nutritional requirements during Pregnancy and Lactation
Well-nourished mothers are likely to have healthy babies
Girls and women need to eat well throughout their lives but particularly when they are planning a
baby, are pregnant or breastfeeding. If they eat healthy, balanced diets they are likely to:


stay active and well;
produce healthy babies and breastfeed successfully.
Low birth weight babies are more likely to grow and develop more slowly than
healthy babies
A woman is at risk of complications and a difficult labour if she is already undernourished when
she becomes pregnant, or is undernourished during pregnancy, and her baby is likely to have a low
birth weight (i.e. <2 500 g). Low birth weight babies are at greater risk than healthy newborns of:




growing and developing slower;
contracting an infection and of dying. The lower the birthweight the greater the risk of
death;
having low body stores of micronutrients that may result in disorders, such as anaemia, and
vitamin A and zinc deficiencies;
developing heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes when adult.
Other causes of low birthweight are prematurity, malaria or other infections in the mother, or the
mother’s smoking or abusing drugs during pregnancy.
Nutrient needs increase during pregnancy and breastfeeding
Women's needs for energy and most nutrients increase during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Iron
needs during pregnancy are so high that it is usually advisable to give iron supplements, such as
iron/folic acid tablets
Women should know the following.
All girls and women of reproductive age should:
- eat a healthy, balanced diet that contains plenty of iron-rich foods;
- have plenty of clean, safe drinks;
- eat iodized salt. Women who lack iodine when they become pregnant are at greater risk of having
a baby who is physically and mentally damaged
Pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls need extra food.
When pregnant they need about 280 extra kcal/day, more protein, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin C , and
much more iron (i.e. the equivalent of an extra nutritious snack each day). It is particularly
important for women to eat well and be well nourished throughout their pregnancy, including the
Home Science
Facilitator : Jasmina Sangani 2010-2011
Page 4
first trimester, so that the babies’ bodies and brains develop properly. Women should gain about 1
kg a month in the second and third trimester of pregnancy.
When breastfeeding they need about 450 extra kcal/day and much more protein, zinc, vitamin A,
vitamin C and folate (i.e. the equivalent of an extra small meal each day).You can suggest that
women eat more at each meal or eat more frequently - perhaps having more snacks during the day.
Breast Feeding:
Most babies should breastfeed exclusively for six months. Breast milk provides all the food
and water young babies need








Breast milk contains all the nutrients a full-term baby needs for the first six months of life.
It provides enough water even in hot weather and is the safest source of water.
Exclusive breastfeeding reduces the risk of diarrhea and other infections. Giving any other
food or drink increases the risk of diarrhea.
Exclusive breastfeeding means the mother is unlikely to become pregnant.
It is germ free ,pure, clean and fresh
The temp of the milk is exactly right for the baby
It saves money , time and energy which otherwise would be spent on artificial milk
Its always ready when required by the baby
It establishes a strong bond between the mother and child
After six months mother’s milk is not sufficient for the baby. So new food is introduced for
the baby known as Weaning. The food that is given is in the liquid form, then slowly it is
changed to semi solid form eg kheer and lastly to solid form eg chappati
Precautions during weaning:






Only liquid should be given first
Very small amount of new food should be given
Only one new food should be introduced >the infant should become familiar and start
liking the food before the next food is given
Use food of smooth consistency
Food should only contain salt > no other spices should be added
Never force the infant if he/she is unwilling
Use a variety of foods for children’s meals
Advise parents to prepare meals that provide:




a variety of foods
some fat-rich foods to increase the energy content;
fresh fruits and vegetables, especially ones rich in vitamins A and C;
eggs, milk foods and iron-rich animal foods (meat, offal, poultry, fish, as appropriate) daily
or as often as possible.
Home Science
Facilitator : Jasmina Sangani 2010-2011
Page 5
Nutritional Requirement for young children
Feed young children frequently
Young children have small stomachs, so they should eat often, with an increasing number of times
as he/she grows older. For the average healthy and frequently breastfed child, complementary
foods should be given as follows:



2-3 meals a day at ages 6-8 months;
3-4 meals a day at ages 9-24 months;
with additional 1-2 good snacks offered each day as desired after the age of six months.
Encourage young children to eat
Young children are often slow and messy eaters who are easily distracted. They eat more when
their parents supervise mealtimes and actively and lovingly encourage them to eat. This is
especially important when children start complementary foods and until they are at least 3 years
old.
Suggest that mothers, or the main caregivers:










sit with children and encourage them to eat by talking with them and telling them how
good the food is;
make mealtimes happy times;
feed young children with the rest of the family but give them their own plates and spoons to
make sure they get, and eat, their share;
give foods that children can hold if they want to feed themselves and tell them not to worry
about messy eating - but make sure that all the food eventually gets into a child’s mouth;
mix foods together if a child picks out and eats only favorite foods;
do not hurry children. A child may eat a bit, play a bit, and then eat again;
make sure the child is not thirsty because thirsty children eat less, but do not fill up the
child’s stomach with too much drink before or during the meal;
try to feed children as soon as they are hungry; do not wait for them to start crying for food;
do not feed when children are tired or sleepy;
make mealtimes interesting learning times; for example, teach the names of foods.
Sometimes even healthy children are fussy eaters. Check that the child is not sick, undernourished
or unhappy and then advise families to:



give more attention when the child eats well and less when the child is trying to gain
attention by refusing food;
play games to persuade a reluctant child to eat more;
avoid force-feeding because this increases stress and decreases appetite even more.
Home Science
Facilitator : Jasmina Sangani 2010-2011
Page 6
Nutritional Needs of Pre School Children
Proper nutrition can also prevent many medical problems, including becoming overweight,
developing weak bones, and developing diabetes. It will also ensure that your child physically
grows to her full potential.
The best nutrition advise to keep your child healthy includes encouraging her to:






Eat a variety of foods
Balance the food you eat with physical activity
Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables and fruits
Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol
Choose a diet moderate in sugars and salt
Choose a diet that provides enough calcium and iron to meet their growing body's
requirements.
To ensure good nutrition in your child and that they grow up healthy, they will need to eat a
large variety of foods.





Grain group servings include 1 slice of bread, 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta, 1/2 cup of
cooked cereal, and 1 ounce of ready to eat cereal. Your child should eat 6 servings from
this group.
Vegetable group servings include 1/2 cup of chopped or raw vegetables, or 1 cup of raw
leafy vegetables. Your child should eat 3 servings from this group.
Fruit group servings include 1 piece of fruit or melon wedge, 3/4 cup of 100% fruit juice,
1/2 cup of canned fruit, or 1/4 cup of dried fruit. Your child should eat 2 servings from this
group.
Milk group servings include 1 cup of milk or yogurt or 2 ounces of cheese. Your child
should eat 2 servings from this group.
Meat group servings include 2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish, 1/2 cup of
cooked dry beans. You can substitute 2 tablespoons of peanut butter or 1 egg for 1 ounce of
meat. Your child should eat 2 servings from this group.
Nutritional Needs of School Going Children
Child's nutrition is important for her overall health. Proper nutrition can also prevent many medical
problems, including becoming overweight, developing weak bones, and developing diabetes. It
will also ensure that your child physically grows to her full potential.
Characteristics of primary school children influencing their food intake:







Many meals consumed away from home
Greater influence of peers, advertising and media on food choices
More structured eating times due to school timetable
Greater access to foods from school canteen or other students lunches
Nutritional messages more meaningful in relation to cognitive development of the child
Food choices may be repetitive
Food likes and dislikes may be firmly entrenched
Home Science
Facilitator : Jasmina Sangani 2010-2011
Page 7

May now have small disposable income to purchase food
The best nutrition advise to keep your adolescent healthy includes encouraging her to:






Eat a variety of foods
Balance the food you eat with physical activity
Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables and fruits
Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol
Choose a diet moderate in sugars and salt
Choose a diet that provides enough calcium and iron to meet their growing body's
requirements.
Suggested strategies to engage young children in nutrition education:












Teach children from an early age about nutrition, foods, drinks and healthy eating and
drinking
Assist children develop an interest in learning about foods and drinks with encouragement
and by modeling
Keep nutrition messages simple; the delivery of clear, accurate information and consistent
messages in a fun way is important for learning
Provide children with opportunities to prepare foods and drinks; this gives them a sense of
ownership of healthy choices, as well as assisting in skill development
Acknowledge that all children can participate in making decisions about their health
Involve children in setting goals for making healthy food and drink choices
Help children understand the link between eating patterns and health
Adults role-modeling healthy eating patterns are a positive influence on children’s eating
patterns
Involve everyone in the family to adopt healthy eating patterns
Encourage the whole community (school, family) to get involved
Make it relevant; children are likely to respond to information about health when they can
relate it to their own experience and health
Physiology can be fun; teach children about what happens to foods and drinks in the body.
Nutritional Needs of Adolescents – The Teenage Years
The teenage years can be a difficult time in life. Physical growth and mental development are
rapid, boys' voices change, girls start having periods, and most teenagers have to face taking public
examinations for the first time.
The physical changes of adolescence have a direct influence on a person's nutritional needs.
Teenagers need additional calories , protein , calcium , and iron .
Teenagers develop unusual eating habits and often eat too many fried, fast and junk foods. On the
other hand, the reverse can also be true as social pressures can lead them to cut back drastically on
food, often without thought to their nutritional needs. Such diets are often deficient in protein,
minerals and vitamins, and this can have a negative effect on mood and behaviour, as well as
Home Science
Facilitator : Jasmina Sangani 2010-2011
Page 8
physical health.
Nutritional Needs of Boys
Between the ages of 13 and IS, boys may put on up to 9kg and grow up to 12cm in a year. They
need plenty of protein to build the larger muscles that are developing. Very active adolescent boys
may consume up to 4,000 calories a day. This is a generous allowance, which should easily
provide enough minerals and vitamins, but frequently does not as boys often avoid vegetables and
whole-grain carbohydrates.
Nutritional Needs of Girls
Adolescence in girls starts earlier, with the main growth spurt usually occurring between 11
and 16 years. They may grow up to 10cm (4in) in a year and put on up to 8kg (18 lb). More
weight conscious than boys, they usually consume fewer calories, and are therefore even more
prone to nutritional deficiencies. When their monthly periods start, girls need more iron as well
as calcium and zinc. Irregular and painful periods can be caused by nutritional deficiencies it
also increases the need for certain nutrients.
Fast food
A daily diet of bread and cheese, sweets and packaged snack foods, washed down with a fizzy
drink, will be deficient in minerals, many vitamins and possibly even protein. Equally, meals from
fast-food outlets usually contain too much salt, fat, chemical additives, preservatives and sugar,
and insufficient fiber, even though the protein content may be adequate.
Nutritional Needs of Adolescent
Calorie: To meet the calorie needs, teens should choose a variety of healthful foods, such as lean
protein sources, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables
Proteins: Most teens easily meet this requirement with their intake of beef, pork, chicken, eggs,
and dairy products. Protein is also available from certain vegetable sources,- soya foods, beans,
and nuts.
Calcium: Teens are encouraged to consume three to four servings of calcium-rich foods each day.
Good sources include milk, yogurt, cheese, calcium-fortified juices, and calcium-fortified cereals.
Iron: Good sources of iron include beef, chicken, pork, legumes (including beans and peanuts),
enriched or whole grains, and leafy green vegetables such as spinach.
Home Science
Facilitator : Jasmina Sangani 2010-2011
Page 9
Nutritional Needs of Old age people
The process of aging brings about physiological, psychological and immunological changes
that influence the nutritional status.
Nutritional Requirements
These are based on physiological changes that take place during old age. After the age of 40 the
basal metabolic rate decreases due to decrease in muscle mass and other metabolically active
tissue mass.
Energy Requirements
Protein
Due to decreased appetite and poor digestive capacity, old people are likely to consume less
protein. But the fact remains that despite a decrease in calorie requirement the need of protein
remains the same, hence the food should be a little richer in protein than the other normal food.
Rich sources of protein are- all pulses, legumes, sprouts, chicken, fish, and egg.
Carbohydrates and Fats
Since calorie requirement is lesser in older people, carbohydrate and fat content of food is also to
be reduced. Part of fat intake should be in form of vegetable oils which are rich in essential fatty
acids and part of it should be in form of animal fats which are rich in fat soluble vitamins A, D, E,
K.
Minerals
Calcium: the need for calcium increases during old age especially for women after menopause
Good food sources of calcium are-milk and milk products like cheese, paneer, and curd. Green
leafy vegetables are also a good source.
Iron-liver, green leafy vegetables like spinach, methi, whole wheat bread, iron rich dry fruits,
fruits such as apple.
Salt is naturally present in almost all fruits and vegetables.
Foods that have a very high concentration of sodium such as pickles, chutneys, and papads should
be avoided as a part of daily diet.
Vitamin
Poor appetite, impaired absorption, constipation and general malaise may be caused in part by
inadequate intake or improper absorption of vitamins. While the body’s demand for vitamins does
not increase in old age, it is particularly important that the factors interfering with utilisation be
corrected or that the intake should be sufficient to compensate for the poor utilisation.
In the elderly when light exposure is poor, for example in those who are house bound or
institutionalised, vitamin D status is likely to be poor. Milk should be included in diet of such
people.
Home Science
Facilitator : Jasmina Sangani 2010-2011
Page 10
SUGGESTED DIETARY MODIFICATIONS FOR THE ELDERLY1. Eat a diet that is rich in raw fruits and vegetables and their juices.
2. Increase the amount of gel forming fibre in the diet such as oat, rice bran and pectin
that is found in fruits and vegetables.
3. Try adding the juice of black currants. This is rich in bioflavinoids that are known to
promote longitivity.
4. Cabbage, yogurt, olive oil, seasoning herbs such as thyme, rosemary have been
Known to slow down the aging process.
5. Reduce the intake of refined foods such as white flour and its products. These
Include white bread, donuts, white flour pastas and biscuits that use refined flour.
However all whole grain breads, pastas, brown rice are permitted.
6. Avoid refined sugar and its products. Mild sweet flavouring can be done using honey,
jaggery, and maple syrup in limited quantities.
7. Reduce the intake of saturated fats, cholesterol and animal fats. The general
guideline is to use not more than 4 tablespoons of saturated fats in a day.
8. Reduce the intake of caffeine by limiting or eliminating the intake of coffee, black tea,
chocolate.
9. Herbal teas such as mint, dandelion root, red clover tea are recommended.
Significantly reduce or give up alcohol.
10. Avoid processed foods as much as possible.
11. Choose nutritious snacks such as nuts, seeds, raw vegetable sticks popcorn without
butter and fresh fruit.
12. Avoid artificial sweeteners as they contain saccharine. Both these
substances have long-term detrimental effect on the body and are known to
contribute to memory impairment. Some scientists even hint at the carcinogenic
nature of these sweeteners. However this has not been proved so far.
13. A detoxification diet may be included in the lifestyle.
What You Have Learnt
MEAL PLANNING
Importance
Factors
Food budget
Food for the Family
NUTRITIONAL NEEDS
Pregnant and Lactating Woman Young Pre- School School-Going Teenagers Old Age People
Home Science
Facilitator : Jasmina Sangani 2010-2011
Page 11