Factors to Consider in Meal Planning

Meal planning is a technique that every household should utilize. It is a very comprehensive plan of what to eat and the products or ingredients necessary in cooking. It is an organized system of identifying recipes and for a certain period of time. It requires a skill to identify needs of a person of his entire family and taking into consideration of several factors that would affect planning activity.

Factors would include: health needs, economic factors, religious practices, dietary concerns, environmental factors and time and ability to cook.

Health needs.

It is necessary to include all the food groups to ensure optimum nutrition. It is very important that we include in our meals the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals that our bodies require.

Economic factors.

We have to consider our budget and the prices of the ingredients. Budget is foremost the principal factor because you cannot cook what you cannot afford.

Religious practices.

Some religion or faith has restrictions on what they are allowed to eat. Muslims cannot eat pork and Jews are obliged to observe Kashrut practices. Hindus do not eat beef because of the view of the that cows are sacred.

Dietary concerns.

Certain diseases such as diabetes and hypertension restricts or limits an individual’s food intake. They are not allowed to eat fatty foods and even sweets. Another consideration would be allergies that would yield unwanted reactions when trigger foods are consumed.

Environmental factors.

This would include the kitchen materials and equipments that would give you the capacity to cook certain food.

Time

If you have ample time to prepare food then you can go ahead and cook extravagant dishes, however when you have limited time you can opt for easy to do recipes than relying on fast food or instant products.

Ability to cook.

The most modifiable factor. They say you cannot cook if you don’t know what you are doing. However you can research videos or follow cook books to help you prepare the dish that you want.

When you have considered all the factors of course you make sure that your cooking in variety while also acknowledging your family’s preference. Play with texture and color as well as temperature. Add fun to the activity by making it a recreational hobby which involves family members.

Factors to Consider in Meal Planning by Ralph A. Miller