Planning and Serving Nutritious and Economical Meals One of the most basic human needs is nourishing the body. Eating is an activity that most people, including infants and young children, enjoy. Eating is a sensory, emotional, social, and learning experience. It is associated with the young child s feeling of wellbeing. It is important that teachers help the children establish appropriate attitudes toward meals. Meal Planning A menu is a list of foods that are to be served; it is the basis of any food service. Menu planning requires thought and careful evaluation of the physical, developmental, and social needs of those for whom it is planned. Thoughtful planning is as necessary for a menu designed to feed a family of three as they are for an institution serving thousands of meals a day. To be adequate, a menu planned for children must: meet the nutritional needs of children meet any existing funding or licensing requirements be appealing (have taste, texture, and eye appeal) make children comfortable by serving familiar foods encourage healthy food habits by introducing new foods provide safe food prepared and served in clean surroundings stay within budgetary limits provide alternatives for children with food allergies, eating problems, and special nutritional needs. A Good Menu Meets Nutritional Needs The primary criterion for a good menu is nutritional adequacy. A menu must meet the nutritional needs of those for whom it is intended. Menus should be planned around servings from the Food Guide Pyramid and/or the Dietary Guidelines for Americans for that age group should be reviewed Iron, calcium, and vitamin C are nutrients for which young children are most at risk; these nutrients should be provided daily. Some food sources for iron include liver, beef, and chicken. Some food sources for calcium are milk, cheese, and salmon. Some food sources for Vitamin C are oranges, strawberries, and broccoli. Federally-funded food programs for children are required to provide one-third of the recommended daily requirements for calcium, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It is recommended that nearly one-half the day s nutrients be included in the event that meals at home do not provide the other two-thirds of the needed nutrients. Federal guidelines for child care centers, Child and Adult Care Food Program, receiving federal reimbursement require the following menu pattern in order to ensure minimum nutritional adequacy. Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), receiving federal reimbursement require the following menu pattern in order to ensure minimum nutritional adequacy: Minimum Breakfast, Snack and Lunch or Supper Requirement Minimum serving sizes are determined by the child s age in categories of one to three years and three to six years.
2 A Good Menu Meets Funding or Licensing Requirements Many child care organizations depend on some form of government monies for their funding. Best known is the CACFP, Child and Adult Care Food Program provides reimbursements for meals served to children in child care centers and home child care programs. The guidelines are quite specific as to the minimum amounts of food required to fulfill a serving. The National School Lunch Act requires that school meals comply with Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Licensing of child care facilities is administered by state agencies, usually the Department of Health. Each state has its own licensing requirements with regard to nutrition and food service. Teachers who provide food for children should check the licensing requirements for their particular state. Aspects pertaining to nutrition often covered by licensing regulations include: Administration and record keeping o Sample menus and appropriate menu substitutes o Production records o Number of meals served daily Food service o Specifications for kitchens and equipment o Sanitation of dishes, utensils, and equipment o Requirements for transport of food when kitchen facilities are not available o Feeding equipment required for specific age groups Staffing o Requirements of person in charge of food service Nutrition policies o Number of meals and snacks to be served within the current week o Posting of menus and their availability to families o Seating of adults at the table with children o Posting of food allergies in kitchen and eating area A Good Menu is Appealing We eat with our eyes. Appeal can be increased by contrasting the following sensory qualities: color flavor (strong or mild; sweet or sour) texture (crisp or soft) shape (round, cubed, strings) temperature (cold or hot) Toddlers and young children think of foods in terms of color, flavor, texture, and shape rather than nutrient content. Color plays a major role in children s knowledge of food.
3 The sensory contrasts that contribute to the attractiveness of a meal also provide many opportunities for the teacher or parent to expand the young child s language development. Young children often prefer mildly flavored, simple foods. Softer textures are easy to chew. Many young children prefer plain foods that do not touch each other as opposed to mixed dishes. A Good Menu Includes Familiar Foods and New Foods Important to introduce nutritious new foods and to use many foods the group is familiar with. Sharing of information with parents is important in expanding food choices. When introducing new foods, it is a good idea to include them along with the familiar ones and when feeding young children it is wise to include numerous finger foods. A good menu planner draws on the wealth of backgrounds and includes foods that are familiar to a number of cultures. The inclusion of ethnic foods serves several purposes: The children from the culture being featured are familiar with these foods. Since they accept them at meals or snacks, other children in the group are more willing to try them too. Foods of different cultural groups add variety to the meals and may serve as a basis for educational activities concerning various cultures. Serving ethnic food helps the teacher establish rapport with the children and their families. This may foster increased parental participation in the center s activities. Educating children about various cultures fosters greater respect for children who are from a culture different from theirs. The sharing of food is often an effective way of helping the ethnic child feel comfortable and accepted. I. Steps in Menu Planning Menu planning should be organized so that it may be done efficiently and effectively. Some of the materials that are helpful in menu planning are: menu forms a list of foods on hand that need to be used list of allergies recipe file old menus with notes and suggestions calendar grocery ads for short-term planning USDA list of available commodity foods The menu form in Figure 19-3 could be used for a child care center or home 1. List the main dishes to be served for lunch during the week. 2. List vegetables and fruits, including salads, for the main meal. 3. Add enriched or whole grain breads and cereal products.
4 4. Add beverage. Be sure to include the required amount of milk. 5. Plan snacks to balance the main meal. Especially check for vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, and calcium. 6. Review your menu. Be sure it includes the required amounts from the Food Guide Pyramid. Does it meet funding or licensing requirements? Does it include a variety of contrasting foods? Does it include familiar foods? Does it contain new foods? 7. Note changes on the menu and post it where it can be viewed by teachers and families. 8. Evaluate the menu. Did the children appear to like the foods that were served? II. Writing Menus There are several methods of writing menus that the planner may wish to consider: weekly menus, cycle menus, and odd-day cycle menus. Weekly menus list foods that are to be prepared and served for one week at a time. This is a time-consuming approach. Cycle menus incorporate a series of weekly menus that are reused or recycled over a twoor three-month period. A well-planned cycle menu requires a greater initial time investment, but saves time in the long run. Odd-day cycle menus involve planning menus for any number of days other than a week (e.g., four days, six days, nine days). This type of cycling avoids the association of specific foods with certain days of the week. III. Nutritious Snacks Should contribute to the child s daily food needs and educational experiences. New or unusual foods can often be better introduced at snack time. Snacks are a means of providing nutrients and energy between meals. A. Suitable Snack Foods A variety of raw fruits and vegetables are ideal for snack food. Raw fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamins C and A, and should be included often. Whole grain and cereal products or enriched breads and grain products are also good snack foods. Unsweetened beverages such as full-strength fruit and vegetable juices are good choices for snacks. Check the labels of these juices. Fruit drinks and aides are unacceptable for snacks. fruit juice must be 100 percent juice juice drink may have as little as 39 percent fruit juice fruit drink has from 0-10 percent real juice Water should be available to children at all times and may be served with their meals and snacks. Serving Meals
5 A nutritious meal is of no value to a child if it is not eaten and enjoyed. All meals should be served in a relaxed, social atmosphere. The table should be made as attractive as possible. Food may be served in a variety of styles: plate service family-style service combination of the above Plate service is when the food is placed on plates in the kitchen. This style of service permits the greatest degree of portion control and leftover food. Thus, it permits the greatest degree of cost control. In family-style service the food is placed on the table in serving dishes. It is important that teachers eat meals with the children as this offer the children role models for appropriate behavior and attitudes. The Menu Must Stay Within the Budget While the menu lists what foods are to be served, the budget defines the resources allotted for preparation of the menu. Cost control is essential if a food service is to stay within the budget. Menu Planning To plan menus that stay within a budget, it is important to begin by including inexpensive foods. To lower food costs, the menu planner should make careful use of leftovers and supplies on hand. To ensure that quality foods are selected from supplies on hand, the First-in-First-out (FIFO) inventory method should be used. Food purchasing is a crucial step in cost control. Food Purchasing Food purchasing, or procurement is a crucial step in cost control. The key step is to determine as accurately as possible the amount of food that is needed to feed everyone an adequate amount. The use of standardized recipes is that developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for use in school lunches of Child Care Food Programs. Food Preparation Careful preparation methods that are appropriate for the specific food contribute both to the nutritional quality of the food and to cost control. Fruits and vegetables should be peeled only if necessary, as more nutrients are retained if the skin is left intact. Correct heat and cooking time are important factors in cost control as well as nutrient retention. Food Service Serving utensils that are made to serve specific portions are an aid to portion and cost control. Recordkeeping Complete, accurate records should be kept of the amount of money spent for food, and the number of children and staff served daily. A record of expenses for each month should be kept. At the end of each month: calculate the total number of individuals served calculate the total food bills divide the total dollars spent by the total number served to determine monthly food costs per person.