Feeding the Family

Feeding the Family

There are different types of food nutrients. These nutrients perform different functions in the body. They also occur in different food sources. It is therefore necessary to combine a number of foods in order to ensure that a person's meal contains all the important nutrients. The combination leads to balanced meals. A balanced meal is one that contains the important nutrients in the correct quantity for a given person. It is relevant to know some of the guidelines for meal planning.

Factors that influence meal planning:
1.

2. Occupation of activities of family members: The work a person does influences the amount of food he or she needs.
For instance a manual worker (like labourer) will require more energy foods than a sedentary worker (like a clerk, secretary, banker, office worker).

3. Health condition of family members: Certain goods are not suitable for certain health conditions.
For instance an obese (over-weight) will avoid those food that can increase his or her weight like fried potato chips, chicken fries, cakes, sugary sweets etc. A celiac or rather someone suffering or intolerant to gluten should avoid products containing this substance: it's ingestion can lead to the development of other autoimmune disorders like Type I diabetes and multiple sclerosis (MS), dermatitis herpetiformis (an itchy skin rash), anemia, osteoporosis, infertility and miscarriage, neurological conditions like epilepsy, short stature, and intestinal cancers and lots more.
Therefore the health conditions of family members must be considered in meal planning.