[TIPS] Planning Your Menu [EN]

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http://www.food.gov.uk/healthiereating/healthycatering/healthycatering03

Planning your menu
Friday 30 September 2005


Small changes can make a big impact. This section provides practical tips for making meals healthier, provides money-saving ideas and gives examples of the nutritional differences in traditional and healthier dishes.

Making small changes Some money-saving ideas You can make the biggest impact on improving your customers' health - while keeping your sales up - by making small changes throughout your menu. The alternative is to develop some new healthy specials. Or you might want to do a bit of both.

What you do is up to you - and your customers.

Why not ask your customers what they think? You could adapt our sample questionnaire, designed for a staff restaurant, for your own use or design your own from scratch. See the link at the end of this section.

Back to top Making small changes When you're planning your menus, a simple and effective way to make them healthier is by changing the proportions.

Meals should be based on starchy foods. So make these the main part of the meal. They should make up about a third of the total diet.

There are lots of starchy foods to choose from, such as:
Bread, for example wheat, rye, maize (corn), chapatis, naan
Rice, for example white, brown, wild
Noodles
Pasta
Couscous
Bulgar wheat
Oatmeal
Maize meal, for example polenta, grits, tortillas
Millet flour
Pearl barley
Quinoa
Buckwheat
Breakfast cereals
Potatoes
Yams
Cassava

Serve bigger portions of these - and more fruit or vegetables. For example, use more pasta and veg and less meat sauce in your lasagne and make pizzas with a thicker base.

Wholegrain varieties are the healthiest choice because they are higher in fibre and contain more of several nutrients, but these aren't always popular choices.

Here are some practical suggestions for making meals healthier. You could use:

extra vegetables, salads and bread with main dishes
more pasta and less sauce in pasta dishes
more rice and less curry or stir fry
thicker bread for sandwiches
more potato and less meat in shepherd's pie
And remember to give your customers the option of whether or not to add butter, mayonnaise or other dressings.

See Choosing and preparing food for more advice on getting the balance right. The link is at the end of this section.

Here are some examples of 'traditional' recipes and how you can make them 'healthier'.

Vegetable soup

Traditional recipe for vegetable soup ' 10 portions
1kg Mixed vegetables (onion, carrot, turnip, leek, celery)
125g Butter
60g Flour
2.5 litres (2500ml) White stock
300g Potatoes
Seasoning Bouquet garni, salt, pepper
Serve with croûtons:
125g Butter
3 slices (108g) White bread

Modified recipe for vegetable soup ' 10 portions
1kg Mixed vegetables (onion, carrot, turnip, leek, celery)
100ml Olive or sunflower oil
60g Flour
2.5 litres (2500ml) Vegetable stock
300g Potatoes
Seasoning Bouquet garni, salt (try using less), pepper
Serve with: 10 thick slices (440g) of granary or olive bread (one slice per person

How do the nutritional contents compare?
Nutrition information ' Typical values per 100g
Traditional Modified Difference
Energy (kJ) 276 249 - 27
Energy (kcals) 66 60 - 6
Fat (g) 5.0 2.7 - 2.3
of which saturates (g) 3.3 0.3 - 3.0
Fibre (g) 0.6 1.0 + 0.04

Lasagne

Traditional recipe for lasagne ' 10 portions
500g Lasagne
3 tbs (33g) Oil
250g Onion
125g Carrot
125g Celery
500g Minced beef
125g Streaky bacon
125g Tomato purée
1 litre Demi-glace (80g butter, 80g white flour, 1330ml stock
1 cloves (4.5g) Garlic
250g Mushrooms
Béchamel sauce 600ml whole milk, 50g white flour, 50g butter
125g Cheddar cheese
Seasoning: Marjoram, salt, pepper
Modified recipe for lasagne ' 10 portions
700g Lasagne
250g Onion
150g Carrot
175g Celery
500g Lean minced beef *
1200g Canned tomatoes
1 cloves (4.5g) Garlic
300g Mushrooms
Béchamel sauce (600ml semi-skimmed milk, 50g white flour, 50g polyunsaturated margarine)
100g Mature Cheddar
Seasoning: Marjoram, pepper
* Note: Could substitute pulses (e.g. lentils) or texturised vegetable protein, in place of some of the minced beef. This would increase the fibre content.
How do the nutritional contents compare?

Nutrition information ' Typical values per 100g
Traditional Modified Difference
Energy (kJ) 840 505 - 335
Energy (kcals) 201 121 - 80
Fat (g) 10.9 3.8 - 7.1
of which saturates (g) 5.4 1.9 - 3.5
Fibre (g) 1.1 1.2 + 0.1
Trifle

Traditional recipe for trifle ' 8 portions
1(144g) Sponge
25g Jam
1 can (420g) Fruit in syrup (e.g. peaches, pineapples, pears)
35g Custard powder
375ml Whole milk
50g Caster sugar
426ml Whipping cream
Decorate with:
25g Angelica
25g Glacé cherries

Modified recipe for trifle ' 8 portions
6 (144g) Trifle sponges
25g Jam
1 can (420g) Fruit in natural juice (e.g. peaches, pineapples, pears)
2 medium (200g) Banana
35g Custard powder
375ml Semi-skimmed milk
50g Caster sugar
142ml Whipping cream
142ml Greek yoghurt
Decorate with: Fresh strawberries, raspberries or blueberries
How do the nutritional contents compare?

Nutrition information ' Typical values per 100g
Traditional Modified Difference
Energy (kJ) 890 588 - 302
Energy (kcals) 213 141 - 72
Fat (g) 14.4 7.0 - 7.4
of which saturates (g) 8.2 3.5 - 4.7
Fibre (g) 0.4 0.5 + 0.1
Source of recipes: Catering for Health. A guide for teaching healthier catering practices. The Stationery Office, ISBN 0112430678, £5.00

Back to top Some money-saving ideasMaking your food healthier is not only good for your customers' health, but can also save you money.

Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

Serve bigger portions of the cheaper starchy foods such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes, and smaller portions of the more expensive sauce
Bulk out your meat stews, casseroles or sauces with vegetables and/or pulses
Use smaller amounts of cheese for example when you are making sauces by choosing mature cheese such as Cheddar, or strong tasting cheese such as Parmesan
Hard cheeses can be grated for sandwiches and salads, to reduce the amount you need
Introduce oily fish recipes onto your menu. For example you could serve mackerel or sardines
Always use seasonal vegetables and fruit. These are packed with vitamins and minerals but are also at their cheapest when they're in season. This is a simple way to change your menu regularly, which will also help keep your customers interested
Use fats and oils sparingly
Choose vegetable, rapeseed, or canola oil because these are cheap and nutritious
Use non-stick frying pans where possible so you won't need to use as much fat
Dry fry or dry roast spices without any fat
Switch to semi-skimmed milk rather than full fat. You could also offer customers the option of skimmed milk. Use skimmed milk in recipes – it's cheaper, lasts longer and is lower in fat
Offer your customers the option of adding butter, low-fat spreads, mayonnaise, salad dressings, dessert toppings and gravy, rather than adding these automatically