What Does a Menu Planner Do?

The job of a menu planner is to come up with meal plans that are designed to meet specific goals. These plans are tailored to address issues such as weight management, nutritional needs and dietary restrictions that stem from medical conditions, or simply to save time or money.

Significance

Menu planners are experts at creating specialized meal plans for clients. Each plan is formulated according to a client's goals and feasibility, removing the guesswork and hassle that many people face when creating meals each day. Menu planners are employed for a range of reasons. People who employ menu planners may have a general or specific goal. For example, a hospital or other health care facility may enlist their help to create meal plans that will be both cost efficient and beneficial to their patients. A caretaker may need the help of a planner to devise menus that meet the requirements of everyone's nutritional needs in the same household.

Function

Menu planners are especially helpful to someone who is dieting, or has a condition that entails dietary restrictions. A diabetic may use the services of a Menu Planner to help monitor sugar and caloric intake. An individual with celiac disease (a condition where the absorption of food nutrients via the small intestine is impaired by an allergic reaction to the gluten protein) or gluten sensitivity may need a strict food plan to ensure that they are not ingesting any gluten, which can be complicated as it may be found in hidden sources such as malt flavoring, modified food starch and other additives.

Benefits

There are additional benefits of having a Menu Planner, aside from the obvious health related ones. Such advantages may include less frequent trips to the grocery stores and alleviating the many stresses that coincide with dietary restrictions. If the menu planner successfully educates her clients on what foods to eat and helps them understand how to avoid different fares and the foods that can be used as substitutions, the clients may feel less restricted and limited when dining out, in various social gatherings and when shopping for food. Saving money can be an extra reward, as eating out less and buying in bulk are minor details that tend to produce major financial impacts.

Considerations

Adhering to a specific menu plan can be overwhelming at times. Menu planners help people to achieve their goals by understanding things such as caloric limitations, what foods are the best sources of nutrients and how the intake of certain foods fosters different responses in the body. Having a planned menu can allow people to increase the variety of foods that they intake and introduce them to assorted alternative options. Just because you are on a restricted diet doesn't mean that you can't enjoy your favorite foods; a menu planner can provide special recipes and medleys to replace or augment your favorite snacks and meals.
There are a variety of preexisting menu plans that cater towards a person's needs and or goals. Some are part of a program like Jenny Craig, The Zone Diet and Weight Watchers. It's worth noting that even though a nutritional expert or dietitian may have written these plans, they are meant to suit the needs of a broad range of people and may not be appropriate or beneficial for your specific case. Membership and other fees are required for a lot of these programs; however, there are some basic menu plans that can be obtained and are of no cost. There are many menu plan templates that are available for free downloading, or that can be copied out of a book. Before exploring such channels or embarking on a dietary plan, it's important to consult your doctor.

Expert Insight

Prior to consulting a menu planner, it's a good idea to make a list of whom the plan is for and what specific purpose it needs to serve. Food allergies or intolerances need to be taken into consideration, so it is wise to make a list of these. Additionally, if you have a health related concern such as high cholesterol or are deficient in vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients like calcium and protein, you are going to want to make the menu planner aware of it. When employing a menu planner, be sure that he is knowledgeable in the field of nutrition and is familiar with the specific condition(s) that are applicable to your case.

Resources

• The American Dietetic Association Foundation (ADAF)
• American Heart Association
• HELPGUIDE.org "Simple Strategies for Better Nutrition"