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Cycle Menu Planning

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Describe at least 3 rules of menu writing
Explain the importance of using and following standardized recipes
Understand how nutrition requirements effect menu writing

Demonstrate how to effectively write a

cycle menu for your community.

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Purpose:

Objectives:

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Menu Planning

The main goal of the menu is to satisfy the needs and demands of the customer and meet the policies of the foodservice

department.

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Type of Menu: Cycle Menu

How long should the cycle be?

Longer cycle: communities with extended stays
Shorter cycle: communities with shorter stays

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Key Points in Menu Planning

Taste & Flavor

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Key Points in Menu Planning

Nutrition

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) a set of reference values for nutrients that vary by age and gender.

Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) are part of the DRIs.

10-35% of calories from Protein

45-65% of calories from Carbohydrates

20-35% of calories from Fat

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Key Points in Menu Planning

Nutrition

USDA Dietary Guidelines

Updated every 5 years
Focus on promoting health and preventing chronic disease

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The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 provides advice on what to eat and drink to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and help prevent chronic disease. This edition of the Dietary Guidelines is the first to provide guidance for healthy dietary patterns by life stage, from birth through older adulthood, including women who are pregnant or lactating.

There are 4 overarching Guidelines in the 2020-2025 edition:

Follow a healthy dietary pattern at every life stage.
Customize and enjoy nutrient-dense food and beverage choices to reflect personal preferences, cultural traditions, and budgetary considerations.
Focus on meeting food group needs with nutrient-dense foods and beverages, and stay within calorie limits.
Limit foods and beverages higher in added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium, and limit alcoholic beverages.

(https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/resources/2020-2025-dietary-guidelines-online-materials/top-10-things-you-need-know-about-dietary)

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Key Points in Menu Planning

Nutrition

Meat/Protein: 2-3 servings/day

A serving is 2-3 oz; 1 oz is equivalent to: 1 oz cooked meat/poultry/fish, lunch meat or cheese; 1 egg; ½ cup cooked beans; or 2 Tbsp of peanut butter

Milk: 2 servings/day

1 serving is equivalent to: 1 cup of fluid milk

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Key Points in Menu Planning

Nutrition

Fruit: 2 servings/day

1 serving is equivalent to: 1 medium sized piece of fruit (apple, banana, orange); ½ cup canned fruit or ¾ cup (6 fl oz) fruit juice

Vegetables: 3 servings/day

1 serving is equivalent to: 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables; ½ cup of other vegetables cooked or chopped or ¾ cup (6 fl oz) fruit juice

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Key Points in Menu Planning

Nutrition

Grains: 6 servings/day

1 serving is equivalent to: 1 muffin, biscuit, roll, breadstick, pancake or slice of bread; 3 graham crackers; 6 soda crackers; ¾ cup dry cereal or ½ cup cooked cereal; ½ cup cooked rice or pasta

Consistent Carbohydrate

Healthy menu planning standards suggest meal planning with similar amounts of carbohydrates offered at each meal. This allows the “Regular” diet to be served to most diabetic resident/patients.

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Key Points in Menu Planning

Standardized Recipes and Portions

Ensures that you are providing proper nutrition
Controls food costs and inventory

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Key Points in Menu Planning

Variety

Ensures adequate nutrients
Keeps residents’ interest
Introduce new foods regularly
Vary the method of preparation (baking, sauteing, grilling, etc)
Avoid repeating the same food on the same days of the week

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Key Points in Menu Planning

Eye Appeal

The appearance of the food is just as important as the flavor
A general rule of thumb is to have 3 colors on the plate
Use menu items varying shapes together

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Key Points in Menu Planning

Contrast in Texture and Flavor

Offer crisp foods with soft foods
Use strong and mild flavored foods together
Balance light and heavy foods
Offer a variety of food “shapes” on the plate

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Boundaries

Budget
Production Limitations
Staffing Availability

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Make it YOUR Menu

Menus must be individualized to meet the needs of your community

Plan foods that your customers will enjoy

Remember, no one menu will typically work in more than one facility

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Make it YOUR Menu

“Resident’s Choice” meals are a great way to incorporate favorite meals
Find meals that were popular in your residents glory days
Survey your residents often and solicit meny feedback at resident council meetings

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Updating Your Cycle Menu

Many factors should be considered when updating your menu:

Seasonal menu preferences
Resident/patient preferences

Remember to verify your menu still meets:

Nutrition regulations
Cost parameters
Staffing capabilities

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Developing Your Menu Cycle

Consider your options:

Menu Software

Easy to update/refresh
May include nutrition & cost
Requires some technical knowledge

Paper Menu

Typically less costly than software
No internet required
Nutrition & cost will need to be calculated (and re-calculated wherever changes are made)

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Once you know what to include on your menu, your nutrition requirements, cost parameters, staff abilities and production requirements you can start to build your menu. There are options for developing your menu and there can be advantages & disadvantages to both options.

Menu software allows you to easily update your menu with nutrition and cost information right at your fingertips. You can also easily switch around old menus with new menus and enter recipes and have the nutrition for those recipes. However, you may need to consider if you have the requirements needed for menu software. Some can also be costly-so make sure you have budgeted for the cost.

Hard copy (paper) menus are becoming less popular since menu software provides the ability to quickly make changes to a menu with nutrition & cost changes reflected simultaneously. However, for some without reliable internet access or that don’t have any dollars budgeted for software, this might be the only feasible option.

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Thank you.

If you have questions,

Please contact the Nutrition Resource Center at:

1.800.968.4426

nrc@gfs.com