Nutritional Concerns in Menu Planning

Why is health a consideration on menus?

Nutritious menu options attract the nutrition-minded segment of the local market.

It is hard to get repeat business as often if the food is not healthy enough to eat regularly.

In a captive market, there is an ethical responsibility to provide healthy food. A cycle menu planner may have to take more dietary aspects into their menu planning. Providing healthy options also helps to combat the argument that restaurants contribute to the obesity crisis. Nutritional concerns are important in proper menu planning to ensure that meals are visually appealing and nutritionally balanced with varied diet offerings for as many consumers as possible. This involves consideration of cooking methods, vegetarian diets, food allergies, and various factors influencing food item selection.

Here’s an overview of each aspect:

Special Diets

Kosher

• Kosher foods must conform to Jewish diet regulations derived from kashrut, meaning dietary law. The animals that can be eaten are land animals that chew their cud and have split hooves. Some domestic fowl and fish with both fins and scales can be eaten. This is just a brief overview of the many dietary laws that apply to Kosher food.

Vegetarian

• Occasional Vegetarians will choose vegetarian options if they are appealing to them but do not strictly eat vegetarian dishes.
• Pesco-Pollo Vegetarian-will eat fish and/or poultry
• Lacto Vegetarian– Eats grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and fruits and occasionally dairy products
• Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian—Eats grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and fruits and occasionally eats eggs and dairy products.
• Vegan diets avoid all animal foods (including honey) May even avoid anything animal-related like leather shoes. This is the strictest vegetarian diet. Vegans do eat grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and fruits.

Allergens

• When writing menu item titles and descriptions, it is of utmost importance to clearly identify common allergens. The most common allergens are tree nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish, soy, milk and dairy products, wheat, eggs, and sesame. It is advised to state common allergens that are hidden in a dish in the title or as a note or within the menu description. A trained server can suggest alternative items for customers with allergies to certain items. Be sure to train all staff on the importance of identifying allergens for customers and how to not cross-contaminate in production or service. Your customer’s lives may depend on it.

You could work with a dietitian to ensure all menu claims you make are correct.  A dietician may also be able to recommend what you can and can not offer on your menu to meet those nutritional claims. There are a variety of nutritional concerns your customer may have. Nutritional claims are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If terms like calorie or fat-free, light, low calorie, reduced fat, lean, etc, are used, then you must be able to prove those claims.

Some of Customers Major Nutritional Concerns:

• Calories
• Salt
• Sugars
• Preservatives
• Fats
• Cholesterol
• Gluten
• Lactose/Dairy
• Allergens

There are a variety of ways to meet those concerns. Here are a few:

• Minimize holding times
• Keep foods in large pieces
• Steam, boil, grill, broil, roast, and bake foods are healthier methods than deep frying
• Reduce or omit fat, cholesterol, salt and sugar
• Using fresh ingredients will help increase nutrients and is popular with customers as well.

Marketing Healthful Options

• It is very important to have up-to-date staff training in both front of house and back of house to meet customers’ dietary needs.
• You may print separate menus that highlight dietary offerings. This sometimes makes people embarrassed to order from this menu while dining out. Some menus have a special section for healthful menu items. This may be for low-calorie, gluten-free, or some other need.
• Blending items into regular listings has proven to be another successful method. Most people on diets know what they are looking for and can pick it from a menu with well-written item descriptions.
• Using a special symbol to show healthy items is another method.  You would need a key to know each item is healthy and what needs they are meeting.
• An “Invitation” to ask–make a statement on the menu that lets customers know you will cater to their dietary needs as much as possible—just ask your server.
• Menu Statements should be included on menus because it is the law, but it also may let people with compromised immune systems avoid certain dishes.
• Menus must include a safety warning about dishes that include under-cooked, potentially hazardous foods.
• Example: “Consuming raw or under-cooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness
• Effective menu planning is a process that combines nutritional concepts with culinary techniques, dietary restrictions, and consumer preferences. By carefully considering cooking methods, catering to special diets, and accommodating food allergies, menu planners can create nutritious, safe, and delicious menus.