Information for Clients
Nutritional Information
Healthy eating using Meals on Wheels Meals
Healthy eating is important for healthy living. Your Meals on Wheels meal is a good start to healthy eating but you need to eat other foods as well. Your Meals on Wheels delivered meal is prepared according to nutrition guidelines that require that the meal consist of soup or entrée, main meal, dessert and approved juice. If all the food is consumed, this will meet up to 1/3 of nutrition needs for the day. It is very important that you eat other meals as well including breakfast, evening meal and morning and afternoon tea. Keeping part of the meal to use as the evening meal is not recommended. This will lead to poor nutrition for the day.
Special Diets
The more common special diets are catered for. All meals are suitable for people with diabetes and people on low fat diets. A range of meals are also available for people with chewing or swallowing problems, lactose intolerance, coeliac disease, and food allergies. Please advise any special dietary requirements to your local Meals on Wheels Service Coordinator.
Daily Food Intake
The following is a useful guide for daily food intake:
- Breads and Cereals
At least an extra three serves of bread, cereals or other grain foods. A serve could be a slice of bread, a bowl of cereal, two plain biscuits or crackers, a small bowl of cooked rice or pasta. - Fruit
At least an extra two serves of fruit. A serve could be an apple or orange, a slice of melon, small bowl of fresh fruit salad or tinned fruit, a handful of dried fruit or a small bowl of stewed fruit. - Vegetables
At least an extra two serves of vegetables. A serve could be a cup of salad vegetables or half a cup of cooked vegetables. Vegetables can be fresh, frozen or canned. - Dairy Products
At least two serves of dairy foods. A serve could be a cup of milk, slice of cheese, a small bowl of custard or a tub of yoghurt.
Sample Meal Plan
Eating too little is usually the biggest nutrition problem for older people. The following meal plan is an example of hour you can eat a well-balanced and nutritious meal.
- Breakfast: Bowl of cereal with milk. Fresh, stewed or canned fruit. Toast with vegemite, peanut butter or marmalade.
- Morning Tea: Crackers with cheese and tomato, milk drink.
- Lunch: Soup, main meal, dessert and fruit juice. (Meals on Wheels meal).
- Afternoon Tea: Milk drink or tub of yoghurt, plain biscuits.
- Dinner: Sandwich with ham, cheese, salmon, chicken, baked beans. Fruit and custard or ice-cream.
Tips for Healthy Eating and Healthy Living
- Enjoy a wide variety of foods
It is important to enjoy a wide variety of foods. It makes eating more interesting and ensures that you obtain all the nutrients that you need each day. The more variety that you eat including fresh, frozen and canned foods, the better you will feel. - Choose high calcium foods
Calcium rich foods keep bones strong. Dairy products like milk, cheese, yoghurt, custard and ice-cream are the best sources of calcium. Other sources of calcium include salmon, sardines and almonds. - Choose high fibre foods
Fibre is only found in plant foods, especially those that are not overly processed. Wholemeal, wholegrain and white high fibre breads, fruits and vegetables, legume (eg kidney beans, baked beans, three bean mix, and split peas) are all useful fibre sources. Extra fibre can be helpful if constipation is a problem. - Drink plenty of fluid
For fibre and medications to work property, lots of fluid is needed. Water is the best drink but tea, milk drinks, fruit juice and plain mineral water are also good. An adequate fluid intake is important to keep healthy and prevent constipation.
Simple Meals and Snacks
Many Meals on Wheels Services offer meals on five days a week. You still need nutritious meals on weekends and to supplement your Meals on Wheels meal.
The most important thing is not to miss meals. Often the meals you enjoy the best are those that can be prepared easily, quickly and cheaply. Why not try some of these quick meal and snack ideas:
- Barbeque chicken on bread rolls with takeaway coleslaw;
- Hamburger and milkshake;
- Club or pub meal;
- Pre-frozen dinners;
- Toasted sandwiches with protein filling (ham, cheese and tomato; ham, cheese and pineapple; chicken, tomato and avocado; salmon);
- Baked beans or tinned spaghetti on toast with grated cheese;
- Cheese and crackers with fruit;
- Canned soup made on milk with bread;
- Canned food with added frozen vegetables and noodles;
- Scrambled egg on toast;
- Chicken and vegetable stir fry with rice;
- Muffin pizzas – English muffins with tomato paste and topped with pineapple, ham, tomato, onion, mushroom and grated cheese;
- Creamed corn on toast;
- Jacket potato with sautéed bacon and onion, corn, grated cheese and natural yoghurt;
- Jaffles made with assorted fillings (ham, cheese and tomato, creamed corn, tomato and onion);
- Savoury mince on toast;
- Fruit smoothie and sandwich;
- Rolls, sandwiches or pita bread with meat, cheese, fish, or egg and salad fillings.