The Wyoming Menu Project has completed Cookbooks, Plates/Menus, with Nutritional Analysis.
For more information look at the bottom of page.
Problem: Approx 65% of adults in America are overweight, and the number is rising. Health problems are associated with obesity, causing pain, suffering, and early death. An average American diet ranges between 4-6 grams of sodium (4,000mg- 6,000mg). Increased sodium in the diet is associated with high blood pressure and heart disease. Over 20.8 million people have diabetes with over 54 million people with pre-diabetes.
In Wyoming before we started the project we reviewed the Senior Citizen meals and we discovered many problems. Senior citizen meals are often high in carbohydrates, fat, salt, sporadic in vegetables, and limited in fruit servings. Senior citizen meals often do not meet the needs of people with diabetes. This did not allow people with diabetes to follow their meal plan while eating at senior citizen sites. The meals did not meet the 2005 Dietary guidelines for Americans. Key recommendations in the guidelines which were a concern: 1) Balancing calories from foods and beverages with calories expended and 2) 2 cups of fruit and 2½ cups vegetables per day. Most senior meals traditionally had less than a ½ cup of fruit and ½ cup of vegetables a day at the senior menu programs.
Solution:
We began using a new menu format based on the Idaho Plate Method:
Vegetable appetizer- salad or soup (mainly Vegetables) or veggie tray
Entrée- protein serving
Starch- potato, rice, noodle, beans, etc
Vegetable- (NOT corn, peas, potatoes, winter squash)
2nd Starch- bread, cookie, cake, etc
Fruit or Fruit Dessert
Milk or ice cream or pudding or smoothie
We provided new improved healthier recipes and Registered Dietitian (RD) signed Plates/Menus for the sites to use. The new menus provided better meet the DRI’s of vitamins and minerals, and are lower in fat, salt, and calories than older menus. By changing the meal format we are better meeting the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, especially eating more fruit and vegetables. Also by starting the meal with a salad or vegetable appetizer people tend to eat 7% less calories at the meal? Wyoming Menu Project reduced salt in recipes by 50-75%, Fat by 30% -50%, and overall calories. With these decreases we would expect clients to feel meals were inadequate, but meal surveys and interviews with seniors showed they felt the meals were actually larger and very satisfying. Meal surveys showed very good acceptance of the meal changes. The key is starting slowly; use the meals 2 days a week to begin with. Also we did mini nutritional talks 5 minute talks before a meal telling clients the benefits of: a higher fiber diet, eating more fruit, eating more vegetables (include how it improves weight control), and how a good meal plan can help with diabetes.
HOW CAN THIS HELP ME?
Wyoming Menu Project has completed 2 cookbooks, 300 Plates/Menus, and Nutritional Analysis. The cook books feature healthy recipes used at Senior Nutrition Programs and are set for 50 servings. The Menus with Nutritional Analysis have been reviewed and signed by eight Registered Dietitians in 4 states.
Healthy Foods Cookbook: The newest cookbook features less salt, less fat, and less overall calories and has a food label on each recipe. Approx 650+ recipes. Recipes are set for 50 servings
Healthy Foods Cookbook- Very Low Sodium: This cookbook features no salt added recipes, low sodium foods, and has a food label on each recipe. Approx 630 recipes. Recipes are set for 50 servings.
The 300 Plates/Menus are just for a meal. The Plates/menus come with a Nutritional Analysis for the meal. The Plates/Menus are set up for only 1 meal Menus include some breakfast meals but hospitals or care centers wanting to use the menus would need to include more breakfast choices for a daily 3 meal menu plan. But you could easily incorporate the menus we have made into your existing menu system to give you more meal choices.
Example of a plate/menu:
Plate 7-A
Lettuce Salad
Italian Dressing, Lite
Beef Stroganoff over
Pasta Noodles
Herbed Broccoli, Lite
Cindy’s Rolls
Margarine, Optional
Fluffy Fruit Cup
1% Milk
- Vegetables are LS
Some of the plates/menus are similar, you might have this plate with a different vegetable and dessert as another plate/menu. We did this because often a cook likes the meal but had Broccoli the day before so you can choose a very similar Plate with a different vegetable. This helps cooks setting up monthly menus.
The cookbooks are printed & hole punched for a binder. (Simply put in a binder).
Menus are printed and set up in categories by Entrée.
The Nutritional Analysis is sent on a CD in Excel.
(We can print this for you if needed- contact us)
How can I order the Cookbooks/ Menus/ Nutritional Analysis?
For a suggested donation of $50.00 (shipping/handling included) you will receive
1 Wyoming Menu Project Healthy Food Cookbook (approx 650+ recipes)
300 Plates/Menus, and a CD with menus & Nutritional Analysis.
Or
1 Wyoming Menu Project Healthy Foods Cookbook Very Low Sodium (approx 630 recipes) 300 Plates/Menus, and a CD with menus & Nutritional Analysis.
Specify which cookbook you would like.
For a suggested donation of $85.00 (shipping/handling included) you will receive both
Wyoming Menu Project Healthy Food Cookbooks, the 300 Plates/Menus, and a CD with menus & Nutritional Analysis for the plates/menus. Menus include recipes from both cookbooks.
We hope you find the recipes/menus/nutritional analysis a valuable tool. If you have any questions about using the recipes/menus/nutritional analysis feel free to contact me.
Kathleen Thomas RD CD LD CDE
Wyoming Menu Project
Request cookbook: thomas4@sweetwaterhsa.com
Wyoming Menu Project Reviewed By:
A special thank you to the following RD’s for reviewing the Wyoming Menu Project’s Menus/ Nutritional Analysis 1-A – 300-A and Approving the Menus.
A special thank you to these RD’s.
Many of these RD’s donated their time and
expertise to support the project.
This project would not be as complete without
their insight and assistance.
We thank you very much for your help.
Beverly Joan N. Crabbs RD, LD
Akemi Glass RD *
Russell R. Hansen MS RD LN
Celia Lopez Martin MS RD
Virginia Ann Romero-Caron MS RD
Kathleen Thomas RD CD LD CDE
Doreen Veglia Ward, RD MPH
Stephanie Welsh, RD
We hope you find the recipes/menus/nutritional analysis a valuable tool. If you have any questions about using the recipes/menus/nutritional analysis feel free to contact me.
Kathleen Thomas RD CD LD CDE
