reported by Dianna Shaffer

QUESTION 6:  Starches and Carbs – The daily meals have way too many carbs.  The meals are starch heavy.

Miss Foodie:    It sounds like the concern is the amount and balance of carbohydrates. Starches are a type of “Complex Carbohydrate” and provide fiber and protein.  Complex carbs are present in whole grains, legumes, nuts, and vegetables.  “Simple carbohydrates” are basically sugars occurring naturally in nutritious foods like milk, fruits and even vegetables.  Unfortunately, less nutritious simple carbs are dominant in our food supply as a manufactured ingredient.  Table sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, brown sugar, etc. are routinely added to processed foods:  sodas, candy, breakfast cereals, baked goods from breads to cookies, and unexpected places like some peanut butters and soups.

A healthy body requires the three macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein, and fat) in various ratios.  The best ratio depends on age, health issues, medications, and activity level.   Many “diets,” whether for weight loss/gain, muscle tone, diabetes management, etc. advise different ratios.  Ms. Foodie suggests you educate yourself in basic nutrition using the USDA website www.myplate.gov. and the section on Life Stages and Older Adults.  The USDA National Agricultural Library, www.nal.usda.gov, has numerous articles under Food and Human Nutrition.  Most importantly, check with your healthcare provider to determine number of calories and macronutrient ratios that are best for you.

Once you know your needed daily calories and ratios, you can begin to break down the daily menu offerings from RV to adjust to meet your needs.   See the next question for more on this.

QUESTION 7:  Calories and Nutrients – I try to eat healthy, but I can’t figure out how many calories and nutrients are in the daily meal specials because there is not enough description on the weekly menu or on the daily menu that comes out for the next day.

Miss Foodie:  This is understandably frustrating.  Here are some tips on how to deal with.

The first step is to ask questions and keep asking.  For a single meal or a simple question, start with your server or order taker, who may know or can have someone call you back.  Do not be afraid to ask what kind of meat is in the dish, what is in the sauce, preparation method, the size or number of a particular ingredient (like pieces of shrimp or fish), etc.  If you have numerous questions regarding the entire weekly menu, respect the time constraints of the server and send an email to F&B and ask all your questions at once.  With enough people asking questions, this should lead to better descriptions of dishes.

There are books at our RV library on nutrition, as well as a 3-ring binder notebook with nutritional breakdowns on some of the regularly served main meals, dressings, and desserts.  This is also on the F&B Touchtown site under F&B (03) Nutritional Analyses.  You can even search via the internet for information on specific foods.

If you have a smart phone, download a food app (some are free) that lists foods and shows calories, carbs, fats, protein, even vitamins, salt, etc. and helps track daily totals.  Perhaps some RV residents can recommend phone apps and we can include those in our next column.