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INTRODUCTION TO
MEAL & MENU PLANNING
(single unit)

This is a single unit, ideal as an elective choice for our Nutrition, Health & Wellness Coach Certification Program students and it also forms part of our Professional Certificate of Meal & Menu Planning program. A great general interest unit, this course is best taken as part of the full Meal & Menu Planning program if you wish to  formally become a Meal and Menu Planner with registration and insurance. For those with a prior qualification in nutrition or similar, looking to improve their knowledge on meal and menu planning, this is an ideal course. The unit covers how to collate data on meals, how to work with clients to create healthful eating plans and how to continue to evolve meal and menus for health. Course work involves extensive activities in planning and assessing, recipe creation and evaluation, software for meal planning with clients and much more. Available in Australia, NZ, America, Canada, the UK and further.

WHO DOES THIS COURSE?

A diverse group of students ranging from Exercise Physiologist's, Personal Trainer's, Nurses, Health Coaches, Food Bloggers, Food Coaches, Chefs and more. If you don't currently have an underlying qualification you may want to consider the full program Meal & Menu Planning (this subject is just one unit in this program). Read more about who can use nutrition and to what extent...

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KEY INFORMATION

• ​Flexible online learning 24 hour access
• ​$350 enrolment fee
• 15-20 hours of study
• Online, untimed quiz for stress-free, enhanced learning
• Study at your own pace
• Highly supported
• Extensive resources and tools
• ​Completion certificate
  
• Take a free sampler first... Read more
  

COURSE CONTENT

CONTENT BRIEF

1. Meal and menu planning: What is it? Who does it? Why and how?
   
2. Meal and menu planning essentials
3. Non-diet approach to healthful eating
4. Software options and course application
5. Meal and menu planning process - flexibility, meeting client needs, end-user focused, relevance, motivation, evaluation, healthfulness, food psychology
6. Food factors - Variety, quality, quantity, individuality,
7. Data gathering and collation
8. Data collection tools - common dietary assessment tools, using the applications
9. Data assessment and application to planning
10. Data assessment tools - macro- and micro-nutrient profiling, energy, dietary variety and diversity, food group compliance, healthy eating ratings
11. Bringing it all together and making it functional
12. Nutritional planning, evaluation and review
13. Energy and nutrient assessment tools - calculating estimated energy requirements (EERs)
14. Cultural considerations and special dietary requirements - religion and regions of the world, allergies and intolerance, lactose, gluten and coeliac disease
15. Professional considerations - working with clients, rights, obligations and duty of care, referring and referral systems

Extensive learning activities to practice your craft at each step, including use of various applications and websites.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students shall by the end of the course be competent in:

• Show an understanding of nutritional requirements across the lifespan based on endorsed guidelines and values
• Demonstrate a knowledge of dietary requirements for good health – variety, unprocessed, dynamic
• Display an ability to provide a meal plan that meets the overt needs of a client – energy, nutritional needs (servings, calories), taste and appeal
• Identify factors that promote and inhibit food intake (nutrition psychology)
• Explain how these factors can be used in achieving healthy eating habits
• Work with specialised dietary needs – coeliac, lactose, vegetarian (but not diagnosing or treating)
• Be able to design, provide and implement the plan within a coaching framework
• Recognise when to refer on and develop referral systems

Diagnoses, prescription and treatment are outside of the scope of this program; the minimum requirement would be a degree in nutrition or health to carry these out with clients.