Planning Your Meals
If you follow some kind of a pattern or plan for your meals, you can be sure of getting all the basic foods you need each day. Here are examples of two eating patterns. You can see the two are very different. Pattern 1 has three meals per day. It would be good for someone who likes to eat three big meals each day. Pattern 2 has six little meals in it. It would be good for someone who likes to nibble all day. Both ways of eating are just fine. Both have enough of each of the basic food groups. You might wish to follow one of these patterns or make up one of your own that suits the way you live.
Pattern 1
Breakfast:
Protein group food
Bread/cereal food
Fruit or vegetable
Milk group food
Lunch:
2 Bread/cereal foods
Protein food
Fruit or vegetable
Milk group food
Supper:
Protein food
Bread/cereal food
2 Fruits or vegetables
Totals:
Protein Foods -- 3
Fruits/vegetables -- 4
Bread/cereals -- 4
Milk group foods -- 2
Pattern 2
Breakfast:
Bread/cereal food
Milk group food
Snack:
Fruit or vegetable
Protein group food
Lunch:
2 Bread/cereal foods
Protein food
Fruit or vegetable
Snack:
Fruit or vegetable
Supper:
Protein food
Bread/cereal food
Snack:
Fruit or vegetable
Milk
Totals:
Protein Foods -- 3
Fruits/vegetables -- 4
Bread/cereals -- 4
Milk group foods -- 2
Here are some sample menus for a few days using Meal Pattern 1.
Breakfast:
Protein food -- Scrambled eggs -- or fast food special: 1 egg
Bread or cereal -- Bowl of cereal -- or fast food: English muffin
Fruit or vegetable -- Sliced peaches -- or fast food: Orange juice
Milk group food -- Milk on cereal -- or fast food: Cheese on sandwich
Lunch:
2 Bread or cereal -- crackers -- or fast food special tacos: 2 taco shells
Protein food -- Bowl of chili -- for the tacos: ground beef
Fruit of vegetable -- Carrot sticks -- for the tacos: Lettuce/tomato
Milk group food -- Cheese on chilli -- for the tacos: Grated cheese
Supper:
Protein food -- Chicken pot pie -- Chicken dinner: Fried chicken
Bread of cereal -- toast -- or with the chicken: Roll
2 Fruit or vegetable -- Green salad/orange -- or with chicken: slaw/mashed potato
Breakfast:
Protein food -- Egg salad -- Breakfast sundae: Chopped nuts
Bread or cereal -- Toast -- with sundae: Granola (on yogurt)
Fruit or vegetable -- Tomato juice -- with sundae: Sliced Banana
Milk group food -- Milk -- with sundae: Yogurt
Lunch:
2 Bread or cereal -- Corn bread -- Noodle soup/Bread
Protein food -- Pinto Beans -- Tuna salad
Fruit or vegetable -- Turnip greens -- Apple
Milk group food -- Ice cream -- Chocolate milk
Supper:
Protein food -- Fish sticks -- Hamburger meat
Bread or cereal -- Roll -- Spaghetti or other noodles
2 Fruit or vegetable -- Green beans -- Tossed green salad
Here are some sample menus for a few days using Meal Pattern 2.
Breakfast:
Bread or cereal -- Rye toast -- Crackers
Milk group food -- Yogurt -- Cheddar cheese
Snack:
Fruit or vegetable -- Sliced pear -- Apple juice
Protein food -- Peanut butter -- Boiled egg
Lunch:
2 Bread or cereal -- Crackers -- 2 slices bread
Protein Food -- Chicken salad -- Hamburger pattie
Fruit or vegetable -- Carrot sticks -- Vegetable soup
Snack:
Fruit or vegetable -- Fruit cocktail -- Grape juice
Supper:
Protein Food -- Slice of Ham -- Peanut butter
Bread or cereal -- Bread -- Vanilla wafers
Snack:
Fruit or vegetable -- Banana -- Cantaloupe
Milk group food -- Hot cocoa -- Yogurt
Breakfast:
Bread or cereal -- Raisin Bread -- Cereal
Milk group food -- Cottage Cheese -- Milk
Snack:
Fruit or vegetable -- Celery sticks -- Mixed nuts
Protein food -- Peanut Butter -- Grape juice
Lunch:
2 Bread or cereal -- Crackers -- 2 pieces toast
Protein food -- Tuna chunks -- Bean soup
Fruit or vegetable -- Tossed salad -- Orange
Snack:
Fruit or vegetable -- Raisins -- Baked potato
Supper:
Protein food -- Scrambled egg -- Roast beef
Bread or cereal -- Toast Bread
Snack:
Fruit or vegetable -- Sliced peaches -- Fruit cocktail
Milk group food -- Ice cream -- Cottage cheese
Breakfast:
Bread or cereal -- English muffin -- Cold cereal
Milk group food -- Melted cheese -- Yogurt
Snack:
Fruit or vegetable -- Raisins -- Grapes
Protein food -- Peanuts -- Cheese cubes
Lunch:
2 Bread or cereal -- Crackers -- or Lasagna
Protein food -- Noodle Soup -- (i.e., Lasagna) Noodles
Fruit or vegetable -- Chopped chicken -- Ground beef (for the Lasagna)
Apple juice -- Tomato sauce (with the Lasagna)
Snack:
Fruit or vegetable -- Canned pineapple -- Applesauce
Supper:
Protein Food -- Egg salad -- Peanut butter
Bread or cereal -- Bagel -- Muffin
Snack:
Fruit or vegetable -- Peaches -- Banana
Milk group food -- Milkshake -- Ice cream
Only You Know What You Like To Eat
Everyone knows that eggs and bacon are "breakfast" foods and turkey and gravy are "dinner" foods, right? Not necessarily! Only if you like them that way? There are many people who eat pizza for breakfast, and cereal and milk for supper! There is nothing wrong with this! Bacon and eggs and pizza and turkey and cereal and milk are all good for you. Your body doesn't care if you eat them in the morning, noon or night time. When selecting what foods you might eat from the basic food groups consider such things as:
what you like to eat
what you've got on hand,
what you can afford to buy,
what helps you meet your medical needs!
You can see below how two different people might eat two different kinds of meals in a day. Both used Pattern 1 to get in all their basic food groups. Menu 1 shows traditional foods. Menu 2 is not traditional at all but just as healthy!
Breakfast:
--Pattern--
Protein Food
Bread or cereal
Fruit or vegetable
Milk group food
--Menu 1--
2 eggs Omelet
Toast
Orange juice
Milk
--Menu 2--
BBQ beef
Bun
Cole Slaw
Milkshake
Lunch:
--Pattern--
2 Bread or cereal
Protein food
Fruit or vegetable
Milk group food
--Menu 1--
2 slices bread
Sliced ham
Sliced tomato
Sliced cheese
--Menu 2--
Oatmeal & Biscuit
Fried eggs
Tomato juice
Hot cocoa
Supper:
--Pattern--
Protein food
Bread or cereal
2 fruit or vegetable
--Menu 1--
Meatloaf
Roll
Corn and Peas
--Menu 2--
Peanut butter
Crackers
Sliced banana & Apple juice
About Vitamin and Mineral Pills
It is a good idea for you to take a daily multi-vitamin and mineral pill. Look for one that includes iron. Pills cannot make up for not eating right. When you are infected with HIV your body may need the extra vitamin-mineral pill.
It is better to take one multi-vitamin and mineral pill each day than to take several pills containing different vitamins and minerals. These can cause dangerous side effects.
Be careful when you shop for your vitamin-mineral pill. Compare prices. The most expensive may not be the best. The ones that advertise a lot on television may not be any better than those which do not. It is not important for a vitamin to be "natural" instead of synthetic. Your body can't tell the difference. Also, there is no such thing as a special vitamin pill for HIV or AIDS. The pharmacist at the drug store can help you pick out a good vitamin and mineral pill.
The vitamins and minerals in pills work best in your body when you take them without any food in your stomach. If this causes you pain, it will be okay to take your pill along with some food. You might also try taking your pill just before bedtime.
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