OS GLLSO W006FS GSH oo Technology Brings Variety nd Healthy Food Choices BackInto The Kitchen (NPS)—Six. side from Thanksgiving and a few other festive occasions, that’s the numberof dinner entres routinely served in the average merican household. Hard to believe? Conduct your own meals audit—it could be time to increase your culinary repertoire. But with life so busy and every family member having different nutritional needs, how do you begin? Manyare turning to technology to help add variety to the kitchen. There are numerous Web sites available that allow a family’s head chef to find new recipes, address nutrition issues and organize shoppinglists. Meals Matter is an interactive choice for meal planning on the Internet. “It’s a family-friendly answer for repetitious meals, toofrequent fast-food runs and nutritional concerns,” said registered dietitian Mary nne Burkman, director of program services for Dairy Council of California and a developerof thesite. t www.mealsmatter.org, users can discover a savory world beyond their current ho-hum offerings. dditionally, users can submit a family profile and receive feedback specific to the family’s health concerns. The feedback is so individualized, users can plan meals that meet the entire family’s nutritional needs. The free program is divided into four sections: nutrition news, meal planning, recipe and meal ideas and a food discussion board. “Nutrition News” provides users with current information on nutrition topics, ranging from weight management to vegetarian diets to functional foods. The Internet is becoming an increasingly popular tool for meal planning. Click on “Meal Planner” and enter an easy-to-use system that makes life simpler with: meal planning calendar to help decide what to cook and when. shopping list to ensure there’s no forgotten favorites and less chance for expensive and unhealthy impulse buying. Visit the “Recipe & Meal Ideas” departmentto: Search for recipes with a program that allows you to access everything from quick meals to special occasion dishes. Find easy meal ideas handpicked for convenience, good taste and nutrition. The “Food Talk” discussion board connects you with other meal plannersto: e Share concerns and solutions to any food-related topic. Give and receive feedback on recipes. “Eating together as a family is important,” said Burkman. “But those meals have to be easy to make, healthy and appeal to the whole family. nd that’s what www.mealsmatter.org is all about.”
