Chapter 17 Planning Healthy Meals 423 Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Flavor Flavor gives food a distinctive taste. Use a variety of flavors in your meal plan- ning. This means more than serving different dishes throughout the week. You need to include a variety of flavors in every meal. Think about a meal with tomato juice as an appetizer, tomatoes on the salad, and tomato sauce on the pasta. So much tomato flavor would make the meal seem rather boring. Substituting mari- nated peppers for the appetizer and toasted almonds on the salad would intro- duce variety. Certain basic tastes complement each other and add interest to a meal. Consider some of these basic taste combinations when planning a meal: • salty and sweet • sweet and sour • fat and sour • bitter and sweet • sour and salty Make a point of balancing strongly flavored foods with those that are more subtle. For instance, you could complement a spicy burrito with some mild pinto beans. You might balance a dish of tart apple slices with a drizzle of sweet caramel topping. When experimenting with flavor, consider the age of those who will be eating the dish. Children are often more sensitive to tastes than adults and may prefer milder flavors. Older adults or people with certain health conditions may have lost some of their sense of taste or smell. For these people, more highly seasoned foods may act to stimulate their appetites. Color Color appeals to the eye and stimulates appetite at all stages of the life cycle. Picture a meal of poached fish, scalloped potatoes, and steamed cabbage. These foods are monochromatic (similar color) and pale. Now envision how the plate would look if you top the fish with a mango and jalapeño salsa. Sprinkle the scal- loped potatoes with bright red paprika. Replace the cabbage with deep green broc- coli. By making a few changes, a bland-looking meal has become quite colorful. Texture Food texture refers to the properties of food that are sensed by the mouth. Texture variety makes meals more enjoyable to eat. How appealing is a meal of creamed turkey, mashed sweet potatoes, and applesauce? These foods have homogenous (similar) textures. They are all smooth, soft, and creamy. A meal that includes crunchy and chewy textures as well as soft would be more appetizing. You could introduce some different textures by changing the menu to roast turkey with mashed sweet potatoes. Then replace the applesauce with a salad of crisp apple wedges on a bed of fresh spinach. Still, texture should not present a challenge to the person eating the food. Children and older adults may have difficulty with certain textures. Young chil- dren may be in the process of losing baby teeth and gaining permanent teeth. Loose or missing teeth can present challenges when eating. Older individuals are more likely to have dental issues that make chewing difficult as well. They may not be able to eat regular textures. Soft, cut up, ground, or minced foods may be necessary. Enhancing the flavor and appearance of texture-modified foods will help improve their appeal.