Done by: Joseph Lim (3A111) Ng Ding Quan (3A120)

Introduction Vegetarians are considerably healthy as studies have shown that there is a positive relationship between vegetarianism and the reduced risks of getting fatal diseases such as cancers and heart diseases. However, due to the lack of red meat and other animal-related food products, several key nutrients in animal based products are harder to get and find in vegetarian diets.

Introduction Those key nutrients include: Iron, Protein, Zinc, Calcium, Vitamin B12. The above nutrients are more commonly found in meat-based products. While vegetarian generally have diets high in: Dietary Fiber, Magnesium, Folate, Vitamin C, Vitamin E.

Rationale As such, our objective is to design a meal which will benefit all vegetarians so that they will not lose out in the some key nutrients that typical omnivorous human can obtain easily.

Vegan balanced diet A balanced diet contains sufficient amounts of fibre and the various nutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals) to ensure good health. For vegetarians, food rich in carbohydrates and dietary fiber are required most, followed by proteins and finally fats and oil.

Average dietary needs Recommended Minimums (Note: ___ => key nutrients which are lacking) NutrientsAmount Protein44.0 g Dietary Fiber38.0 g Iron11.0 mg Calcium mg Zinc11.0 mg Magnesium410.0 mg Folate400.0 mcg Vitamin B122.4 mcg Vitamin C75.0 mcg Vitamin E15.0 mcg An average 15-year-old is recommended to have the minimum daily nutrient needs of: (refer to table) AND A minimum of calories of kJ per day.

HCI Canteen Food Analysis Economical Rice (stall 5); Note: Yellow shows key nutrients which are lacking Type of Vegetable:Iron/mgZinc/mgCalcium/mgProtein/gVitamin B- 12/mcg Fiber/gMagnesium/mgVitamin C/mgFolate/mcgCalories/ kJ Chinese Cabbage ( Cabbage) Bitter Gourd (pods) Potato (boiled) Tofu (fried) Sweet Potato Leaves (steamed) Bean sprouts (boiled) White Rice (Medium-grain)

HCI Canteen Food Analysis According to WashingtonPost.com, divide the calories into three portions, one for each main meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner). As such, the formula will approximately be: ÷ 3 = 3570 kJ (3 significant figures).WashingtonPost.com If we add all the calories of the available food (including rice) together, you will only get a maximum total amount of calories of 2400 kJ (3 significant figures). This is much lesser than the required minimum amount of calories per meal needed for an average 15-year-old male student. As such, there must be alternative solutions. One of it is to increase the number of dishes per meal. Another is to find other food (such as tofu) which contains a relatively average amount of calories to reach the required amount of calories needed for growth and energy expenditure.

Desired meal for all Vegetarians Calories needed in total for lunch: 3570 kJ Based on the calories and nutrients needed for a meal, we will use it to provide the basis needed to create a balanced diet for vegetarians Basically, we have decided that rice must be 200 g while the other dishes will be standardize as 50 g each.

Desired meal for all Vegetarians Recommended Minimums per meal (Note: ___ => key nutrients which are lacking) NutrientsAmount Protein14.7 g Dietary Fiber12.7 g Iron3.67 mg Calcium433 mg Zinc3.67 mg Magnesium137 mg Folate133 mcg Vitamin B mcg Vitamin C25.0 mcg Vitamin E5.00 mcg Desired meal: Rice, white, medium-grain, cooked [serving size: 100 g] Tofu, fried [serving size: 50 g] Cabbage, chinese (pe-tsai), cooked, boiled, drained, with salt [serving size: 50 g] Spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt [serving size: 50 g] Yogurt, fruit, low fat, 10 grams protein per 8 ounce [serving size: 1 cup (8 fl oz) (245 g)] Pears, large, raw (Includes USDA commodity food A435) [serving size: 2]

Desired meal for all Vegetarians Type of Vegetable:Iron/mgZinc/mgCalcium/mgProtein/gVitamin B- 12/mcg Fiber/gMagnesium/mgVitamin C/mgFolate/mc g Calories/ kJ White Rice (Medium-grain) Tofu (fried) Chinese Cabbage ( Cabbage) Spinach (boiled) Yogurt (low fat) – 1 cup Pears (raw) Total Note 1: Yellow => key nutrients which are lacking Note 2: Blue => meet requirements

Conclusion The meal we designed is rather cost-efficient. Most, in fact all of the products within our designed meal can be found in supermarkets, or wet markets. Hence, it can be said that the cost of the meal is cheap. Also, it is better than that served by the school canteen as it meets of the recommended minimum nutrients. Therefore, our designed meal is both cost-efficient and nutritious.

References "Nutrition facts, calories in food, labels, nutritional information and analysis - NutritionData." 26 May "Key Nutrients Needed in a Vegetarian Diet." 26 May " United States Department of Agriculture. 26 May "Lean Plate Club: Holiday Challenge." 27 May "The Vegan Food Pyramid." 27 May "balanced diet: Definition from Answers.com." 27 May 2009.