Note that Boxes 8.2, 8.3, and 8.4 do not list a standard type of meal planning method. This is because there is no single best way to structure a meal plan (4). To choose a meal planning method, refer to your facility’s protocol (if applicable) and consider your patient’s learning style, preferences, and need for structure. If a patient has previously used a certain type of meal
plan with success, you may consider using it as written (if it is still appropriate), or adapting that structure to the patient’s current needs. In cases where a patient has used a meal plan in a destructive manner, you may choose to “start from scratch.” Many options for meal planning have been created by facilities and RDs. Selected choices are summarized in Box 8.5 (8,9).
