Healthy Meals at Meals on Wheels of Solano County

Meals on Wheels is proud of the nutritious and healthy meals we serve. Our federal funding under the Older Americans Act requires that our meals meet one-third of the daily requirements for seniors based on the most current Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) values and follow the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

What are the meal requirements?  We plan our meals based on the following meal pattern, which meets the nutritional requirements. Each meal contains…

• 2-3 ounces of meat, poultry, fish, or other protein source. A deck of cards is about three ounces of meat. Beans and cheese can also help meet this requirement.
• 1-2 servings of vegetables and 1 serving of fruit
• One serving must be high in vitamin C such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, citrus fruits, strawberries, orange or grapefruit juice, and other juices enriched with vitamin C. This is why we serve these foods frequently.
• Three times a week, a food high in vitamin A must be served, such as deep green and yellow vegetables or fruits.
• 1-2 servings of bread and grains, preferable whole grains. This includes rice, noodles, pasta, as well as whole wheat bread.
• 1 cup of 1 percent milk
• Dessert is optional. We usually serve fresh or canned fruit, pudding, gelatin dessert, fruit crisp, or cobbler as your dessert. Of course, the third Thursday of every month is birthday cake!

In addition, we must follow the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines include:

• Include fruits and vegetables at each meal
• Serve more whole grain breads and cereals
• Serve low fat or fat-free milk each day.
• Limit the amount of fat in the meal
• Reduce the amount of sodium in the meal.
• Use good food safety practices in handling foods.

We often include additional items, such as salad dressing, margarine, and other condiments, to make your meal more appealing.

Overall, each meal averages between 550 to 850 calories. Our goal is to limit sodium to less than 1,000 milligrams per meal and limit the calories from fat. However, this varies depending on what we serve. For example, when we serve Polish sausage or turkey ham, the sodium content will be higher. We do not add salt in cooking, use low-sodium, fat- free bases for gravies, and do not add butter to vegetables

In planning your meals, we also consider taste, color combinations, the texture of the food, variety within the week and month, combination of foods, quantity food preparation limitations, comments from our seniors, nutritional content, and the cost of the menu items.  

MOW staff work hard to provide you with a meal that tastes good, is healthy, and safe to eat. Our supervisors and cook are certified in food safety and sanitation. In addition, all staff attends yearly training on food safety. 

We always welcome your comments on the menu or if you have any food and nutrition questions, please email us using our contact page on the web site.

Bon appetit!     

Written by a Registered Dietitian
Nutrition Consultant