1a. The Menu Line- Your Nutrition Toolbox
At the top of the FoodFocus main screen is the menu line that provides
the toolbox of commands that you use to control the program.
Objectives
After this lesson, you will be able to:
- Identify the groups of commands you can perform from the menu line.
- Understand how typical nutrition inquiries (selecting foods, sorting
foods, viewing analysis results) relate to the available commands.
Lesson
This lesson and lessons 2-4 illustrate the basic layout of the FoodFocus
main screen. These lessons are called the "First the Destination"
section because they are intended to provide an overview of how FoodFocus
can be used and its objectives. 
The FoodFocus menuline has the following options:
- File
- New Food List- used to clear the existing food list. (Use when you
want to get rid of the foods you have selected and start over.)
- Load from File- used to load a list of foods that may represent a food
recall, a recipe or a prepared list to use a starting point for an assignment.
(Use when you want to work with a list of foods save previously.)
- Save to File-used to save a list of foods for later use. It may also
be used to save revised food nutrient data.
- Print-used to print a list of foods, print an image of the main screen
with pictographs, print the detailed nutrient analysis, print data associated
with Recommmended Nutrient Intakes, or change print setup.
- Preferences-used to determine on how many days the nutrient analysis
should be based, determine how nutrient summary data is to be shown (in
a scientific manner or in a easier to understand "Report Card Marks"
manner), determine the preferred way to order a list of foods, allow
editing, and allocate cost information files.
- Exit-used to leave the FoodFocus program.
- Food by Type
- Used to select foods by using food groups. (i.e. use when you want
to choose a food from a list of Breakfast Cereals or other groups.) Details
in lesson 5.
- by Search
- Used to find foods by words or parts of words in the name of the foods.
(i.e.use when you want to choose a food that has the works "skim"
and "milk" in its name.) Details in lesson
6.
- by Nutrient
- Used to find foods that are a good source of a selected nutrient. (i.e.
use when you want to see all the foods that are a good source of Vitamin
A, etc.) Details in lesson 7.
- Sort
- Used to reorder the foods you have selected in a food list according
to the amount of the selected nutrient in those foods (i.e. use when you
want to put the foods you have selected so that the foods with the most
fat (or protein, or Vitamin A) are listed at the top.), or by cost. Details in lesson
12.
- People
- Used to describe the people who will eat the food you pick. The people
can be one person or groups of several hundred people. You can also see
the Recommended Nutrient Intake for the people you select. Details in lesson
13.
- Analysis
- Used to show the nutrient content of the foods you select. Results
can be shown in scientific units, in comparison with Recommmended Nutrient
Intakes and in comparison with the nutrients in Recommended Nutrient Intakes
adjusted for the nutrient content of the foods. (Use when you want to know
the detailed amount of nutrients in the foods you selected, how the nutrients
compare to Recommended Nutrient Intakes or if the foods you have selected
are "balanced".) Details in lesson 14.
- Help
- Used to show help information on using the FoodFocus program, on basic
food groups, nutrients, diseases and other nutrition topics. The nutrient
help information can also be accessed by clicking on pictographs. Details
in lesson 4.
Review Topics
- If you want to select a food from a list of fish, what item on the
main menu would you use?
- If you want to select a food that includes "oatmeal" in the
name, what item on the main menu would you use?
- If you want to select foods that are a good source of Vitamin A, what
item on the main menu would you use?
- If you want to do a nutrient analysis to calculate the nutrients in
the groceries purchased for a weekend retreat for twenty women (all twenty-nine
years old) and compare the nutrient amounts to Recommended Nutrient Intakes,
what item on the main menu would you use to identify the people and what
item would you use to set the time period to two days?
- How would you get information on fibre?
- If you want to reload a list of foods that represent a food recall
(or a recipe), what item on the main menu would you use?
Independent Practice
Think of questions that you want a nutrition analysis program to easily
answer and see if the commands available to you on the menu line seem to
provide the tools you need.
Coming Next....
What a food list looks like
Comments to matt@foodfocus.com