Ruokavalin

Ruokavalin is a Finnish term used to refer to a chosen diet or a meal plan. In everyday language it can denote both an individual dietary pattern and a structured set of meals offered in institutions such as hospitals, schools, or workplaces. The word combines ruokka ('food') and valinta ('choice' or 'selection'), and it appears in nutrition discussions to describe how meals are selected or arranged.

In practical use, a ruokavalin may be tailored to health requirements, such as diabetes-friendly, low-sodium, high-fiber, or vegetarian patterns. In hospitals or care settings, menus are sometimes organized around predefined ruokavalin to support medical or dietary goals. In schools and workplaces, suggested meal arrangements can be described as a ruokavalin to balance nutrition with preferences and cultural considerations. The concept emphasizes choosing foods within constraints while aiming for balanced nutrition and variety.

Ruokavalin is a relatively generic term and is not a formal standardized category in official Finnish nutrition policy. Its exact meaning can vary by context, and it is often used alongside related terms such as ruokavalio (diet) or ruokavalikoima (range of options). Practitioners and researchers may describe similar ideas with different wording, depending on whether they are discussing individual diets, institutional meal planning, or public health guidelines.

See also: ruokavalio, ruokalista, ruokavalikoima, ruokailu, ravitsemus.