1500 Calories in Six Meals-a-Day
Can eating several mini-meals instead of three squares a day help you lose weight? It all comes down to the total calories you take in over the day. The more chances you have to eat, the more times you may overeat so portion size is the key.
To eat in a healthy manner, choose a variety of foods from and within different food groups. Make food choices that will limit your intake of saturated and trans fat, cholesterol, added sugars, salt, and alcohol.
MyPyramid.gov can help you determine how many servings you should choose from the different food groups.
The following meal plan is just one example that includes all food groups as well as discretionary calories, which are those calories left over after nutrient needs are met by other food groups.
| Meal | Food Group | Servings | Menu Choice | Amount | Calories |
| Breakfast | Grain Equivalent | 1 | Whole wheat toast | 1 slice | |
| Fruit | 1 | Banana | 1 small | ||
| Milk | 1/2 | Low-fat milk | 4 ounces | ||
| Oils/Fats | 2-3 | Peanut butter | 1 tablespoon | ||
| Discretionary | Coffee | ||||
| Sugar | 2 teaspoons | ||||
| 338 | |||||
| Snack | Fruit | 2 | Strawberries, sliced | 1 cup | |
| Milk | 1 | Yogurt, non-fat French vanilla | 1 cup | ||
| 185 | |||||
| Lunch | Grain Equivalent | 2 | Whole wheat bread | 2 slices | |
| Meat Equivalent | 2 | Roast beef, lean | 2 ounces | ||
| Vegetables | 0 | Lettuce and tomato | Garnish | ||
| Milk | 1/2 | Low-fat milk | 4 ounces | ||
| Oils/Fats | 1 | Mayonnaise, lite | 1 tablespoon | ||
| 456 | |||||
| Snack | Meat Equivalent | 1 ounce | Hummus | 2 tablespoons | |
| Vegetables | 1 | Baby carrots, raw | 1/2 cup | ||
| Milk | 1/2 | Low-fat milk | 4 ounces | ||
| 100 | |||||
| Dinner | Grain Equivalent | 2 | Pasta, cooked | 1 cup | |
| Meat Equivalent | 2 | Chicken, cooked | 2 ounces | ||
| Vegetables | 1 | Marinara sauce | 1/2 cup | ||
| 2 | Broccoli, cooked | 1 cup | |||
| Salad, tossed | 2 cups | ||||
| Oils/Fats | 2 | Olive oil | 2 teaspoons | ||
| Discretionary | Vinegar, seasoning | ||||
| 0 calorie beverage | 456 | ||||
| Snack | Fruit | 1 | Pear, sliced | 1 small | |
| Discretionary | Almonds | 10 | |||
| Total | 1506 |
Sources
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005
www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines
Other Helpful Links
- MyPyramid (Home/For Professionals/MyPyramid Food Intake Patterns)
www.mypyramid.gov
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