Healthy Diet Meal Plan: 1200 Calories or More

Today’s healthy diet meal plan includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. It will require some meal preparation but not much of your time. I believe you will find the results to be tasty and filling as well as nutritious. For breakfast, I recommend trying a Blueberry Raspberry Oat Bran Muffin by Zen Bakery. You can find these muffins at Trader Joe’s and other select grocery stores. If you can’t find this product locally you might try making your own low calorie muffins and freezing them for quick and easy meals. Both lunch and dinner are variations on the theme of having a meal in a pocket. I experimented with making my own whole wheat pita bread over the weekend and I was pleased with the results! When you slice these pita in half you have two instant pockets. (If you don’t have time to make your own pita bread you can find commercially prepared whole wheat pita pockets such as those by Kangaroo.) I’m sharing two different recipes for quick to fix fillings for the pocket bread, one for lunch and one for dinner. If you like thick full sandwiches without lots of calories add some leafy greens of your choice to each sandwich. I suggest adding baby spinach greens to the dinner sandwich but add whatever you’d like. (Spinach and other dark green leafy veggies provide more nutrients than iceberg lettuce but what matters most is adding whatever makes you like the sandwich more so you’ll eat it!) Recipes: Homemade Whole Wheat Pita Bread (This is the recipe I prepared and baked in a HOT oven, which was not the best idea for a warm summer day! Not only was it uncomfortably hot but I found the oven procedure put me at risk for getting burned. Next time I will try the other recipe I found that calls for making the pita on a hot griddle or pan on the stovetop.) The other recipe for Whole Wheat Pita Bread: Whole Wheat Pita Bread | Live Well 360. To modify today’s menu for a 1300, 1400, or 1500 calorie diet, look for my comments below. 1200 Calorie Healthy Diet Meal Plan for a Summer Menu Breakfast 1 Blueberry Raspberry Oat Bran Muffin (270 calories, Zen Bakery) 1/2 Tbsp. Light Butter (25 calories, Land O’Lakes Light Butter) 4 oz. Nonfat Milk 1?2 cup Orange Juice (Enjoy the milk as is or add it to your cup of coffee for some cafe au lait.) Snack 2 Mini Babybel Light Cheese pieces (100 calories, Laughing Cow) Lunch 1 Tuna with White Beans Sandwich 2 Tbsp. Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese (20 calories, Kraft Grate-It-Fresh) 1/2 cup Fresh Cherries water, unsweetened tea, or coffee Snack 1 Nonfat Light & Fit Yogurt (80 calories, Dannon) 4 Triscuits Reduced Fat Crackers Supper 1 Chicken and Veggies Sandwich (meal in a pocket, see recipe as follows) 2 Tbsp. Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese (20, Kraft Grate-It-Fresh) Water, unsweetened tea, or coffee Chicken with Veggies Sandwich recipe: 3 oz. cooked Chicken pieces 1/2 cup sliced Zucchini 1/2 cup sliced Sweet Red Peppers 1/2 Tbsp. Olive Oil 1/2 Whole Wheat Homemade Pita 1/2 cup Baby Spinach Leaves, washed and dried 2 Tbsp. Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese (20, Kraft Grate-It-Fresh) If you are starting with uncooked chicken, cut into bite size pieces and cook chicken with a little oil. Set aside cooked chicken. Add remaining oil and cook the zucchini and sweet red peppers over medium heat till softened and beginning to brown. Season lightly with salt, pepper, and other favorite low sodium herbs and spices. Add the cooked chicken pieces and veggies including the washed uncooked spinach leaves to the pita pocket. Top with 2 tbsp. freshly grated parmesan cheese. Water, unsweetened tea, or coffee (Always remember to get plenty of water throughout the day. Read Water, Weight, and Women to learn more about your water needs.) Total Calories = 1211 Total Fiber = 21.3 g Fat = 28% Carbs = 49% Protein = 23% (U.S. Dietary Guidelines Recommended percentages: Fat 20-35%, Carbohydrates 45-65%, Protein 10-35%) Calcium = 958 mg (Women between 19 and 50 years need approximately 1,000 mg a day, 51+ need 1,200 + mg a day) Iron = 8.7 mg (Women 19 to 50 years need 18 mg of iron, 51+ need 8 mg) 1300, 1400, or 1500 Calorie Diet Menu This menu has a fairly good balance of nutrients. However, iron comes up short for women who are premenopausal (with a regular monthly period). Today might be a good day for a supplement. The meal plan is also a little short on calcium for postmenopausal women. If this describes you, you may want to supplement this menu with an additional serving of milk, cheese, or yogurt. Or be sure to take a calcium supplement (with vitamin D). Otherwise, for women of all ages, simply add an additional serving or two of one of the menu items or other food of your choice to bring the total calories up to the level you need. What do you think of this healthy diet meal plan? What healthy foods would you like to see in a low calorie menu? Let me know. I’m looking for ideas for a new 7 Day Diet menu that designed for a semi-vegetarian or flexitarian. Let me know your thoughts. Till next time watch those calories and eat healthy food! addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.womenandweight.com%2Fweight-management%2Fweight-loss%2Fhealthy-diet-meal-plan-1200-calories-or-more%2F’; addthis_title = ‘Healthy+Diet+Meal+Plan%3A+1200+Calories+or+More’; addthis_pub = ”;

Low Calorie Fast Food Choices

If you want to be sure you are eating healthy low calorie food, your best bet is to buy fresh whole foods with little or no processing and prepare your own meals! But who wants to do that all the time? What do you buy to eat if the only thing you have time for is a quick meal of fast food? To help you out I’ll share with you what I might select for reasonably healthy low calorie fast food choices at 8 different restaurants. I just finished doing an extensive search of menu items for a number of the top fast food restaurants in this country (United States). Although I did come up with some reasonable choices, I can’t stress enough the need to limit how often you choose fast food. The overwhelming majority of menu items are high calorie and not particularly healthy or low calorie and devoid of nutrients. When you are eating out, it sometimes works well to buy a full serving of a higher calorie meal and save back half or more for later. However, this is not a good idea for most fast food restaurants. As a general rule, you would still get far too much sodium and saturated fat even in a half size portion! I will admit my goal may have been unrealistic. I wanted to find menu items that would provide a nutritious meal for 350 calories or less. That proved to be pretty much impossible. But if your goal is to stick with a 1200 to 1500 calorie diet there isn’t a whole lot of wiggle room so to speak! In a previous article I provided some basic guidelines when it comes to purchasing frozen entrees. I had suggested looking for meals with no more than 700 mg of sodium. (See Best Low Calorie Frozen Entrees ) High sodium is a common reason why it is so hard to find healthy low calorie fast food meals. As for beverages, keep in mind that your best bet for a healthy low calorie beverage is water or unsweetened tea or coffee. If you get accustomed to that idea you could save yourself countless hundreds of calories over the course of a year! (See Weight Loss and Beverages and Healthy Low Calorie Beverages ). Quiznos Honey Bourbon Chicken Sub – 300 calories 2 grams sat. fat 790 mg sodium 2 grams dietary fiber 16 grams protein You may be able to add a slice of cheese for an additional 50-60 calories and gain some calcium along with a little more protein. You might think Sammies (small sandwiches) would be a good choice at Quiznos. So did I. Then I noticed that each Sammie has a whopping 6 to 10 grams of saturated fat WITHOUT any additional cheese or dressing. That’s takes up almost my whole allotment for the day. (I try to keep my saturated fat intake to no more than 10-12 grams.) Subway Subway Club Sandwich – 160 calories 1.5 grams sat. fat 880 mg sodium 4 grams dietary fiber 18 grams protein 60 mg calcium 3.6 mg iron The club sandwich includes roast beef, turkey, ham, chopped lettuce, baby spinach, red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, olives, and carrots. Although the calorie count is low, I don’t recommend having two of these sandwiches because of the high sodium content. If you do take out, consider adding a carton of soy or almond milk and a piece of fruit to round out the nutritional balance (bring from home or buy at a local grocery store). Wendy’s Broccoli and Cheese Potato – 340 calories 1 gram sat. fat 430 mg sodium 9 grams dietary fiber 10 grams protein 200 mg calcium 3.6 mg iron I find the calorie count for this item to be a little questionable. I would suggest asking for the cheese sauce to be provided on the side so you have some control over how much you get. Otherwise it’s a good choice. McDonald’s 1 Regular Hamburger with no Cheese – 260 calories 1 packet of ketchup – 10 calories Side Salad – 20 calories Newman’s Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette – 40 calories Iced Tea – 0 calories Total = 330 calories If you prefer to not have a hamburger there are a couple of other choices to consider: Fruit and Yogurt Parfait – 160 calories Fruit and Walnut Salad – 310 calories Taco Bell 1 Tostada – 250 calories (A flat, crunchy corn tortilla topped with refried beans, red sauce, crisp lettuce and cheddar cheese.) 3.5 gram sat. fat 730 mg sodium 1-gram dietary fiber 11 grams protein As with the Subway Club Sandwich, I recommend supplementing this menu item with a carton of soy or almond milk and a piece of fruit from home or a local grocery store. Arby’s I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the nutrition information available for Arby’s menu items! For the Market Fresh Sandwiches, Wraps and more you can find a calorie count for each individual ingredient. That makes it easier to discover the ingredients that will work best for you. Santa Fe Salad with Grilled Chicken - 305 calories Santa Fe Salad includes cherry tomatoes, red onion rings, diced grilled chicken naturals, pepper jack shredded, roasted corn and black bean mix, iceberg/romaine blend, mixed salad greens, cheddar shredded. 6 grams sat. fat 621 mg sodium 6 grams dietary fiber 260 mg calcium 2.5 mg iron Another good choice at Arby’s is Martha’s Vineyard Salad made with cherry tomatoes, diced grilled chicken naturals, diced apple, cheddar shredded, cranberries, iceberg/romaine blend, mixed salad greens. You get all this for only 277 calories a serving. I picked the Santa Fe Salad as the top choice because it offers slightly more nutrients for the calories. Both salads are a couple of the healthiest salads I’ve come across with Fast Food. Hardee’s I recommend avoiding Hardee’s if at all possible! They have little to nothing that fits with a healthy low calorie diet. The best I could find is a breakfast item. Frisco Breakfast Sandwich minus one slice of American cheese – 360 calories (otherwise 420 calories) This sandwich is made with a cooked folded egg, thinly sliced ham, American cheese, Swiss cheese, and sourdough bread. (A slice of American cheese has about 60 calories and a slice of Swiss Cheese about 50 calories.) I don’t have the nutrient breakdown for the sandwich minus one slice of cheese. However, even with one less cheese slice, the sandwich would likely be a good source of protein, some calcium, and a little dietary fiber. The sodium content is likely to be high (more than 800+ mg of sodium). Jamba Juice I’m not a big fan of Jamba Juice. Although the fruit blends may sound good, in reality you’re basically getting a lot of calories and sugar. The most nutritious low calorie choice I could find is for a blueberry and yogurt blend. Bright-Eyed and Blueberry Blend – 280 calories This blend is made with soymilk, nonfat plain yogurt, frozen strawberries, and frozen blueberries. The calcium in this menu item is surprisingly high. It leads me to believe they are in some way supplementing this item with additional calcium. 0 grams sat. fat 90 mg sodium 3 grams dietary fiber 1 grams protein 900 mg calcium 1.8 mg iron I hope you find this list of healthy low calorie fast food choices to be helpful when you are faced with lots of choices but little information. Calorie counts will be available on the menu boards in fast food restaurants not too long from now but you won’t have easy access to other nutrition information without doing some digging ahead of time. So if any of the items I’ve mentioned appeal to you, you may want to jot them down on a 3 x 5 inch index card and carry it with you in your purse! Would you like some ideas for healthy low calorie brown bag lunches? Preparing Low Calorie Brown Bag Meals 12 Healthy Brown Bag Lunches Till next time, watch those calories and eat healthy food! calories calorieslow calorie fast food choices low calorie fast food healthy low calorie food fast food healthy low calorie

Healthy Food Choices for Weight Loss

In my “trips” around the web recently, I’ve come across some enormously helpful articles. These are articles I wish I had written. They are jam packed with tips to help you navigate the challenging task of selecting the best healthy food choices for weight loss or maintenance and better health. I’ve found tips on taking stock of the foods you may have your fridge that can all too easily derail your efforts to look better and feel better. Are these foods in your fridge? Another article covers some specific ideas for healthy fiber-filled snacks. The suggestions are good but not all of them are what I would call grab and go food. If you are an active on the go person, you might like some ideas for healthy snacks you can take with you. I found an article with an incredible list that will not disappoint. You’ll find all this and more in today’s post. Enjoy! Healthy Snacks when Traveling or On-the-Go Camilla Vivian, a member of More.com, recently shared a fabulous list of ideas for healthy snacks when you are on the go whether you are traveling or not. The list she has compiled is extensive! I like what she has chosen for the most part. However, remember to keep portion size in mind when choosing some of the snacks she suggests such as dried fruit because the calories add up FAST. I would also encourage you to select whole grain products when choosing crackers, chips, and the like. Someday soon, I hope, I will create my own list. Till then check out Healthy Snacks for Travelers (And Others On the Go) . It’s well worth your time. You might also enjoy a couple of my previous articles: 28 Healthy Low Calorie Snack Foods to Go Healthy Eating, Weight Loss, and Travel: Part 2 Fiber-filled Snacks Another very helpful article I found shares 9 suggestions for healthy fiber-filled snacks. Many, but not all, fiber-rich foods such as vegetables are low calorie. When you choose the low calorie options you can eat much more food than calorie-dense choices such as high fat cheese. Eating a greater volume of food tends to be more satisfying than eating a smaller volume. Check out: 9 of the Best Fiber-filled Snacks, an article I found on the website 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet. You might also want to read one or more of my previous articles: Dietary Fiber: Can it Help You with Weight Loss? Get Plenty of Fiber: Ten Tips Are These Foods in Your Fridge? Elaine Magee, a dietitian and writer for WebMD warns you about certain foods that you may want to eliminate from your refrigerator if you are serious about getting healthy and managing your weight. The foods she mentions are all too common. Read Worst Foods in Your Fridge to see if any of the foods she mentions are a potential problem for you. In addition to helping you steer clear of certain food, Elaine also provides you with lots of ideas for healthy substitutes. Other articles you might want to read for healthier choices include: Nutritious, Low Calorie Spreads, Condiments, and Dips Weight Loss and Beverages: The Beverages You Drink May Be Making You Fat! Healthy Low Calorie Beverages: 100 Calories or Less Low Calorie Dairy Snacks: 100 Calories or Less Eat More Veggies O.k., so you’ve heard this more times than you care to remember. Just keep in mind that veggies may be your ticket to achieving a healthier body and weight. And maybe if veggies could be a little more exciting you might not find it to be such a chore to work them into your diet. An article I found on the site for Prevention Magazine might give you a new perspective on veggies along with some tips to ease more into your diet. Read 14 Ways to Make Veggies Less Boring by Sarah Mahoney. (Forgive me if I’m being annoying but I must repeat my caution from above to watch those calories if you choose to add a little oil or cheese to give veggies flavor! Thankfully, the article offers many additional suggestions that won’t add calories!) Hope you find one or more of these articles on healthy food choices for weight loss or maintenance to be helpful! Till next time, watch those calories and eat healthy food! Health Healthhealthy food choices for weight loss healthy food choices food choices for weight loss healthy food weight loss healthy diet

Healthy Diet Meal Plan: 1200 Calories or More

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Healthy Food Choices for Weight Loss

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