Food Pyramid Meals

Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites

Planning Lunch & Dinner Menus Using the Food Pyramid

Let's move on to our grand finale - planning the lunch and dinner menus. Keep in mind that we are choosing to enjoy a hearty lunch and breakfast. Therefore, the dinner menu will be on the light side.

As to snack time, we have decided upon a snack list which includes: low fat cottage cheese, reduced fat cheese, beef jerky, hot air popped corn, rice cakes, popcorn cakes, fruit - frozen, canned in natural juices and fresh varieties, and fresh vegetables.

We will stay away from the dried fruits which are heavily mined with sugar content and which contain far more calories than the other varieties.

Notice how we chose foods from all the healthy groups housed within the official food pyramid: Grain, Fruit, Dairy, Protein and Vegetable.

Now let's see what we have planned for the lunch menus. We'll view two menus for lunch and two for dinner. We'll feature a lunch menu and a dinner menu from a fast food restaurant to example how we can enjoy dining away from home and still enjoy a healthy diet that will support our recommended weight.

Lunch Menu #1 Based on Food Pyramid

Spaghetti and marinara, French bread, green beans, and iced tea. Enjoy one cup of the spaghetti pasta for 200 calories; the marinara sauce we chose contains only 50 calories per serving.

We will also sprinkle a bit of grated Parmesan cheese onto our entree.

We will add a serving of French bread which we will spread with reduced calorie margarine, as well as a serving of green beans from the healthy Vegetable Group. Our iced tea will remain unsweetened.

Lunch Menu #2 Based on Food Pyramid

If you enjoy chili but are dedicated to keeping your diet plan on track, we are here to tell you that yes - you can have your chili and still lose weight, too.

By examining a menu from Wendy's we see that their delicious chili contains a tab over 200 calories for the small size.

So head to Wendy's and purchase the chili and crackers along with a healthy side salad and low fat dressing.

We will also order plain iced tea to enjoy with our meal. Becausethe chili is so low in calories we will also request a bit of grated cheese on top along with raw onions.

Dinner Menu #1 Based on Food Pyramid

Let's use dieter Fred as our example for the rest of our menus. He enjoys beans of all sorts.

He knows that if he has green beans on the menu, they aren't going to stick with him for a significantly long time - so he'll make a wiser caloric investment by opting for pinto, red, Great Northern, chickpeas, Navy, kidney or black beans for about 110 calories per 1/2 cup.

He will also enjoy a wedge of cornbread for an addition 140 calories - and will still have room to enjoy a serving of reduced fat margarine with his cornbread. He will also have a glassof unsweetened tea with his light meal.

One of the best ways to manage daily calories is to think about them as a purchase. Start by examining your food choices.

Let's say that we have the choice of a slice of whole grain bread smothered in country gravy and a slice of whole grain bread. We can purchase the gravy and bread for about 300 calories when 70 calorie bread is the one being smothered.

Or we can purchase the 70 calorie bread and add a lot more foods to our purchase. For that additional 230 calories we can add three ounces of baked fish, a side of green beans, and one-half of a baked potato OR a 1/2 cup serving of rice. Sort of blows that gravy out of the boat, doesn't it?

Dinner Menu #2, Food Pyramid Planning

Subway to the rescue with their Veggie Delight sub and a skinny 240 calories. Fred will add cheese and a smear of mustard for a few more calories. He will also enjoy a bag of baked potato chips, a package of dried apples and a no calorie drink.

Making Weight Loss Easy as Pie, Quelling or Ridding Hunger Pains

If you have ever been on a weight loss plan - you know that losing weight is never easy.

We can make it more doable - more pleasant, but losing those unwanted pounds is very hard work. One of the most annoying parts of dieting is feeling hunger pains. But we have a great tip that can assist.

Rather than going on a restricted calorie diet that contains far less calories that your body will require once the diet has ended and you've reached your weight loss goal, why not go on a diet plan that contains the number of calories your body requires to support your ideal weight?

By using this method, losing weight will not only be easier, your body will adapt very quickly to the calorie needs you are providing while receiving optimum nutritional benefits. Another plus to using this method is that after the weight loss plan has ended and all the unwanted weight is lost, you won't have to go through the weight maintenance phase.

Sensible Weight Loss Using the Food Pyramid

Let's provide an example of how this weight loss method works by examining dieter Paula. She requires 1,500 calories per day to maintain her weight of 130 pounds.

Rather than going on a severely restricted diet of say 1,000 calories per day - which is actually a very dangerous diet as it's too low to provide adequate nutritional needs, if Paula goes on the 1,500 calorie diet then once the pounds are lost, she can continue on her diet going forward to achievepermanent weight loss results.

In addition, her metabolism is more likely to work at an efficient pace; when the body is not receiving adequate energy needs then the metabolic rate slows, thus rendering slower weight loss results.

In addition, the dieter tends to experience more weight loss plateaus as the diet continues.