Calorie Meal Plans The table below shows sample meal plans, by number of servings, for different calorie levels. To maintain a healthy weight, choose a calorie level close to what you are eating now. If you need to gain or lose weight, ask your doctor which plan to use. Each plan provides about half of its calories from carbohydrate and less than 30% of calories from fat, based on choosing skim milk and medium or lower fat meats and cheeses. | Carbohydrate Counting Carbohydrate (starch and sugar) is the main nutrient in food that raises blood sugar. When you plan meals based on carbohydrate counting, count only the foods that contain carbohydrates. Use either the portion sizes shown in the food list, or calculate the carbohydrate (CHO) grams using the bolded numbers in each food list. If you are using a packaged food with a nutrition label, count the number of carbohydrate grams for the serving size. Servings from any of these high carbohydrate groups are considered to be equal: Starch, Fruit, Milk, Other Carbohydrates (Sweets). |
Calories per day | 1,200 | 1,500 | 1,800 | 2,000 | 2,500 | Other |
Carbohydrates-Starch (15 gram carb servings) | ||||||
Carbohydrates-Fruit (15 gram carb servings) | ||||||
Carbohydrates-Milk (12 gram carb servings) | ||||||
Carbohydrates-Vegetables (5 gram carb servings) | ||||||
Meat & Meat Substitutes | ||||||
Fat | ||||||
Three vegetable servings provide the same amount of carbohydrate as one serving of other carbohydrate food groups |
Starches/Breads
( 15 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams protein, 1 gram fat, and 80 calories per serving
These foods are the cornerstone of every healthy eating plan. Most of their calories come from carbohydrates, a good source of energy. Many foods from this group also give you needed fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Prepare and eat starchy foods with as little added fat as possible by limiting butter, margarine, shortening and oil.
These are just a few of the many available starchy foods. Estimate a single serving size for foods that aren't on the list as follows:
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Fruits
( 15 grams carbohydrate and 60 calories per serving
Fruits provide important vitamins and minerals and can be a good source of fiber. To get the most fiber from fruits, eat the edible peelings.
Estimate the serving size for fruits that aren't on the list as follows:
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Milk and Milk Products Skim Milk ( 12 grams carbohydrate, 8 grams protein, 1 gram fat and 90-110 calories per serving ) Low Fat Milk ( 12 grams carbohydrate, 8 grams protein, 3 gram fat and 120-150 calories per serving ) Whole Milk ( 12 grams carbohydrate, 8 grams protein, 5 gram fat and 150-170 calories per serving ) Milk and milk products supply calcium and other minerals, vitamins, protein, and carhohydrates. Choose low-fat and skimmed varieties for health, they have less fat, calories, and cholesterol, with the same amount of nutrients. Estimate the serving size for fruits that aren't on the list as follows: | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Vegetables ( 5 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams protein, and 25 calories per serving ) Vegetables are a great source of vitamins and minerals and many also provide some fiber. A serving is 1/2 cup of raw vegetable juice, or 1 cup of raw vegetables. (Starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, and peas are listed with Starches/Breads. Vegetables with fewer than 20 calories per serving are listed with free foods.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Other Carbohydrates ( 15 grams carbohydrate, or 1 Starch or 1 Fruit, or 1 Milk ) Sugars can be included in your meals without losing blood sugar control if they are counted appropriately. Follow Food Guide Pyramid guidelines for keeping the amounts of Sweets and Fats in your overall diet small compared to more nutritionally valuable foods. Portion sizes of foods high in refined sugar are often very small. Read the label. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Meat and Meat Substitutes Small servings of meat and meat substitutes provide enough protein to meet most people's daily needs. For better health, choose very lean and lean meat, fish, poultry, and cheese more often than medium- and high- fat types. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fats ( 5 grams fat and 45 calories per serving ) Fats add flavor and moisture to food, but have few vitamins and minerals. Serving sizes of all fats are small. Choose mono- and polyunsaturated fats more often than saturated fats for better heart health and to lower blood cholesterol levels. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Free Foods Each free food or drink contains fewer than 20 calories per serving. Eat as much as you want of the free foods that list no serving size. Eat up to 3 servings a day that have serving sizes listed. For better blood sugar control, spread your servings of these extra foods throughout the day . | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Seasonings Seasonings can be used as desired. If you are on a low-sodium diet, read labels to avoid seasonings that contain sodium or salt | ||||||||||||||||||
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Food Guide Pyramid The pyramid is a good guide to choosing healthy foods. The foods in each section provide some, but not all, of the nutrients needed for health. It is important to eat servings from each group every day. Most people need more of the foods sbown in the larger sections at the bottom, and fewer servings from the smaller sections. If you are using the pyramid, your health care provider will write in the number of servings recommended for your needs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Guidlines For Estimating portion Sizes
These are guidlines for esimating the portion size of any food without acutally measuring
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